A customer of Airbnb alleges that the platform refused to assist her in rebooking a stay in Los Angeles, despite wildfires fueled by intense winds wreaking havoc, destroying homes, and displacing tens of thousands. The tech giant, based in Silicon Valley, reportedly does not recognize the devastating Los Angeles wildfires as a “major disruptive event.” The controversy has sparked a wave of users sharing similar negative experiences with Airbnb.
“Thank you Airbnb,” X user Ana Mostarac wrote in a sarcastic tone on Wednesday, accompanied by a screenshot of a message she received from Airbnb. The message stated that her cancellation request did not fall under the company’s “Major Disruptive Events Policy.”
Mostarac explained in a subsequent post on X that she had reached out to Airbnb seeking help to relocate her booking to a safer area further from the wildfires. “As always, their policies failed to account for context,” she wrote. She added, “The fires keep getting worse, and unfortunately, many others are probably stuck explaining bushfires to someone in another country right about now.”
Social media users were quick to criticize Airbnb in response to her post. “They did the same to me for a mandatory evac hurricane area + a fire in the Redwoods. I do NOT recommend @Airbnb anymore,” one commenter shared, to which Mostarac replied, “It’s inhumane.”
Another user slammed the company, writing, “@Airbnb continues to be one of the most embarrassing companies on planet Earth. It’s sad that this is what I would expect from them at this point.”
Some users predicted a bleak future for the company. “Airbnb is about to go under,” one commenter speculated. “People are sick of this horrible service and having to pay a cleaning fee while they also have to do 90% of the cleanup. Back to hotels.”
Other comments reflected general dissatisfaction with the platform. One user labeled the situation the “[Average] Airbnb experience,” while another demanded action by saying, “This is ludicrous. Fix this @Airbnb.” Still, another shared their decision to move on from the service entirely: “Switched to hotels a few years ago and never looked back,” they wrote, calling Airbnb “the absolute worst company of all time.”
Responding to the situation, an Airbnb spokesperson informed the Daily Beast that Mostarac had booked her stay on Tuesday evening, after the wildfires were already underway. The company explained that reservations made during an ongoing disruptive event are typically ineligible for cancellation under their policy. However, they noted that in this instance, a refund was eventually provided to her.
Reports from Breitbart News highlight that the wildfires erupted in multiple areas of Los Angeles on Tuesday, intensified by extreme winds. The fires have led to unprecedented destruction and displaced tens of thousands. As of Thursday, California is grappling with the third consecutive day of these catastrophic wildfires.
At present, five active fires are burning simultaneously across the Pacific Palisades, Sunset, Eaton, Hurst, and Lidia regions, as confirmed by CalFire. This devastating situation underscores the challenges faced by residents and visitors in the affected areas.
{Matzav.com}
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