I’ve used airbnb half a dozen times already and each time I’ve had zero issues or complaints, everything has been fine and dandy. However I’m now a little concerned about a booking I’ve made and would like the opinions of other airbnb users.
A week ago I ‘instant booked’ a place in Holland for a week with the family. I was a little wary as the place had no reviews but it looked like it was a family renting out their family home for the summer. I then messaged the host about arrival time to make contact and put my mind at ease but have still to hear anything back. Yesterday I texted him the same message (thinking he might be in some God forsaken place that doesn’t have broadband WiFi) and again I’ve heard nothing back. This is very different to my other airbnb experiences where replies have come within hours if not minutes.

Should I go into full scale Captain Mainwaring mode?? I can cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours before arrival but it looks a lovely place in a great location, and with two weeks to go I doubt we’ll have much choice left.

No Comms is way too risky IMHO. I would cancel.

As you say, all the good places have instant comms, and usually have good feedback for a reason…

Report the problem to AirBnB and cancel ftw

Yeah, I knew you guys would say that, I’ve been thinking it myself too.

I’ve just sent a message through airbnb and texted his mobile giving him two hours to get in touch or else I’ll cancel the booking. I don’t want to get ‘bad feedback’ as a guest for cancelling without good reason and ideally I’d like to not lose my airbnb fees that I won’t get back. I’ve already lined up another place in the same town.

AirBNB are good – they will remove any negative feedback and should refund the fees if you contact them

My recent experience was ‘ahh, that’s a great place and it is £xxx, let’s book it’ and completed the transaction online via a debit card.

Then we got a reply back saying ‘sorry, we made a mistake, it’s actually £yyy – do you want it?’

(The difference was almost 50% higher, not just a few £££s).

Airbnb say on their site to get in touch if you’ve not heard from the host with only 3 days to go to arrival! That doesn’t leave much time to book another place! I think I’ll book this other place I’ve found so I’m not left standing at the altar as it were. But then I’ll piss off this new place if I end up cancelling that…aargh…what would you do?

It depends how close it is to when you are meant to be there. If it’s soon I’d be bailing now; if you have time and you like the place I’d give them a little longer. If you have a number to text, why not ring? No feedback probably means they have not used the system much.

I like airbnb and it gives some great opportunities to stay in quirky places. My only peeve is that few hosts vary their prices from low to high season or for multi-night stays – it can make airbnb look expensive against conventionally booked cottages etc, especially in the off season. I think the system is sophisticated enough to do that but few people seem to.

I should’ve said in my OP, booked in to arrive two weeks on Sunday. Just not used to non-responsiveness from hosts, plus no reviews –>niggling doubts.

In which case I’d ring them up and if still no joy, bail. Finding somewhere available in mid August for a week is only going to get tricker.

Just called, no answer so left a friendly message to say ring back soon to discuss a couple of things. Let’s see what happens.

I’ve used AirBnB lots and I’ve never had such an experience. One time a provider cancelled and AirBnB gave me £70 compensation. It’s an obvious target for a scam, I would cancel straight away. If they were genuine and didn’t want to lose your custom, they be back to you straight away.

Right, I’ve done a bit more digging for anyone who might be remotely interested. The host does exist as a person I’m pretty sure of that. He’s reviewed a place on the Isle of Mull and that host has reviewed him back as a guest, that was this month. I’ve googled the pictures used on the house airbnb listing and they don’t show up anywhere else on the internet so they haven’t been ‘borrowed’ from somewhere else.

To give the guy the benefit of the doubt, there’s a chance that he’s on holiday still, and maybe in fact away for all of July and August,that’s why he’s letting out his place and he’s just signed up to airbnb recently, doesn’t appreciate the ‘etiquette’ of the site, and he isn’t checking his emails and has turned off his (work?) phone because he’s on holiday?? Am I clutching at straws here? I’ve sent the Isle of Mull host a message to see if he can tell me anything about the chap!

I stand to lose £111 in service fees if I cancel, which does make me wince a little…and surely if it was a scammer they’d try to humour me up until the last minute by answering my messages??

We host via air bnb and sometimes there is a problem in sending emails and messages as airbnb tries to block emails with web addresses, email addresses and attachments. Also some people only check emails etc twice a week.
You should have had a contact phone number – have you tried calling the number?

dti, I’ve texted the contact number twice and left a voicemail message too.

maybe he’s died and when you arrive you will find him sat in a chair starting to decay. Got to be worth the risk for a good corpse selfie!