British Tiktoker Emma Watkins (nickname _emma_watkins) shared her experience of renting through Airbnb when she vacationed in the south of France with her mother in the summer of 2022.
In a series of videos, Emma detailed exactly what happened when they got to the apartment, how they tried to fix the problem, and how Airbnb representatives responded to the whole situation.
“What started as a headache quickly turned into a nightmare,” she says.
The location of the apartment was ideal for their vacation: there was a swimming pool nearby, the beach, supermarkets, and restaurants. However, when they arrived at the house, entered the apartment, and began to check everything, it turned out that the balcony door did not close. Not only does it not lock, but it does not close.
“The balcony was not so high above the ground and overlooked a road with heavy traffic, where a lot of people also move. Anyone could notice the open door. In addition, we had neighbors who could move to our balcony. It is quite obvious that we couldn’t stay there, it wasn’t safe,” she says.
They immediately contacted the owner of the apartment to try and come up with something. He offered to contact Airbnb directly as he had no other apartments available. Emma noted that he didn’t even try to “fix the problem” or fix the door.
Eventually, an Airbnb customer service representative contacted her via the mobile app and told her that he was talking to the host. A customer service rep stated that the owner said “the window was broken” but it was not critical as there were “other windows” and as a consolation, the company offered to “reduce the price”. Watkins explained that it was not a window, but a balcony door that not only did not lock but also did not close, which made it unsafe for her and her mother to stay in this place.
@_emma_watkins For anyone thinking of using AirBnB in the future, don’t x #fyp #airbnb #airbnbexperience ♬ original sound – emmaa.watkins14
Further, the employee did not answer for some time, and then completely stated that his shift was over and the tourists should contact another representative. Emma then decided to fill out a complaint form on the Airbnb app. Another company representative was very apologetic and said he would work to find “alternative housing” for them. Meanwhile, it was getting dark outside and they still had nowhere to sleep.
An Airbnb representative promised to find alternative apartments in the area and provide a 30 percent discount. The tourist also sent him several options but did not receive an answer about the apartment or the discount. So, Watkins and her mom decided to rent a hotel for the night.
As a result, it turned out that the discount would not help in their case, and there were no alternative accommodation options at the same price and with the same conditions.
Emma admits she doesn’t understand why Airbnb isn’t responsible for its hosts and why the company hasn’t done more to fix the situation.
In the end, the tourists decided that returning home was their only option, since the coupon was not enough for a week’s stay, and any other decent place was too expensive.
Emma’s story fit into three TikTok videos, the first of which scored 1.4 million views. Internet users are divided in their opinions about everything: some believe that there is no problem with a broken door, while others support and share their unpleasant situations with Airbnb.