An Airbnb customer is going viral on TikTok after sharing her nightmare experience dealing with a host who refused to refund her after she attempted to cancel part of her stay.
User @ktdigiacomo said she recorded her nearly six-minute video “for my Airbnb host and my Airbnb host only.” She then shared with viewers how the host apparently spied on her and her family throughout their stay and refused to help them with various household problems, including a broken fence and air conditioning system and a leaky fridge.
As of Sunday, @ktdigiacomo’s TikTok documented her predicament with her host had amassed more than 389,600 views.
What happened at the Airbnb?
The creator said she reached out to an Airbnb host to ask whether she could stay at their place after her own home was destroyed by a hurricane. She said she asked the host upfront whether she would be flexible with their move-out date because she didn’t know when, specifically, her home would be in a livable condition.
Apparently the host agreed to these terms, and @ktdigiacomo said she moved in on Sept. 27. The TikToker noted, too, that she paid “an ungodly amount of money” to stay at the Airbnb, but was out of options because “all the hotels were booked up.” (@ktdigiacomo said the host charged $4,500 per month for the stay and she paid upfront to stay there through the end of November.)
While at the Airbnb host’s home, however, she said a second storm rolled through. In an act of goodwill, @ktdigiacomo said she storm-prepped the host’s house. But things started to go awry when the host apparently started spying on the family through her security cameras.
She said the host accused her and her family of leaving a back porch light on and having too many tenants in the home, for instance. But since the neighbors claimed they hadn’t spoken with the host, @ktdigiacomo deduced that the host was watching them.
“You’re looking through the cameras, which is weird,” @ktdigiacomo said. She also said the neighbors warned her that past guests had similar issues with this particular host. Still, left without options, the TikToker and a few family members opted to stay—even when the second storm hit.
After the storm passed, @ktdigiacomo said she told the host that the home lost “power and A/C and everything.” In addition, @ktdigiacomo said the drinking water in the host’s refrigerator had a leak.
“Your fences blew down and I sent you pictures of all the damage,” @ktdigiacomo added. “I sent you pictures of where we found the leak… and you didn’t respond.”
Still wanting to be good tenants, @ktdigiacomo said she and her family spent three days getting the host’s home back in shape. They did this despite spending 16 days without A/C and internet.
She said the final straw was when her family’s dog died. The content creator said that, due to the broken fence, their dog got out and wandered into the neighbor’s yard, where they drowned in their pool. “I texted you that it was obviously no one’s fault but you did nothing to fix the fence,” @ktdigiacomo said.
At this point, the content creator said she and her family were “itching” to get out of the house early, but the host refused to refund them for the month of November.
“All we’re asking for is our money back for the nights we’re not staying here,” @ktdigiacomo said. She added that her family was “nothing but nice” to the host, and simply wanted “human decency.”
“We’ve now lost our home, our dog, and $4,500 we’ll never see again,” she said. “I hope you enjoy our dirty money.”
@ktdigiacomo ♬ original sound – Ktdigiacomo
Recurring problems with Airbnb
@ktdigiacomo certainly isn’t the first content creator to experience a less-than-ideal experience with an Airbnb host. In fact, a similar situation happened with another woman, who said her host refused to refund her booking during a recent hurricane.
Issues with requesting refunds seem to be a recurring issue with Airbnb guests. A soon-to-be bride said another host denied her attempt to cancel a $2,000 rental six months in advance.
Other issues with Airbnb hosts include excessive cleaning instructions and strange house rules. One guest, for instance, said she had to drive six miles in order to throw a host’s trash away. Another guest said that all the amenities a host bragged about on their properties were zip-tied and unusable.
What is Airbnb’s refund policy?
According to Airbnb’s website, hosts decide on a listing’s cancellation policy, but guests agree to it when booking.
While Airbnb does have a specific policy for major disruptive events, hurricane-related cancellations during hurricane season are not protected by this. This only applies if a hurricane leads to some other disruptive event.
“To support our community, our Major Disruptive Events policy is currently in effect for impacted areas of Florida, such as those experiencing government travel restrictions,” an Airbnb spokesperson previously told the Daily Dot.
“This policy means hosts can cancel eligible stays without consequences, and guests who have an eligible booking can cancel for a refund. Hosts and guests can see eligible bookings on their Airbnb account via their Trips page. Our customer support team is also available to help with any questions,” the spokesperson said.
In @ktdigiacomo’s case, she said Airbnb told her that the power to issue a refund is in the tenant’s hands. “You don’t want to refund us the money,” she said. “I can’t even fathom how you can’t understand the situation that we’re going through and try to meet us in the middle.”
Viewers react
In the comments section of @ktdigiacomo’s video, viewers encouraged the content creator to take matters into her own hands.
“Airbnb will typically side with the guest,” one person wrote. “Report them to Airbnb and ask for a refund.”
“You can absolutely take them to small claims court if you have proof that they said they received bookings on the days that you ‘canceled’ your reservations,” another advised.
“You definitely have more rights than you think in this situation,” a third person said. “Contact Airbnb and get your money back. If they refuse, refuse to leave.”
Others, however, were more concerned about the content creator’s dog and offered their condolences.
“Oh no, THE DOG,” one woman said. “Oh my heart.”
“I am so so sorry about your dog and this whole situation this is horrible,” another wrote.
“I’m so sorry about your dog,” a third commenter added. “I hope you get this solved soon.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @ktdigiacomo via TikTok comment and to Airbnb by email.
Update 5:24pm, Nov. 4, 2024
In an update, the content creator said that she got in contact with Airbnb’s support team and that her family received a refund for the month of November. “We’re able to go home, where our dogs can be fenced in,” she said. “It’s a very sad situation because, unfortunately, I think this is happening to a lot of people right now.”
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