My wife and I chose Bruno and Claudia’s apartment for the last 4 nights of our 5 week trip. It appeared luxurious, the location looked great and the Superhosts had great reviews.
When we arrived Bruno showed us that a burglar had attempted to break-in just before we arrived. The burglar opened the stairwell window, stood on the AC unit to pry open the window but had not succeeded.
Unfortunately we could not sleep the first night due to it being extremely hot in the apartment. I mentioned this to Bruno who returned the next day to fix the broken bathroom lights. I also mentioned that I had checked the AC filter and said that it seemed dirty.
The second night we put the AC on the coldest setting but it only blew warm air, We barely slept. It was Sunday but Bruno found a technician who checked out everything and said the system was broken and needed a new part. Bruno offered to refund our last 2 nights so we could move into a hotel. Exhausted from 5 weeks of travel we simply did not have the energy to pack up all of our stuff and move. We declined this offer and Bruno gave us an electric fan. Milan was 95 degrees during these days and the apartment was scorching in the afternoon sun. We slept badly the last 2 nights.
As Bruno had offered to refund our last 2 nights to move out I requested the same 2 nights to be refunded due to the fact that the AC did not work. I checked with Airbnb customer service if this was a reasonable request. I was assured that it was.
Bruno wrote back to say that the AC started working after we left. He said our request was “bogus” and stated that somehow WE were to blame for the AC not working. He said that we had no right to check the AC filter and that WE had done something to cause the AC to fail. He claimed we were trying to fool him and that we were unfair.
Despite the fact Bruno’s wife Claudia clearly confirmed to us that the AC filter had nothing to do with the mechanics of the AC system, Bruno persisted in blaming us for the fact that AC system had not worked. He could not seem to grasp that the most likely explanation was the burglar having damaged the AC while standing on the unit trying to break into the apartment.
Our stay in the apartment was uncomfortable to say the least but the time expended during and after our visit to resolve this has been a huge hassle.
Bottom line –
Don’t blame the guest when something in the apartment goes wrong.
Don't tell the guest that they are “bogus” because they did not have the energy to pack up and move out.
Don’t tell the guest they are being foolish or unfair if they ask for a partial refund.