When Airbnb goes wrong: Cancellations and covert listings (Marketplace)

We are at the largest airport in Canada. The perfect place to survey travelers about Airbnb. And what were your experiences like? Good. I really liked it. It was close to a meter. Everything was just perfect. Ours in Italy were really great. Mmm-hmm. The magic of traveling. Ah yes, the magic of traveling. It's exactly what Airbnb is selling and they've built a $30 billion business on it... Together. Everything in one place. With more than 6 million

listings

, Airbnb is the largest home-sharing brand in the world. You have many more options. It is much cheaper than an all-inclusive. It's like home.

Home away from home. But before you click on what looks like your dream suite, find out what to do

when

Airbnb

goes

"Airb-n-bad." It's winter in Alberta and naturally, David Jackel makes plans to spend a few weeks somewhere warm. We kind of considered this my 50th birthday present. So yeah, it was a little more than our usual getaway. Scheduling so much free time into your job as a crane technician requires a lot of planning. But he finally books an Airbnb for him and his wife Kelly in Huatulco, Mexico, six months in advance. He spends $1,300 on a five-week stay.

The place was exactly what we wanted. And the price almost seemed too good to be true. Turns out... it was. Then I think it would have been Friday night, I got a text saying our host canceled on us. And you're supposed to register... on Monday. Good? And I say okay, so this is just a joke. This is... they're having fun with me, you know? And then it's okay, now that this has gotten serious. And get this, at the last minute, David says the only good alternative was over $6,000 more! He then asks Airbnb to cover the price difference.

I never did this to be malicious or to try to get money from Airbnb. But I don't want to run out of money. I don't see where this ends up being my problem

when

the host

goes

and cancels on me. So was this an isolated incident? To find out we need to bring together two other giants. Dan Weber is the founder of

airbnb

hell.com, a website that publishes horror stories written by Airbnb users. He launched the site in 2013 after a bad hosting experience. Asher Fergusson is a travel blogger. He analyzed 1,000 Airbnb guest stories and has exclusive insights into the most common complaints.

You had heard of each other but had never met before. -Correct. You went deeper into this. What are the most common things that go

wrong

? So, the most common thing is for the host to cancel the stay. Usually last minute. So, you get off the plane in Paris, you get a notification, you have no accommodation. Just what happened to David. Airbnb offers David similarly priced alternatives, but he says they just don't compare. When he looked at them it was like this wasn't even close. So you didn't feel like they compared? No. Right? And I mean price, the comparison was spot on.

As far as amenities and everything else, not even close. Remember, David is a planner. He booked his original rental months in advance to get the best deal. At the last minute...he says the only similar ad was for $7,400. That's a difference of more than $6,000. Then, after weeks of exchanging messages, he's on the phone laying out his case to a customer service representative. If his host cancels at the last minute and his new place costs more, Airbnb says "we can help cover a portion of the difference." David made a down payment of $920 when he made the reservation, so his rebooking credit is 10% or $92.00.

No, I saw the $92 credit. But David doesn't give up. He will continue to fight for that refund. I wake up every night and try to figure out where did this go

wrong

? Well, you know... I don't want to say, "Why me, why me, why me," but you know, where's their support? So what should Airbnb do? Our experts are divided. I'm not sure giving six thousand dollars or something would make sense. I think it's one of those things where you have to have a platform that doesn't even allow this to happen. If they had to compensate everyone, the business would end overnight.

I would say yes, Airbnb should pay for it. The reason is that it motivates them to do the right thing and control their own platform in the first place. Tell me about your experience with Airbnb. How has it been? Night number 1 was great, night number 2 the host canceled on us. We stayed in Munich trying to decide where we were going to spend the next night. Who paid the bill? We did it. Did that happen to you? Yes, in New York City. I just contacted the host to say "I'll see you tomorrow", and he had booked it twice.

He canceled on me at the last minute. Did Airbnb help you? No. Sometimes they get better offers, and that's often what they do... They get a better offer. Yes, they're on VRBO, they're on Airbnb, and whoever pays them the most money, they kick the other person out. Asher has a similar theory about what could be behind some of the last-minute

cancellations

. This is usually related to a scam where the host has different

listings

on Airbnb and perhaps other rental websites. And they list them at different prices. And then when the lowest price takes over the highest price, they cancel the lowest price guest.

Because they make more money. And they do it at the last minute. Airbnb doesn't talk to us on camera about

cancellations

, but tells us that "negative incidents are extremely rare" and adds that when they happen, the company says it tries to correct them. So is there anything you can do to prevent what happened to David? Last minute cancellation is difficult. I mean, you can do your research, you can look up the host, you can read the reviews, contact the host, ask questions, try to get a sense of how responsible and responsive this person is. I plan on staying with hosts who only have 5 star reviews and a lot of them.

At least between 50 and 100. The more, the better. And now they have this service, Airbnb Plus. Also, Super Host. Both of you are much more likely to not cancel than someone who doesn't have that status. We get a third opinion from an expert in the collaborative economy. Kernaghan Webb, professor at Ryerson University. You arrive at the hotel, you have a reservation at the hotel, you arrive and you hear that there are no rooms available. Or you go to the room and it smells bad or whatever. And what do hotels do? They adjust on the spot. If you don't constantly up your game to keep your customers satisfied, you will lose them.

It seems like Airbnb makes some adjustments for David after we get involved. So you're back in Mexico and you love it. Finally, I think it was almost three months of emails and phone calls back and forth, to finally get the news I was hoping for. Yes, they came up with the compensation. They came up with the difference that it did cost me. David's total refund: $6,400. David, do you know this is a $30 billion company and you took it and won? How to avoid a vacation nightmare? We're back and getting to the bottom of some common Airbnb problems.

And our investigation takes us to Toronto, where one of our producers is picking up the keys to a "luxury" condo just outside of downtown. The listing describes a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit with access to amenities such as a pool and hot tub. The rules seem simple enough: no noise after 10:00 p.m. m., no parties, no smoking. But we are interested in a rule that is not listed. A rule that Patricia Payne only finds out about after she has booked the same suite. Last summer, Patricia and her boyfriend drove from Labrador City to Toronto to visit her family.

Her family recommends Airbnb. So, you spent a couple of days in the car and that's it, that's Airbnb. If that is. And what did you think when you first arrived? Man, I thought it was huge! I have never stayed in such a tall building. It costs $133 per night for an entire condo. The selling point was definitely the parking and then all the amenities were an exciting extra because we weren't expecting to find a whole house to stay in with a pool, hot tub and everything. Great, it seems like it was the perfect place. -It looked elegant. -Yeah.

But three days after making the reservation, the host surprises her with new rules that she hadn't signed up for. Then, he gives me the rules and direction, and he tells me "some notes about my stay." The first thing he says is that if someone asks, you're just visiting. Don't mention Airbnb or short-term rentals. It is prohibited in the condominium building. Hey? And then he goes on to say that you shouldn't, in all caps, talk to the janitor or building security. So what were you thinking when you read that it's prohibited in the condo building? I panicked and wasn't sure what to do.

So what are the chances that you'll end up in an "undercover" Airbnb? Well, Dan has a confession for us from his own experience as a former host. I mean, I'll testify myself, when I started as a presenter, a long time ago, I wasn't supposed to do it there. We appreciate your honesty, Dan. They have to know what is happening. This is fairly simple data to collect. They could also have a very simple registration platform where all these apartment managers just say: I want this address blacklisted. Additionally, when you create a host account, you can submit documentation yourself showing what the conditions of that building are.

Are you even the legal owner of that? What worried you most while you were here? What I was most worried about was having to confront someone who worked there, since it was technically against the rules, and I was worried that I would eventually have to leave and scramble to find a new place to stay. Did you make it to the gym? Did you get to the pool? No, we didn't. We don't even know where in the building it could be. Just because you were worried about having that awkward exchange... Yeah. Or getting kicked out? Yes, definitely.

So we decided to book Patricia's unit as well. There is no mention of sneaking in the listing. Maybe Airbnb is now allowed in the building? But sure enough, before check-in, we received an email with the same set of instructions. And when we meet our host on the day of check-in... He gives us another friendly reminder before we enter. Our producer asks for an explanation. Everywhere? Is it like this in all cities? A viewer tells us about a similar experience while he was visiting Ottawa last spring. "I felt very uncomfortable, especially when I saw a notice on the elevator that said 'short-term rentals are not allowed; the condo is under 24-hour supervision.'" So we booked with the host but ended up in a different suite, in a different building. .

Still, the message is the same... Important: Do not talk to building staff. If asked, always address yourself as a resident or tenant. And never as an Airbnb guest. Please do not reveal my unit number. The viewer complains to Airbnb and gets a refund, but he watches this. The host's profile lists similar complaints. But he remains in business despite critical reviews. This is called misrepresentation by the accommodation provider to Airbnb. Then that could lead to a situation where there is a complaint later. At that point, Airbnb could say, "I'm revoking your ability to provide hosting services." But this is a kind of long-distance regulatory function.

Translation? Airbnb could do more to make sure hosts respect the rules. When we asked Airbnb about how to prevent hidden rentals, they say hosts must agree to comply with local rules before listing a space. So if you've booked a stealth stay on Airbnb...what should you do? I think I would immediately contact Airbnb and say what do I do in this case? And document everything through the platform. I don't like writing messages to the host outside of the platform. Have a paper trail to prove this happened. And then he would demand a refund. If I were to book another Airbnb and someone did the same thing, I would definitely like it...

I probably wouldn't do it just for the sake of it. It wasn't a good time. Neighborhood watch in your market. We asked him about his experiences with Airbnb. Many of you sent us glowing reviews. I love it. Very accommodating. I like them. And then there's this, from an Airbnb user who stayed in downtown Toronto. A dirty carpet, a stained sofa and, when he removed the bed on the day of departure, stains on the mattress. He complained to Airbnb and they refunded her $100 cleaning fee for his stay. So far, we're discovering some of the ways your Airbnb can become an AirBnBad guest.

But what happens when Airbnb moves in next door? Prince Abiona is called the "Airbnb hunter." He knows exactly what he's looking for, so it's just a matter of finding the right listing...and closing it. If it's for this particular building, I guarantee we'll know within 24hours. You're that good. I would say yes. Prince is the construction supervisor for this condo in downtown Toronto. It's been about 8 years since he banned short term rentals. He works alongside condo board president Chris Devita to ensure Airbnb and others stay out of it. This is what they are trying to avoid.

The 19-year-old has been charged with mischief endangering life, damaging property and being a public nuisance. The woman in the video, Marcella Zoia, is believed to have been staying at an Airbnb in Toronto. But Chris is also concerned about another type of threat that short-term rentals pose... The biggest contributing factor to the negative aspect is, once again, the lack of community. You can't be friends with people who are just ghosts. They just come and go. It's nice here because I know a lot of condos full of people who don't want to meet their neighbors, but here it seems to be a little different.

Prince doesn't want to reveal all of his methods, but he gives us an idea of ​​how the process unfolds. We don't necessarily have to visit it, we just have to make sure we properly document everything we do in this regard. This way we make sure to process a first warning notice from our management office, directly to the condo owner. After the first warning, comes the second. The third warning comes from a lawyer, along with a $600 charge for the cost of the letter. Some might say it's a heavy-handed approach, but Chris has seen the results of guests going wild.

So tell me Chris, when you were talking about bad incidents, what are some of the things that were damaged or went wrong? We had a group of about 20 people. Twenty-odd people, okay. And it was spilled in the hallway, a lot of drinks were spilled, a lot of other bodily fluids were spilled, and of course, they decided to redecorate our elevator here, which was nice of them. Redecorating the elevator? Yes, it's worth $7,000. What's the nightmare scenario where someone gets away from you and then something goes wrong? I mean the nightmare isn't that a cute couple from Chicago is staying here for a weekend.

The nightmare is that a group of criminals arrive using this as a base of operations, whether for human trafficking, prostitution, all kinds of things, this happens, this is a reality. And the reality is, while some people love what Airbnb has done for travel, others argue that it takes away homes from people who need them. This is a business and a lot of people make a lot of money from this, and there are a number of problems in the city related to housing caused by this same problem. Some experts say the popularity of short-term rentals has removed thousands of homes from the real estate supply in cities like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

Airbnb maintains that "responsible" hosting brings economic benefits to hosts and their communities. And it is working with cities to find a balance between housing concerns and host rights. In the meantime, if you have a complaint about a host in your neighborhood, message Airbnb here. But if you find yourself in any of the guest scenarios we've covered, our experts say contacting the company is just the beginning. You have to make it public. You can't just use the Airbnb platform to complain. You can put it on Twitter or Facebook, you know, anything. These are the kinds of things that catch your eye and will really solve your problem.

They care about their reputation. If you speak. Make a fuss about it. It worked for David. He recovered more than $6,000. We want to hear from more of you. Email your Airbnb story to [email protected].