The internet is filled with Airbnb horror stories, many of which are shared to social media platforms like TikTok.
And as summer vacation season crawls on, users are posting stories about how their rentals didn’t meet their expectations, or the wild things they encountered upon checking into their Airbnb.
Previously, one user said that Airbnb canceled their booking 2 weeks before their trip, even though they had booked 8 months in advance. Another claimed that their family with 4 kids was locked out of their rental in the middle of the night, leading to an upsetting response from Airbnb. These are just two of countless stories that have many questioning renting Airbnbs in favor of simply staying at a hotel.
Now, another user has sparked discussion after recounting their negative experience with the popular rental site.
An Airbnb that doesn’t exist
In a video with over 22,000 views, TikTok user Macie (@maceandbryce) says that her family booked an Airbnb in Oak Island, North Carolina. While the host had been uncommunicative in the lead up to their trip, they decided to head to the rental anyway. However, when they got to the rental, they discovered a problem.
“Thirty minutes prior to arriving at the house, we called the host, and he said he hasn’t owned this in four years,” Macie states.
Macie and her partner assumed that they could simply resolve the issue with Airbnb. This proved more difficult than expected.
“We’re on the phone with Airbnb. They are not wanting to take accountability for this, and they are not really wanting to compensate us in any way,” Macie details.
“Airbnb sent us some new rentals and said that these are available to be booked, but they’re more…above our price range. They said they would give us $400 off for the difference,” she adds. “We said that wasn’t right. This isn’t our mistake. You’re the ones who made the mistake, and now we are currently homeless on our vacation.”
@maceandbryce BLOW THIS UP & tag @airbnb so we can hold them accountable for this ridiculous disaster! #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #airbnbexperience #airbnb #airbnbguests #boycottairbnb #airbnbfail ♬ original sound – macie & bryce
The guests share updates
Macie later posted two update videos showing that they were able to find accommodation, and that Airbnb said they were going to refund the family for their old listing and compensate them for the price difference between their former and current rental.
However, Macie is “still a little frustrated with how the whole situation was handled.”
Additionally, she says that she was informed by one rental location that the listing she booked was a known scam, and others had made similar claims in the reviews of the Airbnb. Although Macie says the listing was still live at the time of posting the video, it appears that the listing has since been taken down.
There is a listing with a similar name in the same area, but it appears to be a different rental, as its reviews and photos do not match those provided by Macie.
@maceandbryce no longer without a house but @airbnb our experience with you has sucked & i will make sure people knowww #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #airbnbexperience #airbnb #airbnbguests #boycottairbnb #airbnbfail ♬ original sound – macie & bryce
@maceandbryce Replying to @Cheryl Hicks #greenscreen AIRBNB UPDATE + LISTING POSTED #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #oakislandnc #oakislandbeach #airbnbexperience #airbnbfail #boycottairbnb #airbnb #airbnbguests ♬ original sound – macie & bryce
Commenters call out Airbnb
In the comments section, users shared their thoughts on Airbnb rentals and recalled their various issues with them and other, similar companies.
“There’s been SO many people on here lately saying the same thing! I’m terrified to ever book with them,” said a user.
“This is why we have stopped using @airbnb,” added another. “we had the same situation happen to us.”
“We used vrbo. Got confirmation and charged the card. Showed up to the house and someone else had rented it. It was double booked! VRBO was less than helpful,” detailed a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Macie via TikTok direct message and Airbnb via email.
Update 3:34pm CT July 31: In an email to the Daily Dot, an Airbnb spokesperson explained that this was a legitimate listing that the host had not removed after they stopped hosting. They also stated that the guest in question was given a coupon for a future trip.
“We were disappointed to learn about this guest’s experience, have refunded them and helped cover a new place for them to stay, and removed the listing from the platform. Issues like this are rare on Airbnb, but in case something isn’t right when guests arrive, our free Aircover for guests applies to bookings made on our platform and our 24/7 customer support is on hand to help,” the spokesperson wrote.
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