I have stayed in Airbnb places in a dozen countries and numerous states the US since I became a member in 2011. This week I ran into serious issues for the first time #childendangerment #covidsafetyviolations in this place. I had to relocate with 2 young kids in the night. We packed up and moved to another stay after a long day of exchanges with both the host and Airbnb, lacking empathy, gaslighting tones. We lost half of the money for the 6 nights we didn't stay to the tune of hundreds. No refund from host or Airbnb because we did not report issues in the first 24 hours of our stay. So health and safety violations can only take place in the first 24, then the guests are out of luck?
- My 7 year old found pharmaceuticals in his room, 2 different types, no idea what they are. Had it been my 3 year old, we could be at a hospital.
- My husband found a piece of broken glass several inches long on the porch. Again, so glad it wasn't the kids.
- On day 2, my older boy told me about a red string in his bed. I didn't see it but it didn't set of alarm because I thought it was string. On Day 4, he found another and showed it to my husband, who identified it as a long piece of hair dyed red. Had they been sleeping on sheets that weren't properly cleaned? Maybe the sheets were cleaned but the comforter cover wasn't? Either way, yuck #covid19
- The host warned me upon arrival that there was no way to adjust the temperature from inside the unit and I had to text to set and adjust. That should have been a clue. I requested 72 in the day, 68 in the night. The first 2 nights, the heating didn't come on at all but it had been warmish (for windy Daly City) so we just slept warmly dressed under the blankets. The 3rd night, the heaters blasted for hours. I mean, full force non-stop for hours starting around the kids bedtime. It was unusual but we just adjusted by opening windows because we're veteran travelers and complaining about it being too warm seems like a luxury problem. The next night, we all woke up several times in the night dehydrated and overheated. I messaged. The host sent me a pic of the app showing 68 but it was more like 90 inside the unit and there were vents right under both beds. It was clear to me that the thermostat was on a different part of this 4 story house and they had no way to adjust the actual temperature in this rental, hence the texting for adjustments.
- Then there were small things that added up over the days like an electric burner that was so dirty it filled the house with smoke when we tried to cook, a grill we tried to use instead that had no way to clean it or utensils to cook with, 1 roll of TP left for 4 people for a 10 day stay, several outlets and blinds that didn't work, a bathroom sink that was obviously rust covered with white paint which had a sign saying, "Drying, do not use until (date/time)", the mechanism to switch water from shower to tub was stuck in shower mode and there was no way to plug the tub anyway even if we could fill it, the utility sink that was our kitchenette sink backed up, TV remote turned it on but didn't turn it off, empty soda can cartons under the bed,...
- We kept letting things go and did ask for support with the outlet situation because we work and school from home and they were unanswered after the initial, "Let me get back to you" but by day 4 when the safety issues accumulated, we contacted Airbnb, whose only support was to mediate between the host and us. I am a certificated mediator. That's not what we needed. We were directly messaging the host already. They can't unsleep my kids on a bed with other people's hair, unfind broken glass, undiscover pills, give us back sleep, or even ensure future health and safety because that would have required cleaning the house thoroughly without us there and installing a thermostat in the unit.
- The host sent a young gentleman after support got involved, who addressed the TP situation and a couple other minor things like checking lamps and confirming the burners were filthy. No apology. No acknowledgment. No direct addressing of safety issues like glass and pills, only defensive messages like, "The grill is not listed as an amenity so there are no supplies" and "My app is showing 70. Open some windows if it's too warm for you."
Choose this place if you're a person with low expectation and no kids. If you must choose this place, ask if the thermostat situation and cleaning quality control has improved. Make sure you do a thorough check upon arrival for all the issues I mentioned and more in the first 24 hours because Airbnb policy assumes incidents magically take place in the first 24.