FULL REFUND GIVEN HAVING ENGAGED AIRBNB TO MEDIATE DUE TO IMPOSSIBLE HOST - PLEASE READ!*
*All aspects of this review have been proven to AirBnB with photographic evidence.
Reason for stay: family break to visit Tayto Park & Sea Life in Bray.
I have to say this was our worst ever experience spending money on a product or service.
We write this review as positive reviews can be misleading; it's only when there's an issue you find out of if someone is good to deal with.
There are 4 elements needed for booking an AirBnB to be a success
1. Easy pick up of keys
2. Clean apartment on arrival
3. Property as advertised
4. Good communication
John & his team failed grossly on all 4 leading to AirBnB granting the full refund requested.
Here is a synopsis:
Started off where we couldn't get adequate answers in the run up to the trip or on the morning of departure.
We were told we could collect keys and drop our bags to the apartment for 1.30pm then return at 3pm at which point it would be fully cleaned.
This is when the problems started:
We were then told to get a key from a key box in a Londis shop and provided a code via text.
There were 3 Londis on the very long road & the information didnt say which one the key box was in. Nobody answered over 5+ calls to request which shop the key box was in.
Finally found the correct shop by process of walking the entire road and trying each shop...the key WAS NOT in the box. Finally got through to Johns staff who said bluntly “oh, yeah we didn't put it in there yet”. This after sending us to the shop, ignoring calls and us dragging 3 children around Dublin on a wild goose chase.
After 1.5hrs was wasted looking for a key box that contained no key we met someone at the apartment… walked into what looked like someone had spent the night Partying in there... The apartment was not cleaned, it was dirty. Filthy in fact.
Dirty sheets, dirty rug, food in the sink, fag butts all over the balcony, duvet across the sofa where someone had slept there, dirty table & work surfaces.
Then the cleaner turned up AFTER we arrived. Hardly Covid safe is it?!
We then had to go outside whilst they cleaned.
I walked into the apartment and the cleaner was simply rearranging the bed, rather than putting fresh, clean sheets on. Had we not of noticed this our children would of slept in sheets occupied by a stranger just hours before. Not exactly what we expect in a pandemic.
Then the biggest problem... We realised there’s 2 sleeping spaces less than advertised in the images on AirBnB… images advertised 2 rooms with 2 double beds and one single bed (5 spaces total); REALITY: 1 double bed & 1 single bed (3 sleeping spaces).
There isn't enough beds for the spaces we booked.
We try multiple times to contact Johns team with no answer... We message John on AirBnB, no response so we stay as we have no choice to go elsewhere that night.
I had to sleep on the floor with my wife and children sharing the 3 beds & sofa.
As our attempts to contact John to make him aware he hadn't provided the beds required were ignored sent another message, this time to make him aware that we could not stay in the apartment as there were not enough beds.
We put in a refund request and spent nearly €600 booking a nearby hotel.
Strangely enough within 10 minutes of the refund request John finally contacted us; this after 11 ignored calls to his staff through the day & messages detailing our issues.
Turns out when a refund is requested John’s replies suddenly got prompt.
But then it got increasingly bad.
Via message John was rude & condescending & completely unhelpful.
At one point after admitting he knows it’s gone badly & being made aware there weren’t enough beds for the group he’d booked he told me “you have no chance of a refund” and to “sober up”. I was aghast at the response… and I certainly wasn’t drunk, I was with my children.
John then attempted every trick and lie in the book to squirm out of a refund it was clear to us he owed. He even accused us of lying about the booking and of abusing his staff. We of course didn’t lie about the booking it’s there in black and white… and at no point we’re his staff abused; luckily we had filmed our interactions with John’s staff so had proof these accusations of abuse were false.
Overall the property didn’t have enough beds, we were treated like dirt, the property was filthy, John was confrontational and rude when we pointed out the issues and had we not filmed and photographed everything John had attempted to do his utmost to stop us getting the refund we were clearly owed.
As I said to John in my feedback, it is not when things go well that we know if someone is good to deal with, it’s when things go poorly we see a persons true character.
Be aware that should you book with John you ‘may’ receive the same treatment we did if you need help. It was truly disgusting from start to finish.