I have never before left a negative review on an Airbnb listing. However, the actions of this host were alarming and I’d like to give others a heads up (and possibly prevent the host from doing this ever again).
I’m not going to make a judgement call and let the actions of the host speak for themselves.
The information about the AC being down was not in the description of the posting when I was booking it.
A day after booking (which is when I was supposed to arrive), I received a direct email (not through Airbnb) from the host saying the AC is down and I have the option to stay and receive 20% off or get a full refund and cancel the rest of my reservation.
I decided to stay a couple of nights to see if I can bare through it without the AC. I let the host know via email and call. After 2 days, I checked-out and the host sent me a confirmation that I will receive 20% off the nights I stayed and a refund for the rest.
The host called me and asked for my credit card information in order to process the refund. I should have seen this as a red flag and not given it to them since this is outside of Airbnb policy. However, I gave my information (lesson learned).
I was then CHARGED the amount I was owed. My bank account showed that this was done manually (so they used the credit card information I gave to charge me). Then, the host refunded me the amount through Airbnb, but they still owed me for the money they took manually.
When I called the host, they said this is an Airbnb issue and to contact them. This began a long process of customer care calls with Airbnb and my bank. This is when I fully understood what happened and that I was charged manually, without my knowledge or consent.
I confronted the host with an email of what I understood had happened and they manually refunded me the amount they took.
I’m sad to write this review but also don’t want anyone else to go through this as it took me weeks and lots of frustrating calls to get my money back.