Host refused refund after we left due to cleanliness issues with a baby. Did I handle this wrong? [guest] [Paris]
I booked an Airbnb near Paris where my husband, my 8 month-old son, and me were supposed to stay from last night until Saturday morning.
So… we arrived last night after a long international flight, but the apartment didn’t match the listing.
It was not clean (bed sheets, sofa, bathroom), and some agreed items like a baby cot were missing. There was also no elevator, which wasn’t mentioned.
Our baby was extremely tired and crying, so I contacted Airbnb support immediately out of panic and exhaustion. They advised me to take photos, message the host, and said I could leave if the place wasn’t suitable, prioritizing the baby’s wellbeing.
We followed their advice: took photos, contacted the host, left quickly, and booked a hotel nearby.
Since then, I’ve been in contact with both Airbnb and the host.
The host says I should have messaged first so they could have done something, but their reaction before I even left was telling me the apartment was clean even with the photos.
They have sent a video to airbnb that was supposedly recorded before our arrival showing the apartment clean. I haven’t seen the video myself, but Airbnb told me that because the host provided that video and I have only photos, they can’t determine the actual condition of the apartment when we arrived. It seems like videos are taking over from photos, even though it’s hard to notice the details quite as well but oh well. Anyway, as a result, they say there’s little they can do.
The host has refused to refund me. Instead, they offered a discount for a future stay… which honestly isn’t useful because I obviously don’t intend to stay there again.
Do you think it’s worth continuing to fight for a refund, or should I just give up?
If anyone has advice or has been through something similar, I’d really appreciate hearing it.
Thank you.
EDIT: the baby cot was listed among the amenities, and I initially contacted Airbnb to get advice on what to do.
EDIT 2: Regarding the elevator, I double-checked just to be sure, and the floor wasn’t even mentioned anywhere in the listing. I only found out which floor the apartment was on in the last-minute check-in instructions before our arrival, which is why I had assumed it was on the ground floor.
Also, fans were mentioned in the amenities but I didn’t see any.