A COSTLY NIGHTMARE.
The main reason we write this is to warn other people to avoid this place. We hope this will never happen to another person.
MISTREATMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE AND MANAGEMENT STAFF
After more than 20 hours of sleeplessness and fatigue from international travel to Lisbon, a city we had never been to and knew no one; we arrived at the apartment at 3:00 PM, the check-in time as indicated by the management. There was no key in the lockbox.
That's right, there was no key in the lockbox. We waited a little while hoping someone would show up with the key. After about 15 minutes, we called the number listed. The representative took down our information and report, then told us to take a photo of the lockbox without the key in it and text it to them for verification. We did what was requested and we waited for a call back. No calls.
One hour passed, we called again. The same person answered our call but appeared to be uninformed about the situation. We had to repeat telling her who we were, why we called and what the situation was, and that we had sent a photo she advised. She did not seem to be concerned. She said someone is on the way and told us to wait 45 minutes, to go somewhere for coffee. We expressed our frustration that no one called us back or kept us informed of what was happening from their end. She snapped at us saying that she had so many other callers to deal with. What? Our issue of having no key to access the place that we were promised was not remarkable enough for her to remember or deal with. She told us we were reimbursed $ 27 for our inconvenience.
We came back to the apartment at 5PM and still NO key! Fatigued and frustrated, we called again. The representative answered the phone, and we had to retell the same lines of who we were, why we called, and what the situation was. She said she will contact the driver and call us back. We waited for about an hour, by this time it is almost 6PM. We started to feel worried that this management must have had a lot of major issues. At this time, we were really worried about not being able to get in the place at all for the night. We brainstormed other options of hospitality because we did not want to be homeless in a city we barely knew.
Another 15 minutes wait, we called again. Another representative answered. Another repeat of who we were, why we called, and what the situation was. She looked up in the records and said it was already "resolved". Resolved? We asked in frustration. NO key yet, how could it have been resolved? It was at this time we decided to look for another place to stay.
That was it – we’d had enough of this nonsense! We decided to make a reservation with a hotel. Our decision cost us much more money in the end due to last minute booking, but we could not imagine or tolerate the option of being homeless in Lisbon, even for a night.
We never set foot in the place.
A day later, Luke, the host, contacted us and apologized for the situation. He offered us a partial (half) refund only if we shortened our reservation. But we never set foot in the place, how could we have agreed to shorten our reservation? That would not be truthful. We declined the offer. Up to today, we still have not received any refund except the measly $27 for our "inconvenience". Luke, if you're reading this, it was not an "inconvenience". It was a nightmare. We hope you or anyone else ever should ever experience it yourself.
AIRBNB RESPONSE
We misunderstood that Airbnb wanted guests to deal with hosts directly before involving Airbnb right away. So, when we contacted Airbnb more than a day later, we were told that it was too late (pass 24 hours) for Airbnb to be involved. So that was it. We were on our own without any recourse. Lesson for anyone reading this: Contact Airbnb IMMEDIATELY for any problem that arises. Airbnb would for sure tell you to contact the host, but at least your problem is reported within 24 hours.
POSITIVE NOTES
The neighbors next door to the apartment were such sweet people. They came out from their apartment, seeing us waiting and were so sympathetic, even asking us to let them know if there was anything they could do to help. They were even apologetic when they came back (after dinner?) and saw us still waiting in the hallway. The doorman was extremely helpful and sympathetic as well. We had a fantastic time in Lisbon, a beautiful and amazing city. Almost everyone we encountered was friendly, personable, and pleasant. We left Lisbon with heartfelt enjoyment and appreciation. Our visit started with a nightmare, ended with fond memories.