Airbnb refunds?

jimmyjoe16

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141140#Comment_82141140

You are probably correct. Thankfully i started this process with no expectation.

CCTV would quickly confirm the property wasnt used after the first night.

i know my naivety will go against me. That i should have been more pushy.

Perhaps i am just too old fashioned in believing the person offering the service would be proactive in seeking a resolution to the inconvenience for their customer/guest?

As stated earlier.. the same host, in reply to the most recent reviewer of his property who experienced the same lift issue, stated that ALL guests are OFFERED an alternative in this particular situation. An offer the guest seemingly turned down.

I was not OFFERED an alternative.

p00hsticks

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141155#Comment_82141155

Agreed- but only if you make clear to the hotel at the time that you are not going to stay, and giving them the opportunity to either gain access for you or provide a suitable alternative. . Unfortunately this is where you have gone wrong if you want a refund, by not making this clear to the owner at the time.

jimmyjoe16

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141159#Comment_82141159

I guess its subjective.

People will go about things differently.

Again the hotel could confirm i didnt stay by looking at cctv.

But that is besides the simple point i am making.

I paid for a service. i could not use the service through no fault of my own and to be fair, no fault of the host as the lift is managed by a third party.

i am merely asking… in those circumstances, does a consumer have any rights in regards to a refund?

Whether from the host or Airbnb as the platform provider.

Or perhaps it is just a grey area and its tough luck on my part.

jimmyjoe16

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141175#Comment_82141175

I guess if i went to a hotel..and couldnt gain access to the room ..I am of the belief that any reputable hotel would be proactive in offering me an alternative…for me to either accept or decline at the point of where a problem has been pointed out.

i messaged the host immediately on my arrival that the lift was out of order.

Part of my reasoning was the hosts previous replies to other guests that the lift issue was out of his control and therefore i believed his default answer to a request for an alternative would be in the negative.

That made me decide that the best course of action was to book somewhere different..try and enjoy what was left of the trip as we had already lost one day out of five .. my partner was already feeling bad enough as if she was the problem in this scenario.. and deal with it afterwards.

user1977

Your OP doesn't say you couldn't access the apartment or that you had told the host (at the time) that you had failed to access it.

lincroft1710

You should have informed the host you were leaving on the day you left. They may have been able to offer you alternative accommodation. I'm no fan of AirBnB, but (on this rare occasion) I think that they may be correct in not offering a refund.

Ergates

There is a significant difference between:

"The lift is out of order"

and

"The lift is out of order therefore we cannot stay at the property as we cannot access it"

Your initial position - that the lift breaking down made the apartment unusable to you - is entirely reasonable (and your partner certainly shouldn't feel bad about it). I also don't think that "I'm not responsible for the lift" is a meaningful excuse for the host - they're letting out an apartment that quite a lot of people would need a working lift to access. The lift breaking down is part of their business risk.

However, you're shot yourself in the foot by not telling the host you couldn't access the apartment due to the lift problem as you've essentially given then a "get out of jail free" card to dismiss your claim by not giving them the opportunity to fix the issue or re-let the apartment. By not telling them you wouldn't be staying, you effectively kept "control" of the apartment for the week you had booked.

jimmyjoe16

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141235#Comment_82141235

I have no doubt i could have handled things differently.

But i do not think that changes the central issue.

If the broken lift wasnt an issue then i would not have raised it in the first place.

I would assume in mentioning the lift being broken the host may have been able to fill in the blanks.

Especially when this is apparently not a new issue for this host to be dealing with from other guests. An issue that he himself has stated in his own replies to other guests that he "OFFERS alternatives to EVERY for precisely this problem"

He did not offer me an alternative.

Again, I believed that with the lift being a known issue, my partner feeling bad that she had spoiled the trip,a day already lost because of the access issue, all i wanted to do was give my partner peace of mind by getting alternative accommodation with the intention of dealing with the issue when i got home.

jimmyjoe16

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82141222#Comment_82141222

I do feel you may be correct.

And if that is so, then i do not have an issue with it.

Lesson learned.. be more pushy next time.

As stated at outset, im only here asking for honest advice.

Skiddaw1

I think it isn't so much that you should have been pushier. The lesson for next time- if there is one- is to make your position 100% clear at the onset (with no lift my partner is unable to access the accommodation and on that basis, we'll be unable to stay here).

Hopefully, there won't be a next time!