Airbnb Fails & My Family Pays the Price

Instead of a dream vacation, we were subjected to an Airbnb nightmare.

My family recently took our long-awaited vacation to Montreal.

For my wife and three-year-old daughter, we had planned a relaxing, carefree trip. But instead of the dream vacation we worked and saved for, we were subjected to a nightmare experience that tainted our respect and perception of Airbnb.

Here's what happened...

We booked a charming condo on Airbnb several months before our trip, making a choice right on the edge of Old Montreal. It was the perfect location, within walking distance of countless attractions. But upon our arrival, we quickly discovered that the air conditioning wasn’t working.

This typically wouldn't be much of an issue since Montreal's average high temperature in early July is a pleasant 78°F. But when we arrived, Montreal was experiencing an unseasonable heatwave. The government had even issued a severe heat warning, expecting the heat index to reach up to 40°C (or 104°F, for us Americans). Just last year, a similar heatwave had caused 66 deaths in Montreal.

As native Floridians, we’re used to hot temperatures. But that hot weather tolerance is only possible with one of the greatest inventions in American history: Air conditioning.

As the condo’s internal temperature rose above 29°C (or 85°F), so did our discomfort. We tried to open the windows, but they were taped shut.

So we immediately contacted our Airbnb host who – rather than calling an AC repair company – gave us instructions on how to reset the thermostat.

When that didn't work, she offered to drop off two fans ... at 11 pm. We later learned she had purchased the fans earlier that day, likely after first discovering the problem (but hiding it) before our arrival.

We didn’t sleep. Not me. Not my wife. Not our three-year-old daughter, who spent the night alternating between sobbing and reminding us of her distress; “I’m sick. It’s too hot!”

The next morning, we left our condo shortly after dawn. We let our Airbnb host know of our departure so she could come over and make sure the AC was adequately repaired. But when we returned after lunchtime, the condo was still unbearably hot, with the temperature continuing to climb.

We called our host (again), at which point she asked the building manager to visit the condo. He agreed that the AC was broken, but shared that, because of her delays, they couldn't fix or replace the AC until the following day.

When Airbnb Goes From Bad to Worse...

Troubled by our host's lack of urgency, we contacted Airbnb to directly state our displeasure and to explore alternative accommodations. We were assigned a dedicated case manager, who proceeded to identify only two available Airbnb listings within walking distance.

However, both of those listings were unsuitable for a young child and significantly more expensive than the original listing. Then she offered another option: refund our money and reimburse hotel expenses.

When we asked how much we would be reimbursed for a hotel stay, she said that she couldn’t offer a specific amount until we submitted the invoice, but that her most recent cases were reimbursed 50% of their hotel booking costs.

At this point, most hotels within walking distance were sold out, and those with rooms were selling their last-minute inventory at premium prices. Our options were to:

1. Book at a lower-quality, lower-priced hotel a decent distance away from our current location, OR
2. Reserve a nearby hotel at a last-minute premium

What Would You Do?

Seeking guidance, I asked our case manager which option she recommended based on how much she thought we would be reimbursed.

Her recommendation: Reserve the higher-priced hotel under the assumption we'd likely be reimbursed for the additional expenses.

With that in mind, we booked a hotel that cost more than we had initially budgeted because of its proximity to our current Airbnb listing. We did so with the clear expectation that Airbnb's hotel reimbursement policy would leave us with minimal out-of-pocket costs.

That, however, did not happen.

After submitting the invoice, we learned that Airbnb would only reimburse $600, leaving us to pay nearly $1,000 more than we originally paid for our Airbnb listing. Add to that the physical and mental cost of stress, sickness, and exhaustion.

We were astounded. The case manager then told us we were receiving the maximum reimbursement amount allowed by Airbnb policy.

In short, she had set unrealistic expectations and either ignored or lacked the knowledge of a company policy that would have changed which hotel we booked. While she did not guarantee a specific amount, she clearly implied that we would receive more than Airbnb ultimately offered.

When pressed further, she told us she couldn't offer any more, so we asked to speak with her supervisor. What then transpired was an utter lack of empathy, care, and support from an AirBnB supervisor and specialist.

In the end, I was exposed to a new reality: Airbnb wasn’t prepared to take the appropriate level of responsibility for the errors of its employees and hosts.

Time for Government Oversight?

I'm an ardent supporter of free enterprise and limited government. But after the lack of responsibility and support shown by Airbnb management, perhaps it’s time for government to consider additional oversight of irresponsible companies that continue to let situations like these happen … over and over again.

If an airline's plane breaks before takeoff, that airline will move you to one of its other aircraft. If there are no other aircraft available, that airline will book you a comparable flight with another airline, regardless of the cost.

This is standard practice within the airline industry. That should be the case for Airbnb as well.

Airbnb Bill of Rights

And if they won't act responsibly, then we need an Airbnb Bill of Rights. Such has been the case in U.S. air travel for the last decade.

Coincidentally, the Canadian government this week unveiled its own airline passenger Bill of Rights, which dictates what passengers are entitled to after delayed and canceled flights.

Delayed air travel is frustrating – but subjecting a young child to extreme heat without a working air conditioner is far worse.

We need defined compensation amounts and transparent policies when Airbnb fails to provide acceptable housing conditions.

I understand that there are plenty of great Airbnb hosts, including many of my closest friends and acquaintances. I'm aware that what I've shared is not the norm, but it is how companies deal with service failures that separate superstars from the mediocre and the total duds.

Airbnb is one of the most important and successful breakthrough industry disruptors of our time. It has prompted positive change for better consumer options in the hospitality space. But failure to embrace policies that quickly respond to and solve serious customer problems with the inevitable bad actors among its hosts or employees puts the company at risk of losing ground that it has broken.

How companies deal with service failures separates superstars from the mediocre and the total duds.

In the end, those nightmare experiences of a few may become the anecdotal truths used to disrupt Airbnb’s market share. Leadership should timely fix this problem systemwide or its corporate complacency essentially hangs more “Vacancy” signs on the company’s future.