Airbnb France: One Hit, One Miss

On our recent trip to France we began and ended our trip with stays in homes through Airbnb. Prior to this time, Art and I had only stayed in one Airbnb property and it was a good experience. Family members had used Airbnb previously and had no issues. Unfortunately, this time we had one good and one very bad experience.

My Mission

There were six adults in our party, and when we travel together we like to stay in one space if possible. My objective was to find a three bedroom, at least two-bathroom, home or apartment where we could stay. I wanted to find something reasonably priced with access to public transportation. In order to meet all our requirements, I knew we would have to stay in the suburbs of Paris.

Gennevilliers

We found what looked like an amazing place in Gennevilliers, in Zone 5 on the Paris Metro system. I booked this home for five nights. The house was an old barn which had been turned into a house. So, even though the outside was old, the inside was new and modern. When we arrived, we knew we had hit a home run with this house.

Barn Turned House

There was a beautiful patio, with a large table and chairs outside. Right inside the front door there were a couple of chairs, a a long table and the kitchen all in one large open space. There was a large sliding door which opened from the room out onto the patio.

The bedrooms were large, and the first-floor bedroom had a shower which could be used for a wheelchair roll in. Unfortunately, as happens with these showers, they can get a little messy with water going everywhere. But, by using the supplied squeegee, it worked out okay. The second level had a TV room with a couch and a chair. Also, on this level was a small utility room with a tiny (by US standards) washing machine.

The third level had a second bedroom with a double bed, separate bath (with a tub) and toilet rooms. The third level had one large room with two twin beds, which included a bathroom and shower separated by a wall.

As is typical in Europe the house was not airconditioned, but there were fans in every room. The top two floors got a little warm during the day, but we were able to open the window and let in the nice cool night air.

Our Host, Francis

The owner of this house, Francis, was great. We had a couple of minor issues and he was there in a flash to take care of them. He was easy to contact, and he responded to our needs. We asked for an early entry into the house, which he allowed us to do. Francis even informed us when he heard about a public transportation strike, so we would not get caught without transportation into Paris to pick up one of our tours. The house was beautiful, clean, and perfect for our needs.

House Two

The second house was such a disappointment. To be fair, I did not expect this house to be as nice as the Airbnb in Gennevilliers. I had read the reviews, and they were not glowing, but no one mentioned any of the issues I found.

The owner of the house had set up numerous auto e-mails which started arriving the day before we were to check in. The initial email told me that the house would not be ready until 3 pm, and an early entry would not be permitted. (We hadn’t asked for, or needed an early entry, so that wasn’t a problem.)

Strike One

At 3 pm on our arrival day, I received an e-mail saying the house was ready. Then I received a call from a woman, who didn’t identify herself, asking what time we would be at the house. I told her it would be about 4 pm. Part of our group arrived at the house just after 4 pm, and the cleaning lady was still there. The rest of us arrived shortly after and waited in the sitting/dining area until the cleaning lady left after 5 pm.

Strike Two

After the cleaning lady left, we ventured into the kitchen to put away the food items we had brought with us. The kitchen was disgusting. There were food crumbs on the counter tops, the stove top, the refrigerator, even on one of the open shelves. Grease and dirt coated the small appliances. The stove top was in desparate need of a deep cleaning. Looking inside both the microwave and refrigerator it was apparent they had not been cleaning in some time. We didn’t even want to put our food items in the refrigerator. We couldn’t even think about using any of the dishes or glassware.

I called the host of the rental and told her how dirty the kitchen was. Her response was that she would refund the cleaning fee and resend the cleaning lady the next day. I have no idea why she would expect the cleaning lady to do anything differently the next day than she had done previously.

Although they were not the best of conditions, we decided it was only two nights, we would just make the best of it. As we explored the rest of the house we found bare light bulbs throughout. One cord was just hanging without a light bulb in it at all. The bedrooms were okay, except for the fact there were no pillows other than those in the shams. One of the shutters was filthy with what looked like a large bird dropping on it and it looked as though it had been there for quite some time. Even the interior of the front door needed a good cleaning.

Strike Three

The bathrooms were not equipped to handle six of us, let alone the 11 the house was billed as being able to accommodate. There was one small towel rack in the larger bathroom. One light was out on the vanity. Apparently, there was an issue with the sink stopper, as the entire stopper was pulled out of the sink and left sitting on the counter. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Strike three. In my opinion, as it currently stands, this house is not suitable to be in the Airbnb system.

And…We’re Out

That night, my husband and I both awoke about 3 am. Art said to me, “We have to leave.” I agreed; pulled out my phone and made reservations for a hotel near the airport for the next night, the last night of the trip.

The next morning, we got up, told the others to get packed and left the Airbnb that morning. I called the host to tell her we were leaving, and that I expected a refund for the second night that we were not using along with the cleaning fee. She agreed to the refund.

Lessons Learned

It never even occurred to me that Airbnb would allow homes that were in bad or unsafe areas. We noted the area was very dirty as we were walking to the house. As we were leaving, we spotted a very large rat walking along the street. It wasn’t until after I got home, that I did some research and found that the area where we were staying was one of the higher crime areas around Paris. Yikes!!! That one was on me, I should have checked it out before booking.

Even after we left the second Airbnb, I kept receiving auto emails, telling me they hoped I had enjoyed my stay, etc. It was obvious that this host was not really interested in me or my stay.

Refund Requested

There is a place where you can apply for a refund on the Airbnb website, which I did. I have yet to see any refund to my credit card. I’ll let you know what happens.

Update:  I never received a response from the owner of the Airbnb. I ended up going to the Airbnb Resolution Center. From the time I submitted the request to the Resolution Center until I had a decision from them was less than 8 hours. I was refunded the full amount I had request plus an additional amount. So everything worked out well in that regard.  

So, yes, I will use Airbnb again in the future. However, I will do a bit more research on the actual location of the house along with reading the reviews before booking.

Are you getting ready to plan a vacation? Be sure to read my blog post How to Plan a Vacation in Five Easy Steps. You can also request a copy of my free vacation planner while you’re there!

Have you used Airbnb? What was your experience? Any tips you’d like to add? I’d love to hear from you!