The Good:
Patrick’s place was spacious and beautifully decorated. It is in a great neighborhood a block or less from Wrigley Field. It offers off street parking which is a big plus. Although we did not get to meet him personally as we do with most of our AirBnB hosts, he was very prompt in responding to our communications. A day before our arrival we were sent a code (last 4 of our phone#) to enter the building and our apartment. We were arriving several hours before check in and Patrick had given us permission to leave our luggage there telling us the cleaning lady would be there.
The Bad:
Patrick’s place is very noisy which did not bother us. There are two other apartments in the building and people in the other units are easily heard through the walls. The “L” tracks are directly behind and across the alley and it ran every few minutes til late in the evening and began again before sunrise. Music to my ears but I’m sure bothersome to others.
The Ugly:
After a late evening in Wrigleyville following a Cubs game. We and our two guests (first time AirBnB’ers) were hoping to sleep in and check out mid morning for our drive back to Indianapolis. At 5AM we were awakened to loud voices. We thought they were coming from outside until a strange man opened our bedroom door and walked in. He was surprised and left immediately. A few minutes later we heard voices and got up to find two men sitting in our living room, chatting it up. Angered and upset, we asked who the he€€ they were and they explained they were the next guests and Patrick had given them permission to leave their luggage. We resonded, “At 5:00AM in the morning?”
They apologized and left, leaving their luggage and other personal items in the apartment.
So much for sleeping in. The keypad for entry into the apartment must accept multiple codes. There is no deadbolt lock on the door so our unintended intruders had easy access. I do not have an out of state CC permit and seldom travel with a weapon. If I did, a stranger barging into my bedroom at 5AM might well have been shot.
We contacted Patrick Immediately. He apologized, said he had given permission for the next guests to leave their luggage and said there had been a miscommunication as to their time of arrival. Patrick said he would issue a full refund. The refund was not 100% charging approximately $80 in fees. We then contacted Airbnb and they issued a full refund. My partner and I are frequent AirBnB’ers and have been rated excellent by every host. We have had exceptional experiences both at home and abroad. This experience has left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths.