Falsely accused of extra guests

Gumby said:
Having watched ikubak on video every day for 174 days straight under trying circumstances, I can assure you that he is no drama queen, nor prone to overstatement.
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Wait a minute---"watched ikubak on video for 174 days straight..."---you aren't related to the owner of the lodging he has the issues with, are you? :(
 
RetireeRobert said:
Wait a minute---"watched ikubak on video for 174 days straight..."---you aren't related to the owner of the lodging he has the issues with, are you? :(
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No, ikubak was exposed to the owner of the rental unit for only a few days.

He has been under the watchful eyes of Gumby for a lot longer.
 
RetireeRobert said:
Wait a minute---"watched ikubak on video for 174 days straight..."---you aren't related to the owner of the lodging he has the issues with, are you? :(
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Gumby is referring to my appalachian trail through hike. I vlogged it in 2019. Gumby must be one of the 5 or 10 people that watched it. [emoji1]
 
I would add that he also has most excellent taste in music.
 
ikubak said:
Gumby is referring to my appalachian trail through hike. I vlogged it in 2019.
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Congratulations on your thru hike.

I and some co-workers started hiking in the Oregon Cascades in 1988, and by coincidence did a few hikes that were partly along the Pacific Crest Trail. Then we evolved the idea to hike the all of the PCT in Oregon in sections on day hikes, or 2 or 3 nights-on-the-trail expeditions. We covered more and more of the PCT over the years. Then one of my best friends and a former co-worker and co-hiker died relatively young at age 62. Another co-hiker died within a few years, and another co-hiker within a few years. And the last of the band developed ankle problems so bad it's all he can do now to walk out to his mail box from his home. But I persevered, and eventually hiked--in sections--a continuous stretch of the PCT in Oregon from the Columbia River to Crater Lake Lodge. It only took me about 27 years, but I did it! A lot of pleasant memories from those trail miles and those years.

So I can appreciate and admire your accomplishment on hiking the Appalachian Trail!
 
RetireeRobert said:
Congratulations on your thru hike.

I persevered, and eventually hiked--in sections--a continuous stretch of the PCT in Oregon from the Columbia River to Crater Lake Lodge. It only took me about 27 years, but I did it! A lot of pleasant memories from those trail miles and those years.

So I can appreciate and admire your accomplishment on hiking the Appalachian Trail!
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Great story. You got to do those things when you're healthy. You never know when you won't be able to.

I hiked the AT with a few section hikers who were completing the trail over 10 years doing 2-3 weeks each year. They were still working so they couldn't take 6 months to hike like I did. I could tell they revered the thru hikers but I told them that I thought it harder to do it in sections like them. The hardest part of the thru hike for me was probably the first 3 or 4 weeks. After that, you're lean (I ended up losing 35+ lbs) and mean and you just keep going.

I have some trail family asking me to do the PCT but I don't think DW will let me do it.
 
ikubak said:
The hardest part of the thru hike for me was probably the first 3 or 4 weeks. After that, you're lean (I ended up losing 35+ lbs) and mean and you just keep going.

I have some trail family asking me to do the PCT but I don't think DW will let me do it.
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Congrats on the weight loss as well!! That is no little feat in itself, and a great side benefit besides all the great scenery and enjoyment. A benefit that can pay dividends for years to come.

I highly recommend the PCT in Oregon if you want some great scenery! There are a lot of highlights from my years. A few on my memorable sections included by hiking along the feet of the Three Sisters peaks in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area, Jefferson Park filled with little lakes on the north foot of Mt Jefferson, and the backside of Mount Thielsen by a rushing glacial fed stream. Crater Lake was no slouch either as far as scenery was concerned. Maybe you can show DW some pics of Oregon scenery along the PCT and favorably "influence" her.

In contrast to my 27 years to cover approximately one half of Oregon, this woman ran the entire Oregon PCT a lot faster, in under 8 "days": https://www.statesmanjournal.com/st...c-crest-trail-speed-record-oregon/6999914002/
 
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pb4uski said:
Since when do grand juries convict?
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I couldn't stop thinking about your question so I reviewed my letter for my jury duty and it referred to us as a Petit Jury, so we did convict as I understand it.
 
OP - You have a bill/invoice/agreement for the cost of the rental that you pre-paid. Check your CC and if it was charged more than you expected, then you can dispute the extra charges. You don't need a final bill.

I disputed Princess Cruise line charges and they still send me tons of emails to sign up for another cruise. If this agency is big like AirBnB, it's just part of business now and then, otherwise nobody would dispute anything.

Would you post the pictures of the suspect camera's, it would be interesting and someone might even confirm what you suspect.
 
Sunset said:
OP - You have a bill/invoice/agreement for the cost of the rental that you pre-paid. Check your CC and if it was charged more than you expected, then you can dispute the extra charges. You don't need a final bill.
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Don't laugh, but I was charged LESS, then again, I only stayed one night, not two. I got a small refund a few days ago. I sent a message to customer service letting them know I received a refund with no explanation and could they please send me a final bill so I could see what I was charged for during the stay. They haven't responded to the request. I believe they charged me for 4 people for one night. As a paying customer I believe I'm entitled to a final invoice but they may feel differently. I just want to make sure I'm paying the right amount and if I was charged for 4, I'll dispute with CC company.

I plan to write a letter to the higher ups and make a few recommendations for how the customer service dept. could handle this better in the future from a customer's view point. I don't expect any action or response but I will feel better knowing I let someone who oversees the interests of the company know about this situation. I don't think any change in the Cust Service dept will come from the ground up.

The pics of the interior devices are on my wife's phone. I'll see what they look like and maybe put them out here if they are ok quality. I don't think they will show a lot since one was completely covered and one had some paper towel pushed into a slot where there was a shiny glass item. I'm no electronics expert but the article I read said to turn the lights off and look for red lights and shiny glass in devices like smoke detectors and wall mounted plastic devices.
 
Now that you asked about the pictures, after thinking about it, the owner said I had two hours to vacate from the time he notified the company that he wanted me out. DW and I were at a family party 10 miles away. I didn't read the message until 5 hours later. I responded that that this was unbelievable and I would go to the unit immediately and call customer service to resolve the issue. He said he had already called, police were en route to unit and he would be pressing charges.

He says he has 6 cameras on this small unit so he sees everything and has video of it. By returning and removing our overnight bags, I suppose a crazy dude could press charges for breaking and entering. I wouldn't out it past this guy. The unit is above a law office.

This treatment by the owner has me thinking of the movie Pacific Heights but in reverse.
 
Hardly a new idea.
The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. . . The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely.

The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment.
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Honestly, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH EARLY RETIREMENT? Sorry for your travel woes, but why not take it up on a travel/booking site:confused:
 
Why not just be honest and tell them that you had 4 people there for a couple hours before two left and only you and your wife spent the night.
 
Montclairbobbyb said:
Honestly, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH EARLY RETIREMENT? Sorry for your travel woes, but why not take it up on a travel/booking site:confused:
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Well, let's see. In your long reign here, you started with a post about stink bugs: https://www.early-retirement.org/fo...strategy-heres-ours-105721-3.html#post2494817 and your last one before this was on your EGO lawn mower: https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/electric-cordless-sp-lawnmower-108851-3.html#post2595223.

Are you saying these posts are more related to early retirement?

Relax. This is in a travel sub-forum. A lot of people travel more in retirement, so it does relate somewhat, even though it doesn't have to. This would probably be a less interesting site if it were strictly about ER. There are tools to ignore threads or even sub-forums so you don't have to pick through threads that don't interest you to the point of irritating you.
 
ikubak said:
This forum has some of the smartest people out there so I want to bounce this off you guys and girls.

A host is accusing me of having 2 extra guests. I explained to customer service what happened and they side with the host. Here is the short version. I booked a small unit for me and the wife. We had to drive 6-7 hours to get there but my sister in-law asked us to pick her and her husband up at the airport since the 4 of us were going out to dinner in a town about 15 miles form the rental. We arrived from airport 15 min after check-in time and we all enter the unit to freshen up. We all had overnight bags, used the bathroom and prepared to go for a walk. Dinner reservations were not for another 2 hours and we all needed to stretch our legs.

Just as we are about to leave I get a txt from host asking if the unit is ok and asking for confirmation as to how many are needing accommodations that night. I responded that there will be 2 of us. We all look at each other and say 'this is creepy. Somebody is watching us." I knew there were security cameras and I am OK with some for security purposes but I'm getting a creepy vibe. We go for a walk. We come back after 90 minutes to freshen up and change into dinner clothes.

All four of us leave, my brother and sister in-law carrying their overnight bags since they will be staying with my nephew who is meeting us for dinner. On the way out I notice a camera about waist high on the landing outside the door. We laugh and cringe and joke about the creepiness and I stand in front of it and tell everyone to go down the stairs. The creepy camera can checkout my rear end while they descend the stairs.

We go to dinner and my wife and I return alone to the unit at 10:30pm. In the parking lot I notice a sign saying security cameras in use and I park right in front of one in the only visitor parking spot as requested by the owner. On the way up the stairs, DW and I make faces into the creepy camera (a few glasses of wine will do that to you). DW goes to bed and I start googling rental unit spying. I bone up on the subject and look inside the unit for hidden cameras. I find two things that look like they could be hidden cameras. I cover them with paper towels.

The next morning, after DW and I go for a walk I get a txt asking that I not cover up the security cameras. I told him there are no external security cameras that are covered. He later states that he has six external cameras and he sees us coming and going even if I'm standing infront of the one on the stairs. I'm ok with cameras on my car and in the parking lot. DW and I are not too keen on the creepy crotch-shot camera on the stairs. We return from the walk and get dressed for a party at my nephew's.

When leaving, I stand infront of the crotch shot cam while DW walks by and we go to party. Later that day I get a txt saying my reserv is cancelled, the authorities have been notified and are en route to remove my belongings from the unit. He said I had broken a local law against blocking the view of a security camera and he notified the large online rental company stating I had breached the contract by having 2 extra guests and breaking local laws. He also stated he was pressing charges for not being out of his unit within 2 hours.

There's more, but to conclude, we were charged for four people for one night and kicked out of our rental. Cust service was of no help. Before leaving town the next day we stopped by the PD to turn ourselves in since the host said he was pressing charges. I asked if a squad car had been dispatched to the rental the day before and the answer was no. There was no law against blocking the view of a security camera either.

If you're still with me, I got nowhere with cust service. I searched for how to resolve host accusing renter of extra guests but all I could find was hosts having to deal with renters who sneak in extra guests. The host is aggressive and hostile so I go through customer service. What would you guys do at this point?
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As a homeowner in Florida on the west coast, I HATE AIRBNB AND VRBO. GO TO A HOTEL
 
Been renting out my own vacation rentals for 14 years. Never felt the need to have cameras inside - if an owner has cameras on the inside, you are dealing with a odd duck. Having one camera outside is fine, and is actually helpful for both the owner and guest. When someone arrives and parks, the camera alerts me that they have arrived, and I can be available to answer any questions should they call.
 
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