What a nightmare for you and Annette. I'm glad it ended well, at least. Thanks for sharing.

Great, cautionary tale. It makes me happy to know that there are good people in the world too, and misfortune can turn into a positive. Also pleased that Air bnb came through.

I think this is one of the most positive reviews for Airbnb I've ever seen. Sure it was a nightmare, but your account of everything Airbnb did to make it work couldn't be better.

But I was near the end of the thread before I realized this was such an old post.

We've used VRBO, Homeaway, Owners Direct etc. a LOT for house and apartment rentals. And, I've used Air B&B a couple times. For the most part, we have always been pleased, BUT I always do my due diligence (and it takes time) to make sure what is being represented is what it truly is. If possible, when renting in the US anyway, I also much prefer to have a phone conversation with the person because I think I can get a much better feel for the situation that way. That is one of the things I don't like about Air B&B and Flipkey; you don't get a phone number for a contact unless you've actually already booked.

In Airbnb, as in life, as julies says, "due diligence". We're responsible for ourselves and as a "fan" of the site (host & guest), I'm careful to look hard before saying yes to guests or clicking the "book" button. But even so, even the most experienced of us can be tricked on occasion.

I, too, am glad to hear a real-life experience and that there is help to be had beyond our computer screens. I use a combination of commercial and Airbnb accommodations when I travel and nothing I've read will change that. A belated thanks, Nukesafe.

I had to go back and reread my OP as I had almost forgotten I had posted it. I'm glad some folks have still found it helpful. We have used Airbnb several times since and, except for an "iffy" rental in Paris last May when I forgot my own advice, we have been pleased.

We have close to 250 different renters in our own rental room and have not had a bad review yet. I think that is in large part due to the verification that we have Airbnb do of our prospective guests, so we can screen for legitimate renters, and also the fact that we do reviews on each renter, and they on us, with no possibility of either being able to censor or change those reviews.

That makes it tough on people just starting out as Airbnb hosts because renters are rightfully dubious about any property that does not have a lot of positive reviews. It also makes it easier for prospective guests to have some assurance if there are a lot of glowing reviews of the place. The host simply cannot afford to let his standards slip if he/she wants to keep the place rented.

The lessons of asking lots of questions before you book, and reading the reviews carefully still hold true.

"...reading the reviews carefully..."

AND paying close attention to the star ratings for various criteria. Reviewers tend to be kind in the reviews with their name attached, but display more honest assessments in the anonymous star ratings.

Point taken, Mme.

One thing to ask when booking on AirBnB is their policy about giving you house keys. If you are renting a room, not all places will, and will do various workarounds like leaving the property unlocked. After having this happen a few times, I'll be sure to ask. The other thing that could be a problem (although it hasn't been for me) is the other guests. Basically you are being room-mates with unknown people.

But there are two reasons that I appreciate AirBnB regardless. 1) Cost - no way would I have paid $200+/night for a 6-night stay or whatever, and 2) neighborhoods that you can't get with a hotel, but only through AirBnB.

I read that Philadelphia is asking people to open up their homes and rent rooms for the Pope's visit.
Using AirBnB this summer for a whole house rental for a week. We know someone else that rented same house and all went well. It is gorgeous and very well equipped. I am just a bit iffy with Paris now.

My mistake with our Paris rental last May was that I did not pick up on the fact that I was dealing with an absentee landlord. That need not be a problem if the owner is still reachable if one has problems with the "manager". In our case numerous problems had developed over the rental season that the young chap who gave us our keys did not address; TV would not work, burned out lightbulbs, bed not made when we checked in and no clean towels or linen, etc. The "greeter promised to fix all of them and did not over the next two weeks. The place was livable, but the details made the stay annoying.

I should have picked up on this when the owner stopped answering my emails as soon as the booking was made.

The other problem one might watch out for, IME, is that the owner's representative may not be in communication with the management of the apartment complex/condo association as a nearby owner might be. In our case we had no hot water one day. This was a planned maintenance outage and all the resident owners had been notified, but our first awareness was when we stepped into a cold shower! Also, we were not notified that the elevator would be out of service, so we did a lot of stair climbing for our last week.

On the other hand -- it was in Paris, in a neat location, it was inexpensive, we weren't in the apartment much --- and it was in PARIS!

Reading these stories as well as all the "concerns" (from some) that seem to go with this way of doing business I suspect hotels need not worry much.

Can there be unreliable reviews about hotels? Sure. And let's face it, when has there ever been a murder, a kidnapping, a bank robbery, an arson, when somebody who supposedly "knew" the perpetrator didn't say to the news media, "S/he was such a nice wo/man?"

The guy sounded like a whackadoodle to me from the start.