Woman checks into Airbnb. There’s no hot water or heat. Then Airbnb denies her refund request: ‘This is why hotels are the ONLY option’
Being an Airbnb host isn’t as easy as it may sound. Sure, you may be able to earn a decent income renting out your home to strangers. All of this at the cost of expensive maintenance, unpredictable personalities and your sanity. Difficult guests come with the territory, and it can be challenging to meet every demand.
For Salt Lake City Airbnb host Casandra Wheeler (@cassymwheeler), this one took the cake.
“I just had my first nightmare guest as an Airbnb host,” she starts her clip. “For reference, our Airbnb is attached to our home and we rely on the income to be able to pay our mortgage. So, I offer discounts if guests book ‘non-refundable.’ She booked ‘non-refundable’ for 10 days, which gave her another discount for booking over a week.” From there, she dives into the story.
The Tip Of The Iceberg
“After her first night, she complains about the temperature,” she says. “In our defense, our mini split that usually heats up the space is struggling at the moment.”
Because of this, the content creator wrote a note to the guest, notifying them to reach out to adjust the temperature and the guest did. Once she fulfilled the request, another complaint popped up.
“She then said, ‘I need all my linens and towels re-washed in hot water, baking soda, and vinegar so that I can remove the detergent fragrances that was disturbing [me] from sleeping,’” Wheeler says. “So, I agreed to do what she asked for an additional fee. If she didn’t want to pay the fee, I have a washing machine in the Airbnb unit.”
All of a sudden, her phone rings from an unexpected number.
“Without further communication, Airbnb calls me, saying my guest wants to leave, she wants a refund. There’s no heat and the chemical smells are affecting her health,” the host recalls. “Airbnb heard my side of the story, ended up siding with me, and closing the case.”
Guilt weighing on her heart, she attempted to remedy the problems. “So, I went over there and knocked on her door with an air purifier and odor elimination cans. I even had two hot springs tickets in my pocket. If it wasn’t a good fit, I was gonna offer her a partial refund,” she says.
Never-Ending Carousel Of Airbnb Complaints
The attempt to rectify ended up backfiring.
“She refuses to answer the door and proceeds to message me on Airbnb, saying she will only communicate through Airbnb and to leave the items that I brought,” Wheeler shares. “Later, I found out that she left my air purifier in the snow.”
The following day, she received a phone call from Airbnb. “I reiterate she does have heat and I offered solutions for the chemical smells. Airbnb again sides with me. Case closed,” she says. Unbeknownst to Wheeler, this was just the beginning. The case was very much still open and active on the guest’s part.
“That night, our hot water ran out and she complained she does not have hot water,” the host recalls. “Because it’s a standard hot water tank, if it has high demand, it usually needs an hour to be able to reheat.”
After communicating and the hot water kicking on, it didn’t stop the guest from buzzing Airbnb. “Heating, chemical smells, and now hot water. This time, Airbnb required [me to] provide the documentation and I had all of the proof. Airbnb sided with me, case closed,” she says. “[They] assured me they would reiterate the conclusion to my guest if she calls once again.”
It Goes Further Downhill
Unfortunately, the third time wasn’t the charm. During the guest’s outing, Wheeler’s fire alarm blared, which prompted her to investigate the entire house, including the Airbnb unit.
“I proceeded to message her and say, ‘Hey, I need to enter the guest suite because the fire alarm went off and I need to make sure everything’s safe,” she says.
Eventually, she resolved the false alarm. Still, the guest managed to cause an even bigger headache. “The next day, guess who calls me?” the content creator asks sarcastically. “The guest will be getting a refund because there have been no heat, no hot water, chemical smells, and now, also, the fire alarm was going off all night.”
Sensing the guest’s patterns, a fear crept into her mind. “I was concerned she was gonna set off the fire alarm just so she could get a video and claim that it was in the middle of the night,” Wheeler says. “A couple of minutes later, the fire alarm goes off.”
Despite the chaos that ensued, there was a silver lining. “She left and she’s gone four days early. Airbnb again assured me that my evidence was sufficient and she will not be getting a refund,” the content creator states.
Nightmare Airbnb Guest…Or Nightmare Host?
Wheeler’s video garnered over 357,000 views and no sympathy. In fact, the overwhelming majority sided with the guest and criticized the host.
“I don’t think you are prepared to host guests,” one viewer remarked.
“The guest needs a refund. She had valid points to be upset and especially if she left 4 days early,” a second stated.
“Omfg this is a hard watch. This is why hotels are the ONLY option,” a third said.
On the other hand, a few jumped to her defense.
“Idkkkkk why everyone is against you in the comments, guest sounds like an absolute nightmare,” one commenter wrote.
Another echoed, “I cannot believe these comments siding with the guest! I would have asked her to leave after the second complaint.”
Airbnb Guest Clarification
Because of the backlash, Wheeler elaborated more about the incident in a follow-up video.
“There was heat. I didn’t think there was a problem once it was 75 degrees. If she wanted to be the one to control the temperature, I needed to know that,” she says. “She never communicated to me. I didn’t know what she needed. She just called Airbnb support saying there was no heat.” Essentially, the content creator blames the lack of communication for that. “If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to help?”
Although she intends to switch out laundry detergents to accommodate guests with sensitivities, the host still faults the guest for the other fusses. “The hot water thing, that’ s on her. My family wasn’t using the hot water,” Wheeler says. “I think she was purposely making the hot water run out so she can document it.” Then, she explained why she suspects this. “She messaged me the same time the hot water came back. When I told her she could shower, she didn’t care,” the content creator explains.
Finally, the host addressed the fire alarm situation. “The fire alarm would’ve been annoying if she was here,” Wheeler says. “It just seemed a little unreasonable to want a refund because a fire alarm went off while you were gone.”
In a nutshell, the lack of communication created an unpleasant episode. “She was just lying the whole time and not communicating. That’s why it was a nightmare,” she concludes.
Overall, communication between Airbnb hosts and guests is essential for creating a hassle-free experience. If there are any possible perceived glitches, it should be documented in the house manual and online description.
What did Airbnb say?
In a statement to the Mary Sue, an Airbnb representative stated, “We provided meaningful support to both the host and guest to resolve their dispute. In her video, the host expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the support she received from Airbnb.
We reviewed the guest’s account and found no evidence of platform misuse.
In the rare event of an issue during a stay, we offer 24/7 global Community Support and protections like AirCover for Hosts and Guests, industry-first suite of protections.”
@cassymwheeler My first nightmare Airbnb guest
♬ original sound – Casandra Michelle Wh
The Mary Sue reached out to Wheeler via TikTok comment.
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