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“Airbnb Has Betrayed My Trust”: TikToker Reveals That A 5-Star Airbnb Listing Is A Total Mess
Booking a hotel or especially an Airbnb is always a gamble because you don’t really know what state the place is in until you arrive and see it with your own eyes. The photos can be edited or taken a long time ago, or can simply be of a different place. Of course, there are reviews you can read, but ultimately you just have to trust that what you see is what you’re going to get.
Sadly, this was not the case for TikToker @phoenruber who thought that she would get an old but tidy room but entered a ‘hoarder’s house’ instead. The photos on the Airbnb website were drastically different from reality and what is the strangest part is that the reviews were really good and the owner had 5-star ratings.
More info: TikTok
RELATED:
This TikToker booked a room through Airbnb and when she arrived, it was nothing like in the pictures
Image credits: phoenruber
The TikToker whose username is Phoenicopterus Ruber posted a video that has been watched 248K times and received 34K likes. In the video, the girl shows her shocked face because until now, she had trusted Airbnb, but her recent stay turned everything upside down.
Phoenicopterus Ruber was supposed to stay at an old but cosy house for 10 weeks. She knew it wouldn’t be a luxury stay and she had stayed in old places before, so she wasn’t worried as the host had positive reviews.
Phoenicopterus Ruber showed some pictures from the listing and it was clear that the place wasn’t luxurious; although old-looking, it was tidy
Image credits: phoenruber
Image credits: phoenruber
The TikToker puts some photos from the listing in the video to let the viewers know what she was expecting. You can see from the photos that the house looks a little bit old-fashioned, but at the same time, it seems tidy and cozy.
But then comes the reality check. Phoenicopterus Ruber gives us a glimpse of what is happening inside and the surroundings do resemble the photos, but the conditions are not livable.
Image credits: phoenruber
However, the reality was far from the photos and looked more like an episode from the TV show Hoarders
Image credits: phoenruber
As she is showing viewers around, the TikToker gives a little bit more information in the captions. Turns out, the AC and the shower are both broken. The owner didn’t give her a key to the door and she has to call them to let her in, which, because she works night shifts, is really inconvenient.
The woman admits that when she saw the listing, she had a thought that the photos were sparse, but all the reviews were 5 stars, so it cleared up her doubts.
The strange thing is that the reviews were all 5 stars so even the fact that there weren’t many photos in the listing didn’t concern Ruber too much
Image credits: phoenruber
Image credits: phoenruber
Image credits: phoenruber
People loved their stay at the place where Ruber arrived and found the house in a total mess. Other people that saw those reviews are highly suspecting that they may be fake as the differences between expectations and reality are quite drastic and it’s not that hard to fabricate them.
What is more, in another update video, the TikToker said that the hostess gave her creepy vibes and she didn’t feel safe there. There were several update videos and it was a real rollercoaster for Ruber.
On top of the mess that was going on inside, the AC and the shower didn’t work
Image credits: phoenruber
People in the comments were encouraging the girl to demand a refund and get out of there
Image credits: phoenruber
The sad part is that Phoenicopterus Ruber has social anxiety and she is a people pleaser, so she was planning on doing nothing and just getting through this. Plus, she didn’t have the funds to stay where she wanted. But as the video got a lot of attention, people were saying that this was not acceptable and the girl should demand a refund.
Ruber contacted Airbnb, but they didn’t respond immediately, so the TikToker decided to run away from the ‘hoarder house’ after being there for 11 nights.
Image credits: phoenruber
This took quite a while. The woman sent numerous messages and had several calls with Airbnb customer support. She told them repeatedly that she didn’t feel safe at that place and that the hostess was promising to fix everything, but she didn’t.
Unfortunately, Airbnb decided to charge Ruber for staying at that place and full price too
Image credits: phoenruber
Finally, Airbnb resolved her case, but it was what no one was expecting. Airbnb decided to charge the girl for the 11 nights that she stayed, but the catch here was that she got an enormous discount for choosing to stay there for 10 weeks initially and because she left after 11 days, she was charged normal rates. So at first, the price was $2,032.59 for 70 nights, but it changed drastically to $1,195.96 for 11 nights.
The whole point of staying at that Airbnb was to save some money and in the end, Ruber paid more than she was willing.
But later they came to their senses and honored the discount that Ruber was given initially, though the TikToker believes she shouldn’t have been charged at all
Image credits: phoenruber
The latest update is that Airbnb changed their minds and decided to charge her for the 11 nights with the original discount, although she didn’t stay the whole period. Other people and Ruber herself thought that it wasn’t fair, but she thought that this was at least something.
The TikToker also felt very grateful for all the people that pushed her to stand up for herself and not suffer in a house with no AC, shower, and with stuff lying all over the place.
This is the video in which you can see the difference between photos in the listing and the reality
@phoenrubernotice the bed size difference 💀 ##nightmare##airbnb##help##hotel##hotelnightmare##disaster##hoarder##broken##why##trapped##scary##creepy##fypシ##wtf♬ original sound – Phoenicopterus Ruber
Video credits: phoenruber
Do you think Phoenicopterus Ruber should have known better or do you think that she was just very unlucky? Share your thoughts and opinions about this situation in the comments!
People in the comments were horrified that such a thing happened and were sympathizing with the girl
What do you think ?
JennyLaRue 4 years ago
Those reviews look very much like fake reviews. Airbnb should've taken more responsibility for the sub-par accommodation, especially given the fact that the renter wasn't given a key to access to property.
aubergine10003 4 years ago
I agree that they look fake, but as a regular Airbnb user, I can only say that the only way to leave a review for a host is to actually stay at their place via Airbnb. In that sense, it's not like Yelp where someone could say they went to a restaurant but didn't actually go there.
Load More Replies...
Natalie Oleander 4 years ago
I wouldn't call that hoarders, but her accommodations should have at MINIMUM been what was advertised. Ok, cluttered house. No key given? Wff that's creepy. Messy room? Uhh no. Broken a/c and shower? Ok, repairs on the way?? Reviews have to be fraud
Vicky Z 4 years ago
Oh my God it's like someone created my worst nightmare and charged me to stay in there!!! I've been living in a hoarder's house for many years and i can tell you this is a serious disorder that doesn't get any better and reduces your quality of life! You really can't do anything around and i suffer from depression every time i visit my parents' house! How this was listed also high in a platform that guarantees for scams like that, is beyond me.... they should fully refund her and shame for them
K Witmer 4 years ago
My grandpop started hoarding after my grandmom passed away. It was very sad to watch and when we tried to help him he got so upset even if we suggested throwing away dirty tissues. He finally moved in w my aunt his oldest and we cleaned the house. It took 3 months w the whole family helping. He was just so depressed after my grandmom passed they had been together for 70 yrs.
Load More Replies...
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
How about, instead of Air BnB, you just stay at a regular B & B in the future? They’re run like a hotel: rooms kept clean and private, designated public areas (like living and dining rooms), the owner has their own living space and stay in it when not hosting, etc. Comparable price—-maybe even a bit less. But at least you have an idea what you’re walking into.
Gabby M 4 years ago (edited)
I just read a long a$$ article about AirBnB as a company and honestly that whole post seems SUS to me. Their goal is to have zero bad press/posts what have you. They have a whole team of people all over the world who...let's call them Ray Donovan. They "FIX" things. They pay millions and millions of dollars every year to keep customers happy. Not screw them around over.
GirlFriday 4 years ago
Sorry Gabby, but I can tell you from personal experience that Airbnb does not care about their renters. They do everything they can to hassle someone with a complaint in hopes that they drop the complaint rather than issue a refund. I called them DURING a stay when we came back to our apartment and found the landlady and her husband going through our suitcases and the landlady was wearing my jewelry. We had to leave in the middle of the night because the husband threatened to shoot us if we complained to Airbnb. It took me 96 days and sending the police report to Airbnb seven times to get a refund. Two years later, that person still had that apartment listed for rent and our review was removed from the website.
Load More Replies...
Heather Steinbrink 4 years ago
Hmmmm, this is local for me. I'm going to have to play sleuths and find out where it is. That poor girl!
Ronna Stefan 4 years ago (edited)
we stayed at an apartment in Paris on Air BnB where it was clear the owner had hoarding issues. But at least the reviews mentioned it. It was fine for us for 3 nights, but you could tell that the person wasn't quite 'right' in terms of getting rid of things. A tiny shower stall (apartments in Paris are all pretty tiny) was filled with 17 half-used bottles of shampoo and shower gel. The little frige was full of old, dried up take-away that should have been cleared out. There was some nice stuff in the living room, but also a whole bunch of essentially trash (old newspapers, etc) that should have been gotten rid of.
JennyLaRue 4 years ago
Those reviews look very much like fake reviews. Airbnb should've taken more responsibility for the sub-par accommodation, especially given the fact that the renter wasn't given a key to access to property.
aubergine10003 4 years ago
I agree that they look fake, but as a regular Airbnb user, I can only say that the only way to leave a review for a host is to actually stay at their place via Airbnb. In that sense, it's not like Yelp where someone could say they went to a restaurant but didn't actually go there.
Load More Replies... Natalie Oleander 4 years ago
I wouldn't call that hoarders, but her accommodations should have at MINIMUM been what was advertised. Ok, cluttered house. No key given? Wff that's creepy. Messy room? Uhh no. Broken a/c and shower? Ok, repairs on the way?? Reviews have to be fraud
Vicky Z 4 years ago
Oh my God it's like someone created my worst nightmare and charged me to stay in there!!! I've been living in a hoarder's house for many years and i can tell you this is a serious disorder that doesn't get any better and reduces your quality of life! You really can't do anything around and i suffer from depression every time i visit my parents' house! How this was listed also high in a platform that guarantees for scams like that, is beyond me.... they should fully refund her and shame for them
K Witmer 4 years ago
My grandpop started hoarding after my grandmom passed away. It was very sad to watch and when we tried to help him he got so upset even if we suggested throwing away dirty tissues. He finally moved in w my aunt his oldest and we cleaned the house. It took 3 months w the whole family helping. He was just so depressed after my grandmom passed they had been together for 70 yrs.
Load More Replies... Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
How about, instead of Air BnB, you just stay at a regular B & B in the future? They’re run like a hotel: rooms kept clean and private, designated public areas (like living and dining rooms), the owner has their own living space and stay in it when not hosting, etc. Comparable price—-maybe even a bit less. But at least you have an idea what you’re walking into.
Gabby M 4 years ago (edited)
I just read a long a$$ article about AirBnB as a company and honestly that whole post seems SUS to me. Their goal is to have zero bad press/posts what have you. They have a whole team of people all over the world who...let's call them Ray Donovan. They "FIX" things. They pay millions and millions of dollars every year to keep customers happy. Not screw them around over.
GirlFriday 4 years ago
Sorry Gabby, but I can tell you from personal experience that Airbnb does not care about their renters. They do everything they can to hassle someone with a complaint in hopes that they drop the complaint rather than issue a refund. I called them DURING a stay when we came back to our apartment and found the landlady and her husband going through our suitcases and the landlady was wearing my jewelry. We had to leave in the middle of the night because the husband threatened to shoot us if we complained to Airbnb. It took me 96 days and sending the police report to Airbnb seven times to get a refund. Two years later, that person still had that apartment listed for rent and our review was removed from the website.
Load More Replies... Heather Steinbrink 4 years ago
Hmmmm, this is local for me. I'm going to have to play sleuths and find out where it is. That poor girl!
Ronna Stefan 4 years ago (edited)
we stayed at an apartment in Paris on Air BnB where it was clear the owner had hoarding issues. But at least the reviews mentioned it. It was fine for us for 3 nights, but you could tell that the person wasn't quite 'right' in terms of getting rid of things. A tiny shower stall (apartments in Paris are all pretty tiny) was filled with 17 half-used bottles of shampoo and shower gel. The little frige was full of old, dried up take-away that should have been cleared out. There was some nice stuff in the living room, but also a whole bunch of essentially trash (old newspapers, etc) that should have been gotten rid of.
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