This booking was for my wife and granddaughter.
On arrival they had difficulty in opening the lockbox. They tried numerous times but it would not open. My wife called me very upset, frustrated and almost in tears. She had left my granddaughter with the luggage outside the building of the flat and the child became incredibly upset.
I called the support number and requested they solve this problem. It soon became apparent that they are more of a call center. They called my wife and advised her they did not have anyone to send and did not have a solution.
So, a 74 year old woman and her 12 year old granddaughter were left out in the freezing cold. I called AirBnb and advised them of the situation – they called the host, Mark, but their calls went to voicemail. They were very patient but in the end could not solve the issue. They left messages for Mark to get back to them.
After about 1.5 hours my wife finally managed to open the lockbox and access the flat. About half an hour later the host finally contacted me through AirBnb to find out if the problem had been solved.
I advised him that they were having a problem with the heating and the light in the bathroom. Mark quickly solved the issues on the phone and remotely. The bathroom door would not close (the door was swollen and did not fit into the doorframe) and he advised that he would have the handyman fix it. This of course never happened.
On the last day the swelling in the door contracted and like magic it finally closed. The front door would not open from the inside and eventually my wife used a fork to pry the door open - the door was sticking and eventually also contracted and could be opened without a problem.
After most of the issues had been resolved (except for the bathroom door) I was quite shocked to receive the following message from Mark:
“I am not sure how practical you guys are but EVERYTHING is a problem. I have NEVER had this before. That is why I think it is better to go somewhere else. Please ask her to read the instructions sent. I apologise you have had problems”
He also said he would forego the rest of the charges if they left the following morning.
I was amazed at the lack of empathy from someone who is supposed to be a Super Host. I find his lack of patience and understanding as well as the gall to strongly propose that they find alternate accommodation completely unacceptable. Perhaps he should mention in the description of his property that only PRACTICAL people should apply (maybe in his mind old women are impractical).
The plus side: the apartment is well located, the bed has an extremely comfortable mattress, the kitchen was well equipped and it was nice to have Apple TV. They eventually settled in and had a pleasant and comfortable stay.