I am not one to have poor experiences with AirBnB providers, but this one is a first! I set this up the evening before I had to leave for Providence RI. Like the many others AirBnB places I have used, I chose this one, made the reservation, sent a message to the host, and was confirmed and my credit card billed. Nothing unusual whatsoever!
After traveling 7 hours to reach my destination, I arrived and was unable to access Eileen's place. I re-read the listing for the House Rules and Access Instructions (which there was none). So, I sent a message to Eileen and received NO response. I sat there for about a half-hour thinking maybe someone would show up, but no one did. I went up an outside stairway and knocked on the door. The upstairs occupant told me that "NO one was gonna be staying in the downstairs apartment and had no idea who I was talking about when I said the name Eileen." She told me I needed to leave!
After about 2 hours of trying to find another place to stay, and reaching out by telephone to AirBnB, Eileen finally texted me telling me she was "sorry" and "how could I make it up to you" and "I am fixing up the place - didn't they tell you?" I simply replied that I was very disappointed and expect a refund!
I have been in contact with AirBnB twice since. They are supposedly assigning my complaint/claim to a case manager to review.
While I recognize that things come up, I would have thought that the listing would have been pulled from AirBnB if the host was performing renovations and the place unavailable. At this point, I STRONGLY SUGGEST you avoid this listing!