As we reach the peak of summer, eager travelers are taking a break from their busy lives and heading off on vacation.
Whether to save some money, get perks you don’t generally get at a hotel, or simply for more privacy, many turn to Airbnb to book their accommodation during their travels.
In recent years, however, complaints of hidden fees, poor customer service, misleading listings, and more have hit social media—TikTok in particular—with many others corroborating the same sentiment.
An Airbnb spokesperson recently told the Daily Dot: “In the rare event a listing isn’t as advertised on arrival, guest bookings are protected free by Aircover and our 24/7 support, and we’ll help guests to find a similar place or refund them. This year, we updated our policy on security devices to ban indoor cameras in listings and bring in more comprehensive rules on outdoor cameras.”
Below, we’ve listed five of the most viral Airbnb horror stories that have been shared recently.
Airbnb guest gets charged a $924 extra fee
In a video reposted by the TikTok account @getlostwebsite, Airbnb guest Joanna Anderson reveals the absurd reasons she was charged an extra $924 for her stay.
“So I’m here at this nice Airbnb, but it’s not so nice, because there’s notes everywhere,” Anderson begins.
As she pans the camera around her Airbnb, we see several eyebrow-raising notes. “DO NOT sit in this chair, it was my deceased husband’s favourite one,” says one note.
“Wi-Fi is free on the first day of your stay but will be charged at £10.00 per day per device thereafter,” reads another. “Contact me for the password.”
And upon checking out of the Airbnb, Anderson said she received an email from the host demanding an extra $924 for amenities she used around the home, such as a pool table and the washing machine.
Anderson called the host to clarify these charges, but the host insisted that the information about extra fees was included in the listing. Anderson disagreed with this claim. Ultimately, they decided to resolve the issue with Airbnb customer support.
Guests book Airbnb but never receive the entry code
TikToker KoKo (@kokeeezyy) shared a video showing her group eating at Waffle House after being unable to access their booked and paid-for Airbnb.
“We drove 3 hours and the Airbnb host never gave us the door code,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.
While the initial video didn’t provide much context, KoKo shared more in an Instagram DM exchange with the Daily Dot team.
“They said we had not filled out a final registration form with a list of all of the names, and once we did so, we would receive the code,” she recounted. “We did several times and still received nothing.”
KoKo said they attempted to contact the host with no success, and even Airbnb’s intervention didn’t resolve the issue.
“This was a condo that fit up to 12, we paid the full price,” KoKo said. “We are a group of Black women, and seeing the names [we] booked under may have gave him that impression.”
Airbnb refunded the group, but their last-minute hotel costs were higher than the refund. Despite the ordeal, KoKo wanted to move on but was disheartened by the backlash on TikTok.
“I posted the TikTok to make light of an unfortunate situation… it turned into a racist war zone,” she stated. “At the end of the day, we were just college students trying to have a good spring break.”
Woman staying alone at an Airbnb can’t close garage door
TikToker Brianna (@itsbaby_briiiannaa) shared her frustrating Airbnb experience when she booked a townhome in Houston.
“Count your freaking days, Airbnb,” she begins.
Brianna recounts the difficult booking process she endured with the property.
“When I inquired on Airbnb to rent this out for the week, they hit me with about 20 different questions,” she explains, which she states include extensive house rules about music, guests, and constant camera checks. Nevertheless, she agreed and booked the home.
Upon arrival, everything went downhill. “The garage door that I park my car in is broken. It doesn’t close all the way,” she says, concerned for her safety as a solo traveler. Brianna stated the host’s response was nonchalant, and he responded with, “OK, we’ll get someone.”
It didn’t end there. Brianna then experienced a power outage in the middle of the workday. “Look! Nothing,” she shows, pressing the light switch to no avail.
“I’m so over it,” she concludes.
Family of six gets locked out of Airbnb at midnight
TikTok user Ginaa (@ginaadouglas) shared her family’s Airbnb nightmare in a series of videos.
In the first clip, Ginaa is seen standing outside of their rental as she explains that they’ve been stranded outside for two and a half hours. She says this was due to the fact that the code box at the entry was malfunctioning.
With no response from the host, Ginaa contacted Airbnb.
“Support’s suggestion to me was to take me, my husband, and my four children to a coffee shop, and they’ll reimburse us up to $50,” she says. “Are y’all nuts?”
In the next video, Ginaa updated her audience saying that by 1am, Airbnb booked them a hotel nearby. The next morning, the host still hadn’t responded. Although Airbnb tried to find them a new place, their belongings were still in the original rental, ruining plans like a beach day.
Ginaa later managed to enter through a window and Airbnb promised a refund for the rental and extra costs. They eventually secured a replacement, but Ginaa was frustrated, noting, “a significant portion of our vacation was taken up dealing with these issues.”
19-year-old customer couldn’t check in because she’s “not 25”
A 19-year-old Airbnb customer, Kinley Siepert (@kinleysiepert), shared that she couldn’t check into her Airbnb because she wasn’t 25.
“Us after we drove 10 hours to the beach and our Airbnb won’t let us check in because we aren’t 25,” Siepert wrote in the video’s text overlay.
She and her friends, who drove 10 hours to Florida, sat outside an Alvin’s Island Outlet Store while they waited.
“Send help!!!!!” she captioned the video.
In the comments, Siepert clarified, “Don’t worry guys we are good we got in now,” but didn’t explain how.
The video led younger renters to question Airbnb’s age policy in the comment section. One said, “If we can die in war we should be able to check into an Airbnb,” while another added, “I’m 23 and it’s so embarrassing to have my husband check into these things.”
