Dear stumbled,
In June 2023 we stayed at an Airbnb apartment in Paris for 6 nights and it was in trouble from the start. The electricity was incorrect, forcing the kids to use flashlights to climb a steep stairwell, and Wi-Fi didn't work, so they had to spend around $200 on international data. Workers were instructed to leave keys in the lockbox to fix Wi-Fi. (The lighting was not fixed.) Two days later, we went back in the afternoon and found our apartment had been stolen so we didn't have enough laptops, clothes and other items. It is not clear how the thief accessed the building – he would have had to go through two gates with a key code – but we know how he got to the door I think it is. I found the apartment key under the door mat! We submitted a report to the police for two days. The police were very thorough and caught the thief. (He was sentenced to six months in prison.) However, Airbnb advertises insurance coverage on its site, before its agent finally advises that he will not cover us. , letting us run around in the circle. Our insurance ultimately paid us about $4,000 for the lost items, but that should have been Airbnb's responsibility and the company was responsible for our ruined stay I praise us and believe we should pay back us for the data. Can I help? Cindy, Roslyn, New York
Dear Cindy,
My trip to Paris is so frustrating and I'm glad that your insurance refunds you for lost items. I agree that Airbnb should help faster and more efficiently. After my intervention, the company refunded $3,029 for your stay and $200 for internet access.
I was impressed with the Paris police and your record keeping. It was a wise move to maintain all communication in writing.
Airbnb spokesman Javier Hernandez responded immediately to my questions with a statement and response via email.
“The vast majority of Airbnb stays occur without any problems and provide protection for guests and hosts at rare events.
As a journalist who specializes in following the company, I don't quiz that first part. It is true that most Airbnb stays occur without any problems, just as most restaurant meals occur without food poisoning and most walks in the park end without squirrel attacks.
But the real test of travel agencies is how they react when something goes wrong.
It should be noted in his statement that Hernandez wrote that the company provides protection to both “guests and hosts.” It's a good reminder for travelers that they're not the only client of Airbnb (and VRBO and all their competitors). As intermediaries, these companies must perform balancing acts that protect guests while holding the host's back. (Anyone who wants to watch the tightrope walk can read Airbnb's individual policies online for guests and hosts.)
“Airbnb's Host Liability Protection provides up to $1 million in compensation if a guest's belongings are stolen or damaged during their stay, or the host is liable for it,” Hernandez said.
Airbnb will work with Crawford and Company, an Atlanta-based claims management company, to determine liability in such cases. 10 months – 10 months! – You went back and forth with Crawford employees.
On April 29, 2024, despite the general politeness that was extended before and after her message, her last email to you was an unfair rejection.
“Unfortunately, the hosts are denial of having duplicate keys so they can't do anything,” she writes. “The photo below the mat is not evidence for us, so I am therefore obligated to close your request.”
After reading the correspondence with her, reading the French police report and the court's decision, I tend to oppose it. First of all, why do adjusters simply believe in host denial?
(A Crawford spokesman said, under an agreement with the company's client, “all information regarding the claim is confidential.”
It wasn't just a photo of the key under the mat. You said police conducted a thorough investigation, including dusting off fingerprints and confirming that the lock under the mat opened the door. I also sent court documents to Airbnb (and me) showing that the burglar was found guilty and that he used “hidden keys” to enter the apartment and robbed him.
You can imagine a scenario where the host is not responsible. Perhaps the robber was a foreign spy and a locksmith wizard, disarmed the gates, forged the locks to the apartment door, stealing his son's laptop, believing that the Nintendo console contained the condition . Secret, then left the key under the mat as a calling card. However, the fact that your son's credit card was used by a local butcher and a local shoe store a few minutes later makes that scenario unlikely. (The credit card issuer has refunded these costs.)
The repairman who came to fix the Wi-Fi made a copy of the key, and it's possible that a few days later their companions robbed you. That scenario would clear the host of direct negligence. Either way, it's hard to imagine a situation where you could do better than presenting court documents supporting your story or photograph.
One lesson that travelers can get from your experience is to copy everything you're right. Please contact the police, the host, or the Airbnb itself. That last one is skipped by many guests, maintaining and following up all the documentation. Still, even if you take out backup insurance, it turns out to be your savior.
Another lesson is that no matter how much protection Airbnb and its competitors protect, participating in vacation rentals from the hotel exposes you to the real world situation of the destination you are visiting. In the “overwhelming majority” case, that's great. But sometimes the regions reveal their dark side, and in many places, the local justice system is far more useful and less efficient than the French have been revealed.
The apartment will be happy to know, it's not listed on Airbnb anymore. To try to get the host aspect of the story, I tried the same WhatsApp number you used, but as I discovered, it no longer belongs to the host's representative. Instead, the current owner's profile picture shows a woman with a slightly covered face that is not noticeable in the image. In our short exchange, the person clearly didn't know what I was talking about.
If you need advice on the best travel planning that surprised you, Email trippidp@nytimes.com.
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