This was my very first Airbnb experience. It was not good at all once Jenny checked me in (that did go well). In the shower I noticed a few ants but wasn’t too concerned. That changed when I discovered ants crawling on the bedspread and pillows of the place I was to sleep.
I quickly called Jenny, who was close by in her house. She refused to come out to see the problem for herself. Instead, she said that since the weather was hot, ants just come into the house—the subtext being I was just supposed to accept them in bed with me.
This took place around 10 p.m. so I didn’t have a lot of options. Thank goodness I was quickly able to find another place to go, but before I did I told Jenny I expected a full refund for my intended two-night stay. She said, “Do whatever you need to do,” and that was the last I heard from her.
Since this was my first experience with Airbnb, I wasn’t aware you need to take ample photographic evidence to get a full refund if the host won’t do it on her own.
Since I wanted to get out of her guesthouse quickly—before anymore ants got on my luggage, because some did get on the two bags I’d placed on the bed—I’d only taken a few quick shots that showed only a few ants, not the dozen or so I initially saw near the pillows.
Upshot—Jenny only agreed to give me half a refund, and Airbnb gave me a $100 voucher toward my next Airbnb reservation because this was my first experience with them.