Via Stockphoto / @kayleesticker TikTok
A group of women says they were stranded on a holiday in Florida after showing up to their Airbnb, only to discover it was not rentable.
A woman is calling out Airbnb after claiming they arrived at their rental, only to discover that it didn’t really exist.
In a video with over 1.3 million views, TikTok user Kaylee Sticker (@kayleesticker) claims that her group drove six hours to Florida. When they arrived, they were greeted with an unpleasant surprise.
“We booked an Airbnb two months ago, and they took our money, and we showed up to the house—and apparently the owner said it hasn’t been on the market for four months,” says the driver of the car.
This situation, the TikToker says, has left the group “stranded in Florida.” To make matters worse, it was 100 degrees outside and a holiday weekend. Plus, she says that Airbnb “is not helping us,” nor is the rental company that operated the house on Airbnb.
“Airbnb, get it together,” Sticker concludes.
What Should You Do In This Situation?
Sticker was right to reach out to Airbnb. According to Airbnb’s AirCover guidance, one should first try to reach out to the host to resolve the issue. If this fails, they can report the problem to Airbnb, making documentation of every step along the way.
For example, someone in Sticker’s situation may want to get a notice in writing that the Airbnb rental was not actually accepting reservations at the time and submit that information to Airbnb. All communications to that end, both between the guest and Airbnb and the guest and the host, should happen on the Airbnb platform.
From here, one should not cancel their reservation. The host can cancel, thus entitling the guest to a full refund including service fees—but the guest themselves should not cancel. Instead, they should reach out to Airbnb to sort out the next steps.
On that note, Airbnb’s AirCover policy states that, for serious booking problems, the company can help guests find similar properties based on availability and comparable pricing. If a replacement is not available, Airbnb may issue a full or partial refund.
If all else fails—as in, if the original rental was never provided and the host or Airbnb failed to issue a refund—one can dispute the charge on their credit card. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau notes that charging someone for a purchase or service they never received can qualify as a billing error. Thus, one may be in their rights to dispute it on their card.
Does Airbnb Make It Right?
Across two follow-up videos, Sticker provides viewers with updates.
According to Sticker, the group “bit the bullet” and booked another property—through Airbnb. While they had some initial trouble actually getting into the building, they eventually entered and were able to complete their trip.
In her second follow-up, she says that Airbnb “did help us out a little bit.”
“We booked a second place, and 11 PM that night, they called and offered us a full refund for the first place and decided to cover the difference from our first place or second place,” she explains. “With that being said, three of our friends decided to go home, so it was more expensive for people who stayed, but Airbnb should have never had a listing listed that wasn’t available.”
While she says that the group “still made the most of the weekend,” she adds that they will “probably not be using Airbnb from here on out.”
In an email to BroBible, an Airbnb spokesperson corroborated this outcome, writing, “We are glad that we were able to support this guest with a full refund and cover the extra cost of a new Airbnb reservation. We have been in contact with the host and have removed the listing from our platform. If a guest ever has a concern, our 24/7 Customer Support team is available to help.”
Viewers Have Advice
In the comments section, users shared tips on how to avoid situations like these.
“Switched back to hotels. Air bnb is a joke. I’ll take my free breakfast and not having to deep clean a house that’s not mine,” a user wrote.
“As a multi Airbnb super host ALWAYS BOOK WITH A SUPERHOST. Also AWAYS read reviews,” another added.
“Use VRBO!! I promise you won’t be disappointed. Air B&B is awful,” declared a third.
@kayleesticker taking any and all suggestions
BroBible reached out to Sticker via email and Instagram direct message.