I have never written a negative review for Airbnb before but will do so with this stay. The main issue we had was that there was a know issue (as told to us by the Airbnb contact) with the electricity failing throughout the day, and at night it became critical. They told us that it would take several days to fix. The problem it created was twofold,. no internet service since no electricity, and though you wouldn't think it, no room heat as the electrical heaters failed at night when the low temperature was near 40 degrees F, or 4C. We asked for the electricity to get fixed, and because they couldn't do anything about it in the short term, to our surprise, they bought us 3 blankets for the bed (since the blankets they had on the beds were effectively useless to keep us warm even in the street clothes we had to sleep in to try to stay warm).
We were in Valencia waiting for my wife's parents who barely escaped on a train from Kyiv during the Russian bombing (one bomb took out a building in their neighborhood), and it took them 7 days to reach Valencia by train and bus, with Red Cross visits in between. Our parents arrived on the last evening of our stay late at night, and slept-in late the following day since they had little to no sleep in the last 48 hours.
We were barely able to rush out at 11am checkout time, when the Airbnb already had a family arriving as we left. What I received a few days ago from Armin was a bill for $344 which included 3 blankets that cost nearly $60 each which we did not request (we only asked for the electricity to work without shutting off at night so the heaters would work).
Armin also charged us for two extra people for 3 nights, when our parents arrived only 1 night. I understand capitalism but we were not out to cheat anyone, only to save our refugee parents and did not have a confirm time when they would arrive, thinking it would be the morning when we checked out. Our subsequent stay at Airbnb included our parents as guests so it shows we weren't actively trying to game the system pricing.
Since our parents arrived exhausted, they woke up late and rushing to get out we did not have a chance to clean the dishes, especially when another family was arriving at the 11am checkout time (when did 11am become check in time?) . I did pay for the extra clean up charge, but to pay for 3 nights for our parents when they stayed only 1 night, and to have to freeze one evening (hard to believe for Valencia, but true), that cost washes out at best.
Armin communication could have been much better, and we could have communicated ours better as well, but when you have parents that are in their 70s, who do not speak English or the language of any other European nation, and internet connection at Airbnb that constantly fails with the electricity shutting off, it greatly complicated our efforts to coordinate their trip from the Polish border to Spain. Granted our situation was unusual, but sadly not entirely, with 3 million refugees and counting. No one could understand the stress we experience trying to reunite with our parents, and our stay at this Airbnb greatly complicated it.