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  1. #11
    hwin708 is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    OMG That is terrifying!

    I am with you in preferring not to stay at STRs. There is a time when they are necessary - when I am traveling with a big group or want to stay directly on a lake. But otherwise, I will take the service of a hotel any day. (And I say this as someone who rents out my vacation homes lol)

    You should tweet about this, and message AirBnB on Twitter. Their social media team is FAR more responsive than their customer service team, and much more likely to refund you fully. Which is INSANE that you even have to ask.

    And you obviously need to leave a 1 star review for this property. I strongly recommend you look over AirBnB's review policy before doing so. Hosts will look for any violation to the review policy to have a negative review removed. For all you know, this has happened before, but the guest said something like "I asked the host for compensation for my lost items, but she refused" and the review got removed. Airbnb's Dispute Moderation for Reviews - Airbnb Help Center
    #BidenHarris2020 “It’s easier to be a parent this morning. It’s easier to be a dad. It’s easier to tell your kids character matters. It matters. Telling the truth matters. Being a good person matters.”

  2. #12
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    How incredibly scary. We stay in Airbnb’s all the time since we have 5 of us and like space (and having a full kitchen and laundry.) I agree to post on social media to get Airbnb to respond favorably.
    DD (3/06)
    DS1 (7/09)
    DS2 (8/13)

  3. #13
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    Wow, that's awful! Glad you are all safe. DH had a horrible experience last time he stayed at an AirBNB (host said he broke something that he didn't), so we certainly will be avoiding them in the future.
    Mommy to 2 DS's (2003 and 2007)

  4. #14
    hbridge is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    We have NEVER used AirBNB, but typically go through a vacation rental agency local to where we are staying...

  5. #15
    ♥ms.pacman♥ is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Oh my gosh!!! So sorry this happened to you !! What a nightmare!! I'm glad they didn't take your passports and wallet, at least. But gosh, that must have been horrible experience. Glad everyone is safe!

    I actually love airbnb's for the most part, bc for us they have been significantly cheaper than hotels and plus we get tons more space and a yard, and place to cook meals so we don't have to eat out every night... with two tweens this is a huge factor for us. Though i totally understand why some people are wary of them, bc there is a number of things that could potentially go wrong. I actually just listened to a great podcast by illuminaughtii just about Airbnbs and the negative issues, and i was not aware of them at all. The one thing it did point out was that when crimes did happen on airbnb properties, they tended to want to sweep those under the rug as to not get negative publicity. As hwin08 pointed out, i would definitely raise a stink on their social media! Hopefully they will reimburse you.

    We are actually going to Costa Rica in March (looking to finalize bookings next week) and I was just looking at airbnb's!! Eek. This will make me think twice for sure, and will see if we can find hotels that will work instead. Thank you for sharing your experience and so sorry you had to go through that.
    Last edited by ♥ms.pacman♥; 08-05-2022 at 03:08 PM.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by hwin708 View Post
    OMG That is terrifying!

    I am with you in preferring not to stay at STRs. There is a time when they are necessary - when I am traveling with a big group or want to stay directly on a lake. But otherwise, I will take the service of a hotel any day. (And I say this as someone who rents out my vacation homes lol)

    You should tweet about this, and message AirBnB on Twitter. Their social media team is FAR more responsive than their customer service team, and much more likely to refund you fully. Which is INSANE that you even have to ask.

    And you obviously need to leave a 1 star review for this property. I strongly recommend you look over AirBnB's review policy before doing so. Hosts will look for any violation to the review policy to have a negative review removed. For all you know, this has happened before, but the guest said something like "I asked the host for compensation for my lost items, but she refused" and the review got removed. Airbnb's Dispute Moderation for Reviews - Airbnb Help Center
    This is good advice. Airbnb is not particularly helpful to renters or to hosts when issues arise.
    momma to DD 12/08 & DS 3/13

  7. #17
    Kindra178 is online now Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by georgiegirl View Post
    How incredibly scary. We stay in Airbnb’s all the time since we have 5 of us and like space (and having a full kitchen and laundry.) I agree to post on social media to get Airbnb to respond favorably.
    Us too. Hotels are very unpleasant for us.

    OP, I’m sorry, what a scary situation. I suspect you will get a full refund from them and possibly some additional money.

    Generally speaking, there aren’t too many kidnappings from vacation rentals.


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  8. #18
    gatorsmom is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    I’m so sorry this happened to you but I’m not surprised. I read an article a few years ago about the problems AirBnB were having with burglary’s and even assaults.

    Even though they left your credit cards, definitely call the credit card companies and tell them what happened and report them stolen. The thieves can still use the information to open other credit cards in your name.

    We generally like and use VRBO although I can’t imagine it doesn’t have problems too. It’s nice when traveling to have a full kitchen and laundry facilities. The house we stayed in in Texas last month was not cleaned properly when we got there (dirty toilets, dirty sheets with blood spots, etc), and thank goodness the owner took care of it. But yeah- there is always a risk with those companies.
    " I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mahatma Gandhi

    "This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems." Martin Luther King, Jr.

  9. #19
    smilequeen is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    So sorry.

    I am also not an AirBnB person. We’ve used VRBO very successfully for ski trips, but I’ve heard too many stories about AirBnB to use them. I also generally prefer hotels though too.
    Mama to my boys (04,07,11)

  10. #20
    MSWR0319 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    So sorry to hear about this mess! I'm glad you didn't go in the house just in case.



    We use VRBO or book through rental companies, so it's good to know to avoid AirBnB. When we travel in the US we almost always stay at a condo/rental because I need to be able to cook because of DS's food allergies and because we just need more space. I don't know that we ever would have booked through VRBO if we went out of the country, but definitely will be rethinking if we travel abroad.

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