I’ve booked many Airbnbs and only had a couple of issues. The last one was a place that was a well reviewed two bedroom apartment in Budapest, where the host was a Superhost.
When we got there, it wasn’t a two bedroom. It had a bed in a loft (which Airbnb does consider a bedroom) and a pullout sofa bed in the living room.
I contacted the host saying he misrepresented the listing and asked for a refund. He refused, saying nobody every complained. I booked another place on Airbnb and then contacted them about the listing. They got back to me quickly, looked over the listing, and contacted the host. The host didn’t respond to them and they didn’t see a second bedroom in the listing, so they gave me a full refund.
Naturally, the host left me a bad review (apparently we always complain), but I find it funny since we have dozens of positive reviews from other hosts. I did leave a review on his listing stating it wasn’t a two bedroom apartment.
The one thing I’ve learned about Airbnb is to always use their platform when talking about issues with a host. They will review this when there’s a dispute, so it’s good to have a record. Also, contact them immediately. I seem to recall that payment isn’t made to the host until at least a few hours after check-in.
The article puzzles me a bit. I’ve contacted Airbnb multiple times over the years and never had any issues in them responding. I can see how people might fall for a bait and switch. Personally, I’d have requested the host send me the new listing on Airbnb and cancel the existing reservation. I’d never just go to another place.
Like many here though, I’m not using Airbnb to save money, even though that’s often the case.