I very much looked forward to this stay due to all the positive reviews. However, I had a terrible experience with the host, Chris. Please note that I had stayed in many Airbnbs over numerous years and had only great experiences with them, and this is the first time I had ever encountered a rude host.
It was an abnormally hot day in Zurich and after struggling for awhile to get my luggages to the building, I found out that the elevator was broken. Another person living in the building told me “good luck going up the stairs, it only gets hotter from here.” I had two heavy luggages and the apartment was all the way on the 4th floor. I tried to go up the stairs, but I didn’t have the strength. The only reason I was OK with being on the 4th floor was because the Airbnb promised to have an elevator. So I contacted Chris that I cannot stay and that I would appreciate a refund. He did not respond and I needed a place to stay for the night so I booked a nice hotel room nearby for the same price as this Airbnb. Chris finally responded the next day saying that the elevator breaking can happen anywhere and did not give me a refund. I contacted Airbnb Support wanting some guidance, but they also did not respond (only got a response 2 days later as they are backlogged). I cancelled the Airbnb, just to let Chris rent it out again, but he was very upset that I cancelled too late and said I should’ve cancelled earlier. I responded that if I am the one to cancel, I don’t get any refund so I hesitated doing so. Since Airbnb Support wasn’t responding and I didn’t want to look like I stayed for all 4 nights, I ultimately decided to cancel. And again, I mentioned how I wanted a full refund because I literally could not get into the apartment. And he said it is logical that I don’t receive it because I cancelled too late. He never communicated that I needed to cancel to get a refund (the refund policy said no refund if I cancel), so I’m very upset that he is putting it on me. I am a reasonable person. I don’t care much if an Airbnb is dirty or has some minor issues, but if I can’t get into the apartment because of a broken elevator, I expect to be fairly compensated for it.