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Chris is right. Businesses, even huge corporations, fail all the time. Airbnb (which I love using by the way) could go under at any time. We hosts have no control over that whatsoever. It makes me wonder how many hosts would simply be out of business themselves if Airbnb goes under.
I love using Airbnb because it’s so easy and does just about everything for you but I know that I’d be totally daft to base my business on just one company.
Rely on Airbnb, or any company, and you’re not making the best of business decisions. Airbnb has been the flavour of the month for a lot of years now but I’m sure that we’ve all noticed that Airbnb is moving towards a hotel model plus experiences and hotels are moving more towards a Airbnb-type model plus experiences.
No doubt they’ll meet in the middle at some point which is great for the traveller but not so good for hosts who aren’t flexible and prepared to react to whatever developments arrive - which no-one can predict.
For young hosts that’s probably going to be the complete collapse of tourism and in the ruins of the post-capitalist economy everyone will have a roommates if not living with family. (Oh, wait, no can predict…sorry… )
It’s not too long ago that every street in the US (and more or less worldwide, I think) had a branch of Blockbuster. Where are they now? At the time, no one would have thought that such a huge company could fail. But it did and the decline started when Netflix started its mail-to-the-home service.
Blockbuster never thought for a minute that a service like that would catch on. But where is Netflix now?
Interesting fact - the digital camera was actually invented by Kodak, the company that made film. But because they didn’t realise that digital would take over, and they believed that film would always be needed, they too filed for bankruptcy.
Just two examples of huge companies that didn’t move with the times…
I am sorry that your guest was robbed. I have STR rental insurance for this. Part of the reason is because I am not an expert on fraud. They will ask the questions I haven’t cottoned on to yet.
Some people will have a change of heart if you mention an insurance company. That in itself is telling.
I was the guest that was robbed at this OP’s Airbnb in Costa Rica. The morning after it happened he told me that his housekeeper (that comes twice a week) usually leaves the windows open for air ventilation. As far as proof, it’s comical that you think there has to be a scuff mark on the wall to conclude that someone climbed through a window.
Camera’s would have helped. So would a lock on the sliding gate to the driveway. Along with the housekeepers not leaving all the windows open for air ventilation every time they cleaned the house. They were also the only people besides the host that knew we were just one couple staying in a two bedroom house. Everything that was stolen was in the unoccupied bedroom when we went to sleep. They also must have known that it was our last night there. Convenient.
How can you act like you have enough information to judge whether or not I was really robbed at his Airbnb? I hope that none of you are ever in a foreign country, where you don’t speak the language, only to wake up and realize that an intruder had been in your house while you slept and stolen most of your valuable possessions. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone and it’s caused a lot of sleepless nights since we’ve been back. It’s scary and you feel completely violated. We’re just lucky nothing more serious happened.
@ericjr - we’re not really here to discuss the host’s culpability. We, as you know, are just a bunch of avid (and often very experienced) hosts who come together to discuss issues we encounter with guests.
It’s good to hear about the situation from your perspective and as you know, the host is upset that you had this situation. It’s a very complex issue that none of the members here know enough about to judge.
I hope that your insurance company is helping you to be reimbursed for what you lost on your trip but I don’t think that discussing the rights and wrongs in a public forum for the world to see is going to help.
I think @ericjr was right to come here and tell his side of the story, especially since it appears that Adam’s lax attitude toward security (cleaners leaving windows open, no cameras for a remote rental in a foreign country, and the fact that thieves may have been able to find out about guests from cleaners) probably were at least partially the cause of the theft. If I had been Eric my review of this listing would have been scathing, even if I had been paid for the cost of the stolen items. Guests have a right to know about these conditions, and need honest reviews just as hosts do.
IMHO it’s great that we get to see both sides of this story and can learn from it. I hope that @sitebnb 's casual attitude about security has changed.
I am sorry for your loss and the terrible feelings that you have because of the situation. I get that the housekeeper opened the windows… was that prior to your stay and not the night of the robbery?
Could you have closed the windows before you went to bed for the night?
A) I don’t have a casual attitude toward security.
B) Of course the housekeepers close the windows and all doors of a very expensive house, why would anyone leave a house open?
Foreign country? Remote rental? this is my home country and my house is not remote, it is where I live and have my other main house 2 minutes walking from there. Also it is one of the safest countries and where the people are happiest in the world if you check indexes, the only country in the world with no army, who do you think of yourself to decide what is foreign and what is remote?
Host was culpable? the host (me) stays in the house and keep renting it with the trauma and doubt if this can ever happen again + paid back the losings to the client on top of his insurance as I committed to, to the amount I committed to.
Costa Rica? I love Costa Rica. We left doors unlocked but not windows open due to insects when I was there. But there was a locked gate and fence topped with barbed wire as well and an onsite groundskeeper.
Your original question was about the right way to act and I’d say you certainly tried. If the guest was scamming you, you just have to let it go and move on at this point. I can’t even imagine how he ended up here to tell his side of the story.
We do always emphasize that this is a public forum and people should take care about what they post here though.
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