Worst violators of privacy+worst communication I’ve experienced on this app.Communication was terrible from the get-go. Host told me she wouldn’t be there until evening on check-in day but that there was a lockbox, but then in the same message asked to know my plans so she could “do her best to drive from Tauranga to Auckland at a reasonable hour”.?..this made no sense because if it was a lockbox check-in why would she need to drive back from Tauranga to Auckland at a specific time? had to ask for clarification as this was confusing, then she said she’d “see me Monday evening” even though I had plans to be out Monday evening & she’d already confirmed I could do a morning check-in?..Had to go back & forth seeking clarification on that.Then when I was meant to receive check-in details with the lockbox code 24 hours prior to arrival I received wifi info (which turned out to be incorrect) and nothing else, so had to chase her up for the lockbox code....then when I checked in & discovered none of the wifi info was correct & messaged her she responded saying she “wished I’d rung her on her mobile number instead of putting my blood pressure through all of this”. This is offensive because if she’d listed correct info in the first place I wouldn’t need to spend time chasing her up+air bnb policy is that all communication be conducted via the app for each parties safety, NOT via private number (needless to say I continued communicating through the app rather than her mobile).
Here is where things got proper ridiculous: that evening I’m in the bathtub getting ready to go out & I haven’t locked the bathroom door since I’m there by myself & not expecting anyone to come busting in, plus there’s a $2 coin sized hole in the door people can see through. Next thing you know, out of nowhere I hear a super loud male voice coming through the bathroom door! so I start FREAKING out yelling “I’m in the bathtub, GO AWAY!” stressing because the bathroom door is unlocked with a hole you can see-through+I have NO idea who this could be since the host Marita is a female & there are NO messages on my phone about a visitor...instead of leaving, this male voice starts trying to have a conversation with me about wi-fi!...this makes NO SENSE because Marita had already messaged me the correct wifi network name hours earlier so there was no reason for a surprise visit?? =therefore at this point I’m YELLING through the door for them to go away because repeating that I’m IN the bathtub...they finally leave and I message Marita straight away requesting that she warn me first before she sends some random dude on a surprise evening visit, and that he continued trying to talk to me even though I was yelling that I was in the bath.
Here’s the insulting part: Marita messages me back saying “HE got a fright & they’re both shaking” (it was her husband who I didn’t even know existed). I could not believe that she tried to paint her husband as the frightened, shaking victim in this scenario instead of the girl by herself in the bathtub getting verbally accosted by a stranger through the bathroom door. This was a huge privacy violation & I immediately started researching alternative accomodation, intending to check-out & request a refund but it was a national public holiday week & there was nothing left at such short notice that fit within my budget so for financial reasons I had to remain for the duration of the stay. This all happened during the covid pandemic too when we’re supposed to social distance so it was really inappropriate to send round random visitors with no warning.
There were other random issues with the cleaner arrival times being changed multiple times +with zero notice on the day then me having to give my key to them since they said they tried to ring Marita and couldn’t get a hold of her etc. Will not stay there again.