My husband and I booked a cottage through Airbnb in July. A few weeks later the host messaged to say she had double-booked the property, but she offered us another property on the same site at no extra cost.
On our arrival the sink was full of food; the floor covered in food, mud and general debris; and there was animal hair on everything. But we had been travelling for a long time and it was my birthday so we decided to make the best of it. It was only after having a shower that we discovered a flea infestation upstairs.
We decided we couldn’t stay in the property and messaged the owner saying we were leaving less than a couple of hours after arrival, and asking for a refund. The owner confirmed she would cancel the booking and send a refund, and I alerted Airbnb.
Back home we had to wash all our clothes, towels and bedding and use a chemical spray, but still found fleas around the house. Airbnb initially offered paltry compensation, eventually upped to £200, which I thought was fair. On receipt I went to write a review, only to find the link no longer worked. On querying this I was told that I only had 48 hours after a booking was cancelled to post a review. It seems unfair that someone is able to cause such upset and discomfort and not even be reviewed. RL, Chudleigh Knighton, Devon
Airbnb clarified to us that you had 14 days in which to post a review. You attempted to do so after this period, which is why the link was obsolete. Its call handler had incorrectly quoted 48 hours. Airbnb said in a statement: “Airbnb’s review system allows hosts and guests to leave reviews only after a stay has taken place. Reviews are only made visible once the host or guest has completed theirs, or 14 days after checkout – whichever comes first.”
In July, the Competition and Markets Authority stepped in to force Airbnb to rectify a flaw in the review system which had meant that some of the worst listings escaped bad reviews.
Guests can now leave feedback on the suitability of the host or accommodation, or why they chose to cut short a stay regardless of whether they cancelled on the day of check-in. The 14-day deadline still applies.
We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number
