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Airbnb is an online marketplace for short- and long-term home rentals. It burst onto the scene in 2008 and has ebbed and flowed in popularity since then. When I travel, I want a nice hotel room, housekeeping, and some amenities. I also want to earn points, elite status, and to know that I have on-site management to handle issues. Unfortunately, Airbnb offers none of these amenities and in its worst cases can go off the rails with fees and crazy property owners.
@getlostwebsite £10 a day for wifi?! #airbnbhost #hostfromhell #airbnbexperience #badhost #airbnbhosttips
One recent vacation turned into a nightmare when the renter found herself charged $925 for things like using the microwave, pool table, washing machine, and Wi-Fi (these should all always be free). These fees are over the top and ridiculous, but the most troubling part of this is that the owner knew what was touched. There is no way to know how many times a pool table or microwave are used unless guests were being watched on hidden cameras.
Notes left around the house informed renters that they would be charged for using various items. TikTok user @getlostwebsite managed to get 50% of her money refunded by Airbnb. Hopefully, the home rental service will also pull the listings.
I remember a few years back when a group of friends and I got together to celebrate 25 years since college. We rented a home at the Jersey Shore (I went to Rutgers University for undergrad) and we quickly realized that the home had notes posted everywhere. They were not indicating fees for using various items, but they did have clear instructions like:
- “Do not open cabinet.”
- “Close gently.”
- “Refill ice trays before leaving.”
- “Do not sit in this chair.”
We continued to find notes throughout the home, but most troubling was that she was staying on property in a little, hidden apartment. She appeared first thing in the morning to walk through the house before we left and to ensure that we were out before checkout time.
According to Airbnb’s site, extra charges are not allowed. Owners are not able to make up their own fees and then impose them on guests.
Anthony’s Take: This homeowner is out of control, but she is not the only one as I have experienced first hand. Fees like this are offensive and Airbnb should do more to nip these in the bud. No thanks, Airbnb. I’ll be checking into hotels.
(Featured Image Credit: Perfectlab.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
4 comments
Well said.
Seems you posted this for clickbait. I guess it worked, mea culpa.
This Airbnb host a serious outlier and in violation of the terms. I’ve stayed in at least 75 Airbnbs in over a dozen countries and never once have encountered an extra charge for anything included in the property. The only time I’ve seen anything that was an extra charge that wasn’t explicitly stated on the listing (like paying extra to heat the swimming pool), is the owner of one property had bottles of local wine in the kitchen that you could buy for $15. each.
Just like Todd, I have been to many AirBNBs around the world with no incidents. I am a Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum and Marriott Gold. But I find more value in having a unique apartment/house with lots of space, multiple bedrooms and sometimes a private swimming pool, than having access to a concierge, housekeeping or free breakfast.
Two words: Super. Host. Problem solved.