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Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

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Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#41

Post by mnm1 »

I had a similar situation with vrbo. The ac was broken and the host installed a makeshift "ac" system that didn't even cool the room it was in. This was in Vegas with temps way above 100. I didn't stay there and they only refunded me 1/3 the cost. I'm waiting for the chargeback to come through.

Another time in Mexico at the Marriott their "ac" would not go below 73 or so. It was still pretty warm. That time I got fucked.

Another time I stayed at a holiday inn outside DC with temps well into the 90s. The whole floor had the ac turned off. They said they couldn't turn it on. It was late so we suffered for one night but then hotels.com moved us to another hotel (I had silver membership).

Another time I stayed at an airbnb in Amsterdam and the ceiling fan was considered ac. It wasn't that hot so that wasn't a big deal and I didn't mind in that case.

Basically, if you want ac you're taking a big chance staying at an airbnb, vrbo, Marriott, or other hotel. It's a big issue both in and out of the us. There should be regulations. If the temperature can't be regulated to 65 - 68F, sleeping temperatures, then it can't be considered ac. Of course, without regulations it can even if it doesn't actually cool any space down. Scam artists are everywhere.

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#42

Post by privateSFacct »

Thorentis wrote: post #30
privateSFacct wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The accommodation had A/C, just not in every room. I've rented AirBnB's like this. You are out all day, come home, turn on AC in bedrooms and go to sleep. Not everyone puts AC into their kitchen, dining room, living room, bathrooms etc etc. You are going to sue AirBnB over this?

Ah didn't realise full context in this specific case. I was referring only to "a fan legally constitutes an aircon". So, if the only thing in an AirBnB is a fan, saying it has aircon is misleading.

The point here is that this guest is misleading everyone and the media is eating it up. Airbnb says that the hosts description of the place was reasonable. It had AC. It just didn't have it in every room the guest wanted. This is not a "fan is AC" - and airbnb never said that, this (spoiled) guest did. What airbnb is saying is some rooms have AC is AC. While that could be argued, the headline should reflect that.

If you're just reading the headline easy to get it wrong. But these "outrage" stories often have another side.

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#43

Post by chronolitus »

Twirrim wrote: post #4

As is ever the case, dig in deeper and oh look we see the apartment did have A/C as advertised. https://old.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/d1i53n/its_10...

Copy paste in case it gets deleted:

""" I'm OP's roommate and I was involved in this. We booked the place on short notice and came to see it the same day. It was advertised as a "penthouse" but in reality it was simply the top floor of a pretty decrepit ~50+ yo building, with bars on every window, and a filthy "pool". This is the view from the "penthouse".

Contrary to what Airbnb says in the screenshot, there was no "A/C" of any kind in the bathrooms (no, not even fans). The only A/C units were in the bedrooms, and they were small, sized for bedrooms. The host showed up and said that if we let the A/C in the bedrooms run for 20 minutes with the doors open and the fan strategically placed, the living room and kitchen would be "cold like a fridge".

We let it run for 30 minutes and were still sweating after that. Told him we couldn't stay because we work from home and the heat was just unbearable in the daytime during this hot season.

What pissed me off:

The host refused to refund us anything (which is why we reached out to Airbnb). Airbnb refunded ~USD 300, so the host took USD 480 from us for essentially visiting the place for 30 minutes. That's a $1000/hour occupation... pretty lucrative. Yes, we wasted their time, and an opportunity for someone else to book it, so I'd be totally fine with paying the nightly rate (USD 60) for even two nights. But not for over a week. It's just not fair by any stretch of the imagination. (Note that it's the week before Mexico's Independence Day, and the host bragged that the place will get occupied very soon if we don't book. Also, we booked same-day, and left same-day. How Airbnb considers that is inconveniencing the host USD 480, baffles me.)

Airbnb's rude, STFU, response:

This is the last that can be said on the subject.

This seems to be part of the training they give to support agents, because I saw the same phrasing in the famous How I Got Banned for Life from AirBnB post:

we consider this matter closed and will no longer reply to any inquiries regarding your account

The fact that Airbnb doesn't have anything more nuanced than "Yes A/C", "No A/C". How about "partial A/C"? How hard is it to implement that, Airbnb? It's one thing to have central A/C or heating, and a very different thing to have a heater in one room or a fan in another. """

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#44

Post by em-bee »

JohnJamesRambo wrote: post #27
bkohlmann wrote: post #24

On the other hand, when an act of god occurs, airbnb holds the host completely responsible. My wife and I own an airbnb (with a/c!). At midnight one evening, the a/c went out due to a mechanical failure. The temperature in the texas heat rose to 80 degrees in our condo. Our guests called us to complain. We couldnt find any techs at that time of night (and at 1am we tried!), but had one come in at 8am the next morning…

How do you see it any other way than that you owe them a refund? Have you ever tried to stay in a hotel room that is 80?

try 90. if it's 80 degrees i rejoice and turn the aircon off...

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#45

Post by ASalazarMX »

atombender wrote: post #32
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #6

There is a saying that goes something like: when you play with snakes, don't be surprised if you get bitten. When you book AirBnb vs a hotel you are signalling that you value cost over predictability and oversight. Those hotel fees and regulations are there for a reason. With AirBnb, one of the reasons they can offer stuff cheaply is that they are arbitraging regulation and oversight. If you really need to work, book…

This assumes you're okay with the "hotel experience". Personally, I dislike hotels. I don't like carpets or elevators or garish faux-marble baths. I don't like being in the middle of a city next to tourist traps or some busy downtown. I don't like being on the 23th floor, shut away from nature. I don't like staying in a place that is just a bedroom and this weird tiny desk that has a big TV on it so it's not usable f…

Then ending up with a room that is conditioned for the locals, and not hotel-grade, should be perfectly acceptable too, and Airbnb and their partners are doing it right. Nothing to see here.

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#46

Post by atombender »

ASalazarMX wrote: post #45
atombender wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This assumes you're okay with the "hotel experience". Personally, I dislike hotels. I don't like carpets or elevators or garish faux-marble baths. I don't like being in the middle of a city next to tourist traps or some busy downtown. I don't like being on the 23th floor, shut away from nature. I don't like staying in a place that is just a bedroom and this weird tiny desk that has a big TV on it so it's not usable f…

Then ending up with a room that is conditioned for the locals, and not hotel-grade, should be perfectly acceptable too, and Airbnb and their partners are doing it right. Nothing to see here.

But with hotels, too, you can end up with something that isn't to your satisfaction, contrary to how it's presented in the listing and contrary to your expectations. Hotels are likely to be more consistent here, but there's never any guarantee.

One difference is in the ability to rectify such issues. Since Airbnb is a middleman who doesn't own the property, and the host is potentially not able to be physically present (e.g. it's a short-term sublet while the host is on a trip, as opposed to a permanent Airbnb), the blame may technically lie with the host, but Airbnb's platform is also responsible. Airbnb can't pretend they're merely a passive hosting platform for hosts, and needs to tread more carefully in handling such disputes.

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#47

Post by pwinnski »

bdowling wrote: post #23

From the Airbnb message: > “This is the last that can be said on the subject.” Why would a customer service representative be allowed to write something so smarmy and condescending?

As a customer, this seems out of line.

As someone who has worked in customer service, and observed customer service workers at my company, it seems completely reasonable, especially when dealing with entitled people like the OP and his roommate (from other comments).

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#48

Post by forgotmyacc »

mc32 wrote: post #3

So apparently it had A/C in bedrooms but not other areas. Host suggested leaving doors open and having a fan redirect air from bedroom(s) to living area. Looks like guests were looking to work while on a trip, so wanted and expected A/C throughout. I can see both sides. On the one hand it did have A/C —just not central A/C. On the other hand it was (they claim 100F) and were trying to “work from home.” On the other h…

The OP was charge $500 for what was essentially 30 minute visit. That's just evil.

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#49

Post by dandv »

rudiv wrote: post #35
mc32 wrote: post #3

So apparently it had A/C in bedrooms but not other areas. Host suggested leaving doors open and having a fan redirect air from bedroom(s) to living area. Looks like guests were looking to work while on a trip, so wanted and expected A/C throughout. I can see both sides. On the one hand it did have A/C —just not central A/C. On the other hand it was (they claim 100F) and were trying to “work from home.” On the other h…

How is this borderline? Central HVAC in homes is extremely uncommon in developing countries. Standalone AC units for rooms other than bedrooms are also quite uncommon (depends on the economic class of the householder). To say that there is no air conditioning because there is no air conditioning in the bathroom (and this is one of the specific complaints from the OP's reddit thread) is extremely entitled. Not everywh…

Nobody complained of no A/C in the bathrooms. You've misread Airbnb's social media agent's misguided reply. I'm the OP's roommate and I've clarified things at https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/d1i53n/its_10...

Re: Airbnb: A fan legally constitutes an air conditioner

#50

Post by dandv »

bArray wrote: post #11
mc32 wrote: post #3

So apparently it had A/C in bedrooms but not other areas. Host suggested leaving doors open and having a fan redirect air from bedroom(s) to living area. Looks like guests were looking to work while on a trip, so wanted and expected A/C throughout. I can see both sides. On the one hand it did have A/C —just not central A/C. On the other hand it was (they claim 100F) and were trying to “work from home.” On the other h…

> So apparently it had A/C in bedrooms but not other areas. > Host suggested leaving doors open and having a fan > redirect air from bedroom to living area. Looks like > guests were looking to work while on a trip, so wanted and > expected A/C throughout. To be fair to the host, it's not their fault that the app didn't have the ability to track which rooms did or didn't have air conditioning. On hearing their problem…

Not having the ability to specify 'Partial A/C' is exactly my suggestion to Airbnb.

The "reasonable solution" didn't work - we waited longer than what the host claimed it would take to make the place "cool as a fridge".

Why would we not be supposed to work in the apartment?

Right, it wasn't anyone's hard fault, so if I were the host, I'd charge 3 nights' worth and leave the situation with a clean conscience and quite a bit of cash for spending 30 minutes.

See my detailed reply at https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/d1i53n/its_10... (I'm the OP's roommate).

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