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@Louise This has been an ordeal for you but it may be a good thing in the long term. You may have the opportunity to mentor a new host and establish a relationship in a place you need to visit. From what I have seen on the forum, you have much hosting experience. She will be fortunate to have you as a guest - you could make a difference in whether or not she succeeds as a host.* Hopefully you won’t have to go back often, I will pray for and hold good thoughts for your medical issues.
*I know this isn’t your responsibility but what a good feeling it would be to help someone start out right!
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She said she likes to give keys in person to make sure they are nice! She has a lot to learn.
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Did you report this to Airbnb a. Seems darn rude and not the kind of host they would want b. If you grovel enough and be manipulative enough ‘how crushed I am to be treated this way when I am there for distressing medical appt and such a good host’ etc etc maybe Airbnb will give you a voucher and you can stay somewhere really flash and spoil yourself. Tears would help too if you can 
This host doesn’t deserve your $.
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I once sent a request for a room in a flat to a host who asked me about my daily schedule, as I won’t be able to enter the house when he’s not around. I asked him whether this means that I will not get my set of keys?! He just declined my request without a word. Superhost, btw. I know that Airbnb supports all kinds of hosting styles, but I have never ever before heard of a host not giving keys to guests. I mean, is it Couchsurfing or renting? Also, guy’s description said nothing about the keys arrangement. Have anyone else encounter this sort of arrangement and in general, do you think it is acceptable? I find this behaviour extremely unprofessional, like in the case Louise encountered. Feels like they want to get your money and then prevent you from actually staying at their place.
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There do seem to be some hosts that choose not to give out keys. This was discussed at length here.
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Thanks. I see that vast majority of hosts share my opinion on the key issue. 
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So, I am the one big exception on here to generally not give any keys. The reason is safety. Strange things happen here in Peru: Just the other week I got personally scammed and lost for $US 2000,00 of new kitchen appliances. Needless to say that after that experience we will not let our guard down by any means.
Depending on the situation (e.a. non-Peruvian nationals staying multiple nights, and us not being available at some point) we do give keys. But truth be told, apart from 1 couple, no one has ever complaint about not having a key. That 1 couple were Peruvians with an inconsistent story, strange behavior, living in one of the poorest and most dangerous districts of Lima. Although one can never be sure, the risk of them copying the key and sending someone over a few weeks afterwards was just too big.
I am sure that, although we don’t guarantee a key to anyone, we CAN ensure that everyone has a wonderful stay and doesn’t suffer any inconvenience.
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I’m curious how you arrange things with guests? This arrangement wouldn’t bother me if somone would be at home for pretty much all of the time. For example, my potential host mentioned that he works from 8 am to 6 pm. I find it unacceptable not to be able to access the house pretty much the whole day.
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She’s giving me the keys, just wants to hand them to me, to make sure I’m nice! This is a studio apt, she will be away while I stay. There is a pool, sauna, hot tub and parking. It has a view of Lake Ontario, and I can get sushi nearby. A mini holiday and medical appt all in one.
I’m too fragile as it is to let myself get emotional about this to get a voucher. It just wasn’t possible to find a similar listing without a ton of extra work, as for some reason not all listings have a FAQ re parking, I found one, but the next 3 required I message the host. More work, more delays.
I see. I still find this request on the side of a host rather unprofessional and moreover, relying on some dangerous biases about what constitutes “a nice person”. Some of my best guests and hosts were rather reclusive and not too talkative. I guess I should’ve dismissed them on that basis… In any case, the listing sounds like a great catch, so I would proceed with the booking, as you did. I would dinge the host for communication and mention difficulties when booking, though.
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Since the OP wants to stay there again - due to the convenience and needed amenities - and the host is new, dinging them in reviews, even the private ones may backfire. Being new and naive is fixable and it may just take some gentle words from an experienced host sandwiched in praise for the good aspects of the stay.
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Sure. My point is - the issue should be addressed somehow.
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Gut that is terrible, what on earth happened?
At least you didn’t have your personal information stolen right out of the open vault door of one of the three major U.S. credit agencies.
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My concern is for her, she is depending on a few second meeting to decide if guest is nice. It’s too late, we know it doesn’t work. What will she do if she isn’t reassured when she meets new guest?
It’s not that she was refusing keys, she didn’t want to set up an alternative to face to face meeting. I didn’t want to inconvenience her, and it’s difficult to plan arrival time with traffic in Toronto at that time and day.
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Well we bought an oven and induction cooktop from Bosch (well known brand in Europe).
The day of delivery the scam went as follows. Our intercom wasn’t functioning so the delivery men call me to tell me they’re at the door. I go down and see the truck parked 50 meters further. I go out of the door and ask “Are you guys from Bosch?” They answer yes. Two of them enter with the products and bring them up to our floor. One of them is pushing me to sign off the papers. I clearly see an oven, a cooktop and a set of pots that came free. So I sign of the papers. They leave.
Five minutes later one comes up again. I was working hard in my on-site office here and had my mind on other things. “Oh, we’re sooooo sorry sir. We made a mistake and delivered the wrong codes. I’m so sorry. So sorry. Please give us 5 minutes to lower these products and return with your products. These products are meant for another client.” He had been very friendly and chatty with me the whole time, and I was just thinking human mistake. I tell him: “Don’t worry just lower the products and come back with the right ones this time.”
Of course they never returned, and I already had signed of the papers. So now Bosch is just telling us that I signed of the papers and that’s it.
Of course in my naive trusting European mind I had just seen a human mistake and not a great scenario for robbing me. My hubby, who was at the dentist at the moment, was furious at first, until I asked him what could have happened should I have taken the elevator down with them. People get killed here for $ 50,00 cell phones. Just imagine.
So now, apart from having remodeling stress we’re also into taking legal action against Bosch. For not delivering our products and especially for putting us into danger.
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I refuse to hit a heart for this story. Oh.My.Goodness! This is maliciously brilliant… makes me no longer doubt if I should go out to the trucks to the delivery folks to check stuff before they bring it in. But I don’t have to worry about being killed for a freezer.
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What??? What a crazy story! As if you would make up some story like that to get a second set of appliances!
Yeah…you technically signed for the appliances. And technically the delivery guy stole them from you!
For god’s sake. That is robbery. Bosch knows who their delivery guys are.
Call the cops, Gut!!!
We didn’t even get to talk to anyone in charge within Bosch. We got to talk to the store manager, who listened and told us that this was out of his league and that he had to send it up the chain of command. At this point I very clearly told him about 5 to 7 times that I personally wanted to talk to his superior. Because I didn’t want “The Wizard of Oz” to give me his final decision without even listening to the story as I lived it. Four days later the Wizard of Oz did exactly that.
It is absolutely the craziest story ever. And every time I think of it, it still makes my blood boil.
And the lovely thing is also: If I want to replace those items, Bosch is the ONLY option for products with those characteristics here in Peru. And to make it all better: The price for that oven has gone up with $ 300,00 since we first bought it. 
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