A holiday is supposed to be a time for people to relax and unwind while staying at a luxurious hotel or cozy Airbnb. The problem is that when folks choose to stay at another person’s home, the experience might not always be pleasant and can lead to a lot of drama.
This is, unfortunately, what a group experienced after renting an Airbnb for 2 days, only to receive an email from the owner demanding a $150 payment for “dirtying” her home. What left the guests shocked were the photos she sent as proof of her claims.
More info: Reddit
Even though renting an Airbnb could be an amazing experience, some owners might not have their guests’ best interests at heart
Image credits: magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The owner of the home the poster rented said he and his friends left a full trash can, a pan of oil, and dirtied her place, so much that she wanted them to cover the $150 cleaning fee
Image credits: lookstudio / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The owner specifically pointed out a “strange foil” she found in the home, implying that the guests had used substances, and she tried to make it seem like the place was trashed
Image credits: Aminaashfaq / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The poster later confronted the woman about an overflowing trash can picture being edited with AI, and that the foil was just a candy wrapper, which led her to drop her claims
Image credits: MasonL52
The man also mentioned that he would report the matter to Airbnb, and that going forward he would take significant precautions when staying at anyone’s place
Since the man and his large group of friends needed a spacious place to stay for 2 days, they decided to rent out an Airbnb. He also told netizens that he and his friends had been staying at bed-and-breakfasts for group get-togethers like this for the last 8-9 years, and that they always had a good track record with their hosts.
When renting out another person’s home like this, travel experts explain that you don’t necessarily know what you’re getting yourself into. Even though staying at Airbnbs can be extremely fun and offer many unique experiences, you might sometimes run into a nasty host as well.
Image credits: MasonL52
When staying at an Airbnb, guests have to be careful to follow the rules set by their host, or else they might get into trouble
When the poster’s group's stay ended, he received a message from their host stating that her home had been left in a severely dirty state. She claimed that the trash had not been thrown out, that there was a pan full of used oil left behind, that food was stuck on the table runner, and that there was burnt foil on the floor.
According to Airbnb's terms and conditions, a one-time cleaning fee is usually set by the host before the guest stays at their place. This amount is part of the total price the customer pays and is used for the general upkeep of the place. Hosts can’t just charge extra cleaning fees unless they clear it with the company first.
Image credits: MasonL52
This Airbnb owner was quick to put the blame on the poster’s group and didn’t give him much chance to explain his side of things
Since the host seemed adamant that the poster and his friends had left her home in disarray, he requested pictures of the mess. When they were sent, he was shocked to see that what she considered a trashed home included only crumbs on the floor, messy beds, and a candy wrapper.
When he posted the photos online to ask netizens for advice on what to do, folks pointed out that the overflowing trash can that the lady had shared was actually edited with Artificial Intelligence. This shocked the man, and he confronted her about it, which led her to withdraw her $150 cleaning fee immediately
Image credits: MasonL52
When someone encounters an issue with an Airbnb host, professionals advise documenting the entire interaction. Then you can share this with the company’s customer service team and explain what happened to you during your stay. After that, you can keep following up until there is an appropriate resolution.
In this case, the woman clearly realized that she couldn’t pull the wool over the man’s eyes, so she withdrew her claims immediately. Even though he didn’t have to pay the cleaning fee, the poster decided to report the issue to Airbnb so he wouldn't have to face a problem like this again.
What do you think would be the best way to deal with a cunning host like this? We’d love to hear your opinions on the matter.
Folks were shocked by the owner’s scam and urged the man to report her and not to pay the insane fee she was demanding
