This listing had multiple errors and incorrect information which supremely affected my stay. Naturally, they should have been nicely resolved by the host, who was, unfortunately, not a partner for problem solving. I would highly discourage fellow Airbnb travelers from ever renting a property served by Susi, the “Villa Specialist”. She will respond to my review with words twisted and fabricated to enhance her own appearance but be forewarned: she cannot be trusted to provide what you need. You will never see her or speak with her on the phone if you have any issues to address, and she will work hard to escape any responsibility.
I reserved this apartment in Florence, which was much more expensive than suitable alternatives on Airbnb, mainly because it had 3 very important features: an elevator, air conditioning and a kitchen. I am very familiar with Florence and have been traveling to this incredible city for 40 years.
When I arrived, we were all shocked to discover that, despite the listing stating the apartment had an elevator, it did not. There were 2 long flights of stairs to reach this apartment. No alternative was offered to me when I addressed it with Suzi. No discount or refund was offered. Suzi already had my money because paid in full in advance.
Despite claiming in the description that this apartment had air conditioning, it was, truthfully, a misleading fact. There was a unit in the dining room that worked well, and a unit in the living room that was faulty and only produced strong air from about 4” worth (1/10th) of its vent. The bedroom and bathroom had no air conditioning units. I measured the air temperature in the bed area at 82F. I have been to Florence in the summer and the temperatures can reach well over 100F, which it did on this trip.
Despite the fact that the tiny kitchen was very difficult to manage, it had mold and food crumbs on the small surfaces on the counters and inside and outside the cabinets, but despite this, the dishes and counters could barely be utilized because the metal kitchen faucet was severely broken and each time it was turned on, water flooded the small space, leaking all over the counter and spilling on the floor, etc. Suzi ignored the photos of mold I sent. At a certain point, I stopped reporting issues like this to Susi, because it was clear she had no interest in securing a pleasant experience for Airbnb guests.
Follow up:
Elevator: Although Susi’s “team” informed her of the lack of the listing description’s elevator, she ignored it. Neither she nor Nicola would communicate in any way other than text. I sent her a message detailing some issues, including the 2 staircases the description neglected to mention. I mentioned that one of the reasons I specifically chose this apartment was because it provided an elevator (which I needed for medical reasons). I asked her if she had any alternatives. She did not respond that entire day, and I only heard from her the next day. She ignored the issue of the elevator in her response.
I sent another message saying I was surprised she ignored the very important issue of the stairs. I made it clear I was very disappointed and hoped they would do something. When she responded, she completely admitted that the description was incorrect and made-up excuses for this, finally putting the blame back on me:
“We were not aware or informed about a medical issue. Knowing that stairs were a problem would have forced us to look twice at what was given away.” Let me underscore the absurdity of the suggestion that the renter should be required to reveal a medical condition when paying in full for a rental with an elevator in the description that was advertised. Disgraceful.
A/C: Suzi hyper focused on the fact that I set the a/c at 17C degrees, and it should have been cool enough, instead of the fact that the a/c may have been faulty and that it did not cover the bedroom or bathroom. Her response: “It is not subjective that temperature kept at 17° degrees at full force is pretty much the lowest you can get from a regular air conditioning system”.
These are only the 3 top problems I encountered. I am an experienced, long time Airbnb customer. Airbnb has always been an incredible partner for me, and they are responsive and supportive, in my experience. Multiple times I went to report this to Airbnb while at the apartment, but I did not complete the reports, because I realized I would not be able to find another accommodation in Florence at the last minute in peak season, and Suzi would make this process more of a nightmare for me than it already was. I was stuck, but that was not the fault of Airbnb. I do hope there is a repercussion on Suzi and people like her, who take advantage of travelers in this way. Always be suspicious of companies that say they have never “received a complaint” on something before. I do believe I should have received some of my money refunded for being sold a rental that was not what I paid for.
Aside from this, the location of the apartment was perfect for me and the palace that the apartment was part of was lovely. The other people supporting the rental were nice, too – the housekeeper who was very helpful to me, the woman who showed up to meet me (but I could never reach again), the woman who controls the reception into the palace, the owner of the massive company that manages the rentals across Italy (he spent an hour trying to fix the electrical issues at the apartment when we arrived) – they were kind, and they were interacting with in person.
Brenda