Sam's apartment is centrally located, ideal for my partner and I when
we were job-hunting in Wellington.

While things started off fine (Sam's communication was excellent), my
overall experience at Sam's was disappointing.

Sam was in London when I contacted him. I originally asked him for a
discounted rate as I'm job-hunting, money is tight. Sam kindly obliged.
He also stated that since there were no bookings when he left, the flat
was a bit messy and he would also have to call in some favours in order
to get us the key. I said I understood and went ahead with the booking.

Upon arrival, I was surprised to see that the floors were dirty and not
vacuumed, what looked like dirty towels were left hanging in the
bathroom, there was a hamper full of Sam's dirty laundry, what looked
like dirty linens on the bed, and the dishwasher was filled with junk.
It clearly wasn't just a "little messy," it had not been properly
cleaned at all. Luckily, I had my own towel and a set of sheets for the
bed (I've been traveling enough to know that's the way to go). Also, I
quote the house manual received upon booking when I write, "The
dishwasher hasn't ever been used- so the first time you use it stay for
the whole cycle in case something floods."

I said nothing to Sam of this during our stay because he was away, and
therefore nothing could really be done.

Instead, I decided the best option would be to ask for the $49 cleaning
fee back. Seeing as Sam was unable to adequately clean his flat, and
that I left it cleaner than I found it (as evidenced by his review left
for me), I thought this was completely fair.

Sam got back to me with this reply-

"Hi Pete, thanks for your email. I have thought about your request, but
given that I have already reduced my rate for this from $120 per day on
my AirBNB settings, and had to call in some last minute
cleaning/rendezvous favours for your reservation then I can't really
offer this refund. My apologies, Sam"

The reduced rate and late minute favours have absolutely nothing to do
with the cleanliness, or lack thereof, of the apartment.

It's also really no concern of the customer's if a host has to call in
favours. If one can't organise for his/her place to be clean and
available for when they are away, then they simply should not put it up
on AirBnB as available.

I replied to Sam and asked again for a refund. Sam refused, this time
calling me "opportunistic."

If my booking was too last-minute, too much an inconvenience, or too
much trouble then Sam could have chosen to not let his flat to me. But
that was not the case.

Quite simply, I left the flat (much) cleaner than how I found it. So
why charge a "cleaning fee" then?