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One family’s ‘absolutely disgraceful’ discovery at their Airbnb ruined their whole holiday!
We've all heard horror stories about booking accommodation online, only to find that the property is nothing like the pictures when we finally arrive. In some cases, it can even be dangerous!
But we bet you've never heard a story as outrageous as this one from a family who were left stranded and out of pocket after their Airbnb was suddenly unavailable — due to renovations!
In a series of posts on TikTok, NSW mortgage broker Renee, also known as @reneescbfs, shared her distress when her family arrived at their Byron Bay Airbnb for a seven-day stay, only to find that it was in the middle of renovations with no warning given.
‘Hey Airbnb,’ Renee began, ‘My family turned up to this today. A completely vacant home, in the middle of a massive renovation, no warning… You left 12 people and 3 kids under 3 literally standing on the side of the road.’
The party of 12 adults and three children were greeted by half-painted walls, covered floors and unplugged appliances sitting outside alongside what looked like a rubbish tip. There was no way they could stay there!
Despite trying to contact Airbnb for help, Renee claimed that her family were accused of lying and that the company refused to provide them with alternative accommodation or a refund.
They were left with no other choice but to find somewhere else at the last minute - which cost nearly double the amount they had originally paid. And even then, it took days for them to get any response from customer service about reimbursement... which turned out didn’t even cover their whole stay!
‘They are compensating 30% of 3 days out of a 7-day booking… Makes absolutely no sense,’ Renee said.
The ordeal of Renee’s family was not lost on commenters.
One user appeared to have sworn off Airbnb entirely as they wrote: ‘You just convinced me to never use Airbnb again. Ever.’
‘Airbnb has lost its spark. Hotels all the way,’ wrote another.
Another user chimed in: ‘Currently staying at a holiday home that’s been a disaster. Never again. Airbnb has killed the industry.’Others offered their tips to avoid finding yourself in a similar situation.
One said: ‘always pay with a credit card and dispute the charge if things don’t work out.’
‘I always warn people about Airbnb… Owners can cancel the day of arrival and just refund. Book with a travel agent,’ another suggested.
Fortunately, after Renee's story went viral on social media (which garnered over 200K views), she eventually received confirmation that her family would be reimbursed for the full seven days.
A more recent update from Renee also had wonderful news — Airbnb decided to cover their expenses at their alternate hotel!
Despite this, some people still are not letting Airbnb off the hook.
One user pointed out: ‘What’s messed up is that it had to escalate via a TikTok with thousands of views instead of an automatic reimbursement from the start.’
Another agreed, and said: ‘All the negative press helped, but why you should have had to escalate is beyond me.’
Members, this goes to show how important it is to do your research before booking any kind of holiday accommodation online! We recommend reading reviews carefully (preferably from multiple sources) as well as checking in with local tourism organisations or talking directly with property owners/managers where possible. Not that it could be helped in this case!
We also have other stories involving the popular rental service too! Check out one woman’s ‘stressful’ experience, and another woman’s ‘creepy’ stay at an Airbnb.
We don’t want to end on a sour note, so we also have one story on last year’s most popular spots according to TripAdvisor — be sure to check this one out!
So, what do you think about Renee’s family’s stressful (to say the least) experience?
Do you think that Airbnb should have been more proactive from the start?
Share your thoughts and opinions below!
