This is a story that makes us glad that we never had an experience of this nature. These family members thought that they had found a nice Airbnb to stay in for a wedding that they were going to. Little did they know what they were getting themselves into!
When they arrived, they came to a very shocking realization: the place was under construction.
How on earth is this even possible? We would be causing quite a ruckus if we were these people. Renee Menzies is the one who shared this story on TikTok. Our hearts go out to these people, that is for sure.
Reee’s sister and 11(!) relatives traveled to this location, expecting to have a decent place to stay. The AirBnb is located in the Australian resort town of Byron Bay.
As it turns out, these people were scammed. The vacation rental company responsible was also lambasted by this family because they were not willing to offer a rapid refund for the fraudulent purchase.
“My family turned up to this today. A completely vacant home, in the middle of a massive renovation,” Renee said on TikTok. It’s unbelievable that these people thought that they were going to get away with this.
There was no flooring in the home. There wasn’t even a fridge or an oven. The property’s walls hadn’t even been painted yet. “No warning, and when they rang you for help you accused them of lying, wouldn’t help find somewhere else to stay and wouldn’t provide them a refund,” Menzies wrote. We can understand why she was fuming here. “You left 12 people and 3 kids under 3 literally standing on the side of the road,” she continued.
This is beyond unacceptable. The clip was racking up views but the company did not move all that quickly to address the concerns. “Hey @airbnb still no communication from you after our family turned up to this yesterday. Left stranded on the side of the road, literally, with 3 toddlers and nowhere to go,” said Renee the next day.
Menzies continued to post about the ordeal on TikTok, but it took days before the family was refunded.
@reneescbfs Hey @airbnb – my family turned up to this today. A completely vacant home, in the middle of a massive renovation. No warning, and when they rang you for help you accused them of lying, wouldn’t help find somewhere else to stay and wouldn’t provide them a refund. You left 12 people and 3 kids under 3 literally standing on the side of the road. #fyp #foryoupage #airbnb #airbnbaustralia #rentaldisaster #airbnbexperience #airbnbdisaster #byronbay #holidayaccommodation
@reneescbfs Hey @airbnb still no communication from you after our family turned up to this yesterday. Left stranded on the side of the road, literally, with 3 toddlers and nowhere to go. #airbnbdisaster #airbnbexperience #airbnbaustralia #airbnb #foryoupage #fyp #holidaytiktok #bryonbay #nswtourism #airbnbfinds #airbnbhost
They also received a reimbursement for the money that they had to spend finding another place to stay. You have to wonder if they would have even paid attention at all without this viral content pushing them to do so.
@reneescbfs Replying to @_courtneyjanee Refund and Reimbursement has finally been agreed too! Thank you TikTok community. Without everyone having eyes on this, and hearing other horror stories, I doubt this would have happened. The family say thank you! #rentaldisaster #travelfail #airbnbdisaster #airbnbaustralia #airbnb #traveldisaster #airbnbexperience
It’s a sad state of affairs!