Our experience with Sam was a difficult one. It pains us to write our first ever bad review (please click on our profile to see our other 100% positive reviews), but our experience in his studio (please note this is a studio and not a one-bedroom as listed) was alarming enough that we feel obligated to share.
We arrived mid-afternoon on Day 1 of what was supposed to be a five-day stay. Sam texted instructions on how to enter, and then asked us not to tell anybody this was an Airbnb. The whole secrecy thing was our first red flag that perhaps the place was not 100% on the up and up, but we figured it'd probably be fine.
Sam's next text mentioned that he had arranged to have Maintenance visit the apartment the next day due to complaints by the previous renter about "slow drainage." We weren't thrilled about having a visit from a maintenance worker we didn't know, but we're flexible, so we said that'd be okay.
Several hours later, we discovered that what Sam referred to as "slow drainage" was actually a toilet that would not flush. We texted Sam to ask if he had any tricks to get it to work, but he did not. Instead, he reiterated that "the guest that checked out this morning reported slow drainage of that toilet." It was now late at night, and the two of us needed to go to the bathroom. We texted Sam back asking if there was another toilet somewhere we could use -- perhaps in a laundry room or fitness area. He directed us to the Starbucks on Hollywood Boulevard.
We could go on for a while typing out all the details of what happened, but the gist is that we had no working toilet for 22 hours -- i.e., from the time we checked in until the time that Airbnb stepped in and found us another apartment.
Sam's initial response to the lack of toilet was to offer us a $20 refund for a night that, including Airbnb and cleaning fees, came to $291. He issued this on the morning of Day 2, when the toilet was still not functioning.
Sam's second response was to enter the apartment while we were gone in order to leave a bottle of wine to thank us for our patience. At this point, seeing that Sam had been in the apartment but had not bothered to bring a plumber, we contacted Airbnb. Airbnb reached out to Sam, who suddenly changed his story, telling them that WE had clogged the toilet, and that he had been trying to get somebody in to fix it, but that we wouldn't allow him access.
This is when we realized that something shady was going on. Toilets break; we get that. But when guests have to spend 22 hours in an apartment where they cannot go to the bathroom, $20 and a bottle of wine is not going to cut it. Neither is telling untruths to Airbnb about the nature of the problem. It was clear that Sam knew about this issue before we arrived, and it was clear that he had no difficulty accessing the apartment, since he stopped by to leave us a gift.
So, our bad review is not for the toilet breaking, but for how the situation was handled. We feel that we were scammed, and we hope that our story will help others to make an informed decision about whether they wish to stay here.