It’s was a nightmare! We couldn’t enjoy our stay and it ruined our trip!
We booked our 2 week US trip accommodation through Airbnb with the last 2 days in San Francisco. This house is by far the worst and our trip ended on a very bad note. Every one of us was very unhappy as a result.
To be completely honest, the house itself is big with pretty cool design. However some of the furnitures are broken and there are many hidden charges that we were not notified before.
The issue of our stay is the house owner! We were not notified of a long list of rules before our booking. 7 days prior to our stay, we received a very long list of rule (please see below the rules that we received). We have paid a cleaning fee already and we just don’t understand why there are so many other extra cleaning fees and why we are even required to help with the cleaning duties. We needed to collect all the trash, move then to in front of kitchen, collect all the bed sheets and towels and put them to hamper... why are we paying so much money and having to clean so much of the rental?
We do not understand why this LONG list of rules were not incorporated or discussed before our booking? We would not have chosen this property if we were noticed any of these as we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy our stay with so many rules.
We don’t feel welcome at all, the house owner even sent the following message to us:
“Are you new to Airbnb? Reason why I am asking is because your not renting a hotel. It my home: and there are some light responsibility in keeping the house in order. As long as maintaining as you go there will be no issues. All Airbnb has a house rule requirement not only mines. But if you think about th we rules it’s pretty simple. Sorry for this but the first message was sent out mentioning helping out and house rules. How about this, since it’s Chinese New Year, we have the same last name. Just do your best I will take care of the rest. Ok deal?”
No matter if we are new to Airbnb or not, I don’t think this question is appropriate and polite to be asked in the first place! We understand we are not renting the hotel, but we did pay a premium to rent this house as well as the cleaning fee. I do not think we should be treated in such a way! As for the “light responsibility”, this is definitely way beyond the meaning of “light”!
And we received another message:
“As mentioned I would be flexible with the fees but it seams like your not holding up your end of the agreement. I have sent you house rules, asked for you to pass them along to other guests, seams like this was not done. Reason being parking in the garage is not included. As mentioned on my messages.”
We appreciate the house owner flexibility with the fees. I did pass along the rules to other guests, they had been driving for 7 hours from Los Angeles, and by the time we arrived at the house, it was very late and everyone was very tired, and there’s no more parking on the street, that's why we accidentally overlooked the rules.
On the day we check out, the house owner was standing right across of the house staring at us and writing down our car plate. And sent us the following message:
“thanks for staying. Hope you had a good time here. Sorry for all the rules it’s to help keep the place clean for the next person to use. I like to he fair and since you didn’t follow the house rules and you didn’t like the rules. I won’t write you any review and please don’t write me one. So this way the next time you use Airbnb you won’t have a bad rating. Hope this seams fair to you. Thank you again and I don’t mind having you guys back, I will offer you a discount next time. Thanks again and happy Chinese New Year!”
How can we have a good time with such a host!? If the host have nothing to hide, she wouldn’t need to send us this message. However, we don’t mind a bad comment left on my account because I feel it is very important for the readers and next person to know the truth! If the house owner have so many worries, she should not have rented out her house!
**Long list of rule:
*Check in 4pm (no early check in available)
*Check out 11am, ($100 charge if cleaners have to wait and after 11am)
*Parking on both sides of the drive way is ok.
Please take off your shoes and leave them inside the main door in the shoe cabinet.
GETTING IN: Push the front gate in, to enter main door walk all the way in and up few steps for the main entrance. It's the last door to your right.
-Please do not hang out in the garage, there will be some personal stuff that is being monitored by security cameras for everyone’s protection
Your welcome to use the Landry but it maybe full of towels as they take longer to dry, I could contact my cleaners to come and remove them but it will be faster if you could help take them out and put them in the hamper.
PLEASE READ THIS WHOLE MESSAGE TO AVOID EXTRA CHARGES $$
***Very Important: 9pm is quiet hours. Including outside the yard. We have had issues with people up late partying, our neighbors will call us, and you will be asked to leave your stay right away! So please please respect that it is a quite neighborhood.
* 10 Guests maximum are allowed at