Wrong addresses and no name

Just got back from Italy.We spent hours trying to get into some Airbnb's
For what ever reason many people are trying to hide the fact that they are on AIrbnb.
Lake Como. No street sign. The taxi driver didn't even know where it was.
Turin. There was now name on the buzzer plate at the entrance to the block of units. Had to ring every buzzer. Eventually the owner came down about an hour late. Had a massive fight and stormed off. We booked hotel around the corner. This was with Booking.com

Aosta. This was the worst ever. Arrived at the address provided . No name on buzzer plate.
Rang every buzzer in block. Annoyed every owner about half a dozen times.
Tried to ring the owner numerous times. No answer.
Eventually checked email to discover that that the owner had changed the phone number the day before we arrived. Brilliant. Got the Italian guy from the local bar who could speak fluent Italian to ring the owner..
The owner informed us that this was not the real address and that the property was down the road 200 metres . Brilliant.
So the owner deliberately put the wrong address on the add to avoid tax or hide from the neighbours.and change the phone number the day before we arrived.
Brilliant. it took us three hours to get into this Airbnb and the day was over.


What i find with Airbnb landlords is that they want the money but don't want to provide any sought of service.
They are constantly trying to hide from the tax man or from the neighbours.. Very frustrating.

 

Italy is known for tax avoidance. They will eventually end up like Greece.

 

@tilt10 - don't forget to keep a copy of your invoice as you will be fined as well as the owner.

 

If you want professional hospitality service stay at a professional property! And book before you go, never ceased to amaze me how many people just expect a room when they turn up.

 

Wylie. Yes you are so tired from travelling. and quite often only have that one afternoon to look around a city. By the time you have booked into some of these places the day is over . We wasted two hours trying to get into our unit in Turin and had very little time to see the city. Yep. Turns me off..

 

Sadly, reports of these and similar hassles turned us off using Airbnb on a recent overseas trip. We did look, but many listings openly advised to pretend we were visitors, not to speak to other residents or neighbours - which I took to understand these rentals were illegal.

Another friend had her ten day stay in New York cancelled a week before they were to arrive. Airbnb gave a cash bonus on top of refunded fees but they struggled to find similar accommodation, even at a much higher price.

On our recent trip we had four tour members who spent days trying to confirm access instructions for an Airbnb stay in Seattle after the tour with no response. They were arriving in the city at 11pm and left Alaska not knowing how and if they would be able to gain access.

So we paid more for hotels, but had the advantage of no last-minute worries or hassles.
Marg

 

Airbnb has to get on top of this.
Any owner who gives the wrong address should be banned instantly. Not rocket science Airbnb
Any owner who does not display his correct name on the buzzer plate at the entrance should be banned instantly. Not rocket science Airbnb

 

Well maybe message AirBnB and air your grief?

 

I'm not sure how this can occur unless all the previous guest had no problems with this listing or the host is a new host? Surely if all the guests had the same issue, they would had either mentioned it in their reviews or marked them down for the check in section.

I'm afraid of the government cracking down on Airbnb in Australia because that could be disastrous for tourism, both internationally and domestically! I've been told by a lot of my guests that they can only afford to visit certain states now due to the affordability of accommodations!

 

Nah. I doubt it will have a significant impact on tourism. Have you seen prices in Monaco and Geneva? Still they get heaps of tourists. And Australia is way prettier.

 

Thanks Noob. Yes sent my complaint off. They said they would look into it.
Very weary now.

 

Marg. Thanks for your response. Seems this is very common now. I now want conformation
by email that the correct address and phone number have been supplied and that the correct name is on the buzzer plate downstairs.
Bit like playing " Where's Wally"

 

I have used lots of rentals via many sites (with due diligence) and it has gone well but I expect that I will have to go to a hotel if it doesn't. I'd think twice if hotel availability was a challenge - nothing to stop an owner relisting on another site at a premium

If short term rentals are illegal in the city you are staying in, then your risk of something going wrong gone right up. Is isn't really realistic to expect to always get away with something that isn't allowed.

 

Airbnb would have been on your side IMO. From everything I've read, as long as the guest isn't entirely unreasonable, they side with the guest, rather than hosts when it comes to disputes.