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Nahh, actually, Iām getting bookings without any problem from other platforms now and this account will remain neg $10K+ cause I aināt givinā Airbnb another dime. If they want to give away $10k, they will give away their own $10kā¦ They already make a fortune on both sides of this coin.
My home is now $600/night on Airbnb & $235/night on other platformsā¦ Letās see if Airbnb is worth the money theyāve stolen from me.
Why would you do this? If you owe Air money they will take it out of your next booking should by some chance you get one.
Itās previously been reported here that if you close your account and owe Airbnb money that they refer you to a collection agency.
Iām not closing my account. I simply increase the rate on Airbnb to recoup what I consider to be their tax of $5,000/month, on top of the already high booking fees they charge. If Airbnb is costing me $5,000 more per month to do business with them then other sites, I must charge more on their site to break even.
Now, if Airbnb starts pulling $600 per night plus fees for additional guests, well then I guess theyāve got me by the balls and theyāre worth the twenty-grand payback.
You offered your place in good faith without power and those jerks took advantage. Since it seems you were/are a hurricane victim yourself, you might try to plea that card with them?
I did explain all of this to them, longhand. Again, the problem is there is absolutely no way to reach anyone other than lower level support which seems to lack the experience or the common sense to comprehend what Iām saying.
Iāve got some connections at the Attorney Generalās office so tomorrow morning Iāll be laying this out to them for their take on this as it may fall under Floridaās Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practice Act. (FUDTPA) or some other type of provision which restricts this type of action during a catastrophe or to those who may be coming into town after a storm for profit.
Iām assuming you asked for escalation, although that also gets you to another lower level.
I might try writing to corporate before giving up entirely. Hopefully you have proof of all the conversations on the messaging thread. Yeah, it will affect your credit if you donāt pay or book after a certain time, not sure how long. I would dispute it with the credit agencies too.
K9 is right to call the contractors carpet baggers. Never a shortage of people to take advantage of others in a crisis, huh? Do you have their names and license numbers? Maybe you could report THEM.
Yes, but escalation is a joke. Pretty sure they just hand the phone to the next cubicle with a different voiceā¦
If anyone can tell me how I can reach someone at Airbnb on a thinking pay-grade, I would greatly appreciate it. Despite research, I have found nothing.
Guests booked under private accounts belonging to the owners.
Mind you, Iām a fully disabled single Father who relies on this as our sole income. (outside of SS disability)
Since Airbnb has 10X the market share of HA, this robs my family of our peace of mind and financial security.
Write to corporate in San Francisco. Do it with a snail mail letter. Email falls into black holes.
Yup, lots of snail mail to Chip Conleyās secretary. [https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=115705393]
I think Iāll be going certified, return receipt. Thank you!
Actually Air may have saved you a lawsuit had you kept the contractorās money. In most places there is a habitability factor. If anything in the unit you are renting doesnāt meet habitability standards you are not allowed to collect rent. Since the contractor had booked for 30 days, it wouldnāt be a short term rental and, at least in LA where I live, he would have the same rights as any renter. I doubt that yurts, etc are available for 30 days or more.
ZERO CHANCE this guy gets a cent back in a Florida court after the facts are presented to a Judge. I simply donāt lose in courtā¦ ever. My documentation is too strong and my ability to articulate the true nature of the agreement would definitely hold in a Florida court. Of this I am confident.
Double check though on the things Air requiresā¦ I think power is one of themā¦ but then what about the many tents, yurts and shacks listed? Hopefully all the communication was on the message system or you wonāt be able to prove anything.
Apologies we donāt use the term āfully disabledā in the UK. What does it mean?
They have thousands of properties for rent WITHOUT power or even running water.
Iām a firm believer in āEVERYTHING IN WRITING, or itās just bullshitā. All correspondence are documented via text SMS and Airbnb Messenger.
Apologies we donāt use the term āfully disabledā in the UK. What does it mean?
That means the courts have certified me as unable to work due to a serious medical condition. So my income comes from my social security fund which is money the government has taken out of every paycheck Iāve ever had in my life. The amount is based on the amount youāve paid in over the years. Basically itās forced savings that youād normally not start receiving until you turn at lease 62 years of age, unless you are certified as unable to work for a given reason, in which case you begin receiving it early. The money isnāt much and certainly not enough to live on by itself.
as a matter of fact, there are much more severe penalties for those committing a crime against or taking advantage of the disabled or elderly in the State of Florida.
Thanks for the clarification.
We have a similar system here where we contribute ānational insuranceā and then if we have a long term condition which means we canāt work, are disabled or unemployed we receive benefits (unfortunately not income related) and national insurance also acts as a contribution to our pension when we retire.
We see this as a key benefit for those who would otherwise have nothing rather than āforced savingsā though 
Glad that you are able to run your STR rental business to supplement your income and support your family.