Airbnb AirCover barely refunded us after a nightmare rental, am I missing something?
l've been an Airbnb guest for about 15 years and have never had a serious problem with a stay. This experience was completely different, and I'm trying to understand whether Airbnb's handling of it is normal.
We paid around $5,200 for 2 weeks in France. During the stay, we had no Wi-Fi and no cellular service even though it was clearly advertised as having WiFi. We also had no hot water for the first 3 days; although the showers were eventually fixed, there was never hot water in the kitchen.
Then an electrical outlet started smoking, which I have on video and provided to Airbnb. The kitchen subsequently lost all power and it was never restored. We couldn't cook and lost the food in our refrigerator and freezer. The pool also became completely unusable, it turned bright green, the water got slimey and filled up with algae.
The host was aware of it and kept saying they needed to come service it and add chlorine but they never showed. We had no proper bedding, old yellow stained cushions, bugs infestation throughout the house, an absolute (and always documented) nightmare. We ultimately left because the conditions had become untenable and we had to pay for hotels.
I provided Airbnb with extensive photos, videos, timestamps and messages documenting everything.
Here's where I'm particularly frustrated with Airbnb's handling of the case:
Airbnb initially calculated a $3,051.83 refund from the host's payout. I was willing to accept that as a compromise, even though I felt I could have reasonably asked for more, including the hotel and food expenses.
The host refused to pay that amount.
Airbnb then reduced the host-funded portion to $1,008.65. They separately told me Airbnb would provide another $775.89 as a goodwill payment, bringing the stated total to $1,784.54. However, I ultimately received only $1,008.65.
I disputed the decision and requested an appeal. Airbnb told me the case had already been reviewed by a supervisor and that the decision was final.
What I don't understand is how this can essentially come down to a Wi-Fi violation when there was also an electrical safety issue, permanent loss of kitchen power, no hot water, no cellular service, an unusable pool, food loss and hotel expenses, all of which I documented.
Has anyone successfully appealed an Airbnb AirCover decision after being told it was already reviewed by a supervisor and was final? Does anyone ever found a way to reach out to corporate?
I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone who has dealt with multiple failed amenities plus a safety issue and was able to get Airbnb to conduct a further review.
I feel genuinely scammed on this one and seriously never using Airbnb ever again after that.
Thank you!