Help! Our Paris Rental Apartment Was Robbed and Airbnb Won't Compensate Us.
In June 2023, we stayed six nights in an Airbnb apartment in Paris, and it was trouble from the start. The electricity was faulty, forcing my children to use a flashlight to climb a steep stairwell, and the Wi-Fi didn't work, requiring us to spend about $200 on international data. For workers to come fix the Wi-Fi, we were instructed to leave the key in a lockbox. (The lights were never fixed.) Two days later, we returned in the afternoon to find our apartment had been robbed, with a laptop, clothing and other items missing. It's not clear how the thief accessed the building — he would have had to get through two gates with key codes — but we think we know how he got in the door. We found a key to the apartment under the doormat! We spent two days filing reports with the police, who were very thorough and ended up catching the thief. (He was sentenced to six months in prison.) But although Airbnb advertises its insurance coverage on its site, its agents had us running around in circles before finally advising us they would not compensate us. Our insurance eventually paid us about $4,000 for our lost goods, but we believe that should have been Airbnb's responsibility, and that the company should credit us for our ruined stay and pay us back for the data. Can you help? Cindy, Roslyn, New York
I'm sorry your trip to Paris was so frustrating, I'm glad your insurance reimbursed you for lost items, and I agree that Airbnb should have acted more quickly and efficiently to help. After my intervention, the company reimbursed you $3,029 for your stay and $200 for internet access.
I am impressed with the Parisian police and your record-keeping, something that always makes my job easier. It was a smart move keeping all communications in writing too.
A spokesman for Airbnb, Javier Hernandez, was quick to respond to my questions with a statement and answers via email.
'The overwhelming majority of Airbnb stays occur without issue and we offer protections to guests and hosts in the rare event something doesn't go as planned,' the statement started.
As a regular Airbnb user and a journalist who follows the company professionally, I have no quibble with that first part. It is true that most Airbnb stays occur without issue, just as most restaurant meals occur without food poisoning and most walks in the park end without squirrel attacks.
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