Music journalist, DJ and ABC broadcaster, Sarah Howells, has had to swallow a bitter Bluesfest pill after an Airbnb host reneged on an agreement for Easter accommodation.
Knowing things can get expensive closer to Easter, Ms Howells booked her accommodation for Bluesfest last August. The host confirmed the booking and a deposit was paid – over $600 – around half the cost of the booking.
A threat to cancel
In December the host contacted Ms Howells and told her that she realised that she could get more for her home and said she wanted to up the price by $760 and if Ms Howells wasn’t prepared to pay the rise, she would cancel the booking.
Ms Howells contacted Airbnb, who in turn contacted the host. The host, Sally, told Airbnb she would honour the original price and AirBnB closed Ms Howells case – and that was that.
Until January, when the Sally cancelled the booking and let Ms Howells know that she would be relisting it for almost double the original price.
The accommodation, in Station Street, Mullumbimby, was originally on offer for around $1,250 for the four nights, it is now listed for over $2,200 for the same time.
Cheap deal in August
Ms Howells agrees that it was a very cheap price back in August but she thought because she booked, and paid the deposit, that was the reward for getting in early.
‘This is extremely disappointing’, she said. ‘As someone who regularly attends Bluesfest I know how quickly accommodation can get snapped up, so I made sure to book well in advance so I could book within my budget. I mentioned Bluesfest in the booking request, which surely should have flagged any concerns the host had about pricing? The booking was accepted and welcomed, and a deposit was paid.’
The short end of the stick
Ms Howells said it has been incredibly frustrating to then be asked for more money, under threat of cancellation, multiple times. ‘It seems unfair that the host would expect me to pay more because of their poor planning and because they decided they wanted or needed more money. I have done nothing wrong, yet I seem to be getting the short end of the stick here.’
Ms Howells, who is still looking for accomodation in a diminished market, said she doesn’t feel the fault lies with AirBnB. ‘In over ten years of booking with Airbnb I have never had a host renege on an agreed booking in this way, and the whole experience has been really stressful.’
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