An Airbnb host who accused his guests of trying to scam him explained why the company took his side—even though viewers, for the most part, are not.
TikToker @crazyairbnbstories said he had rented out one of his multiple Airbnb properties for around $1000 per night, but things started going wrong as soon as the guests arrived.
The creator has over 53,000 followers and regularly shares “crazy” Airbnb stories, primarily from the perspective of a host. The Daily Dot has reached out to @crazyairbnbstories via TikTok comment. While his sheer number of videos points to a satirical tone, his story sparked controversy from Airbnb-lovers and hotel purists alike.
@crazyairbnbstories begins the clip by noting that the guests complained almost immediately upon arrival.
“Within a couple minutes of them getting there, they started complaining about the cleanness of the house,” he tells viewers. “They said, ‘Hey, there’s some stuff on the back patio. There’s some grime in the kitchen sink. There’s some stuff left on the counter.’”
The host began to get suspicious when the guests wouldn’t send pictures of the alleged issues. Then, when he offered to send over his cleaning crew, they asked for him to hold off until the next afternoon. By the next day, they’d apparently told him to forget about it and that they would simply like a refund. However, his cleaners were already on the way and informed him everything was perfectly fine when they checked the house.
A final issue came on the third day, which was supposed to be their last night there. They alleged they found animal feces in the kitchen, but when they sent @crazyairbnbstories a photo, he said it “literally looked like Hershey’s chocolate kisses, broke in half.”
“I already messaged Airbnb well ahead of this, sending them documentation, because my cleaners take pictures after they clean every single time,” he says in the clip. “Now, the guests didn’t know that, and they made up pictures of them making a mess in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in the bathroom on surfaces, sent them to Airbnb and said, ‘Hey look, here’s this mess.’ But I had already messaged Airbnb, so I got ahead of it.”
Moreover, the host said he kicked the group out for the final night of their stay (and refunded them for that single night) “because they were pissing me off and trying to scam me.”
“And now I get the privilege and honor of leaving them a review in just a couple days here, and boy oh boy can I not wait so this doesn’t happen to another host ever again with them,” he adds.
@crazyairbnbstories I love when the customer is wrong sometimes
♬ original sound – Crazy Airbnb Stories
The TikToker, as his name suggests, has frequently posted videos featuring outlandish Airbnb stories, such as the time he claimed a guest used 15,000 gallons of water during a week stay or discovered an influencer rented one of his properties and implied he owned it himself while filming an online course.
But while his videos complain about guests, there are plenty of videos from Airbnb guests complaining about hosts, as well. Whether they’re getting nickel and dimed for every small comfort or dealing with hosts who get upset over honest reviews, the sentiment against Airbnb hosts has not been all that positive on TikTok for some time now.
That’s apparent in @crazyairbnbstories’ comments on this particular video, as well. People largely didn’t dispute his accusations that guests were trying to scam him, but rather suggested it didn’t really matter.
“$1000 a night is insane for anything that doesn’t come with free food free drinks and free daily housekeeping,” wrote one commenter.
“The crazy thing is airbnbs charge cleaning fees and want to leave a list of chores for the renter to do,” another user complained, although its unclear whether this particular host had instructions to that effect.
One viewer called Airbnb a “joke” that is “not worth the hassle,” while another simply wrote, “Airbnb landlords are the actual worst.”
“Please sell your Airbnb to a family who is looking to buy a house,” suggested a further user, acknowledging frustrations over how Airbnb exacerbates housing shortages.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Airbnb via email.
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