If you Google “Airbnb” and click the news tab, it’s doesn’t paint a good picture for the company. Article after article about hidden cameras, misleading listings, and tattoos of door codes (well, that one is kind of fun). All the headlines give the impression of short-term rental chaos. Add this to the list: A young filmmaker from Louisiana named Elizabeth (@elizabethgrace.a) recently posted a multi-part TikTok saga outlining what she described as an “Airbnb horror story.” Her videos are gaining traction as a cautionary tale for anyone booking internationally. Part 1 of the saga quickly garnered more than 12,200 views. In her case, Elizabeth and her friend Carly, were planning a dream trip to the Cannes Film Festival. “We are both filmmakers from Louisiana, and this is like, a huge dream of ours,” she said in part one. They had a tight budget and spent weeks combing through listings before landing on a rental that seemed terrific. They booked it and paid the first installment with no issue. Then, a month later, they messaged the hosts to ask about an early check-in. That’s when things took a turn. ‘Nowhere to stay’ “We wake up to the message: ‘Hey, so my husband and I decided to sell our property, and we have actually canceled your reservation,’” Elizabeth recounted. The hosts told them the new owner was “professional and charming” and would leave a bottle of champagne—if they rebooked quickly. Naturally, they panicked. Not only had the original reservation been wiped without warning, but the new listing under the new owner was over $1,000 more expensive. And it only had one review. “I mean, what if we had gotten to France and we had nowhere to stay?” she asked. “This is crazy.” On the phone with Airbnb In part two, Elizabeth shared her experience with Airbnb’s customer service. Initially, things looked good. “The rep said Airbnb will compensate the price difference if you find another unit with the same accommodations,” she explained. “We were so relieved.” But then, customer service flipped the script. A case manager reviewed their situation and told them they wouldn’t be covering the difference. “It’s one thing if Airbnb had just told us that from the get-go,” she said. “But to be told they would help us out, and then they don’t? That’s really frustrating.” Instead, they were offered a $175 rebooking credit. As Elizabeth pointed out, “is a penny compared to what we’re probably about to have to pay.” Then it got worse. The promised refund credit never showed up. “They told us it’s in the Airbnb account, but it’s not there,” she said. Airbnb supervisor steps in In part three, Elizabeth shared what happened when they escalated to a supervisor named Misty. “She apologizes for everything we’ve been through,” Elizabeth said. But she basically told them, ‘There’s not much else we can do.’ After exhaustive haggling, their rebooking credit was increased from $175 to $500, which was a band-aid. Furthermore, the refund still hadn’t been returned to their original form of payment. “Tell me how that works,” Elizabeth asked frustrated. “We’re not going to risk going to pay for a new Airbnb without that money.” The back-and-forth continued for hours. She also ran into the customer service trope with more than one supervisor telling her they were “as high as it goes” as far as chain of command. “The amount of Airbnb employees that promised us they were going to help and broke those promises—it’s exhausting,” she explained. Eventually, in a final update, she finally shared some good news. “We now have a place to stay, and we are so incredibly grateful,” she said. But she clarified: “It was no thanks to Airbnb.” She said she’d hope the company takes note of what happened to her and countless others. “There needs to be better communication between Airbnb, their customers, and the hosts. Especially with international plans like this, it’s pretty daunting.” Essentially, she hoped that if an owner decides to sell their place that rules, policies, and protocols are set so customers like her don’t get screwed ever again. ‘It took a lot of calls’ Users in the comments were passionate about the story. One user wrote bluntly, “AirBnBs destroy communities wherever they are. Why do people continue to use them?” Another shared a more optimistic take: “This happened to me one time. It took a lot of calls with customer service. Still, they ended up reimbursing me the full amount and giving me a stipend per night for another accommodation. Good luck.” Others weren’t so lucky. One young woman shared, “Commenting for visibilityand after fighting with Airbnb for the last year for a booking in Italy.” Many outraged TikTokers tagged the company directly: “@airbnb, we HATE YOU” and “@airbnb, are you going to fix this?” were common sentiments. An Airbnb spokesperson tells the Daily Dot: “We know how important guest plans are, and the impact changes can have. We’re pleased this guest found another listing for their upcoming trip, and we have been in touch with them to provide further support. Issues like this are rare, and we have helped the host to deactivate their listing.” As of Monday morning, Elizabeth’s videos are no longer posted on her TikTok account. As Airbnb notes, every booking has an “AirCover” protection on the platform. It includes, per Airbnb: Host cancellations: If a host cancels within 30 days of your check-in, we’ll help the guest find a similar place or issue a full refund. Unable to check in: If a guest can’t get into their listing on arrival and the host can’t resolve the issue, we’ll help them find a similar place or issue a full refund. Inaccurate listings: If the listing is significantly different than advertised and the host can’t resolve the issue, we’ll help the guest find a similar place or issue a refund. 24-hour safety line: If a guest feels unsafe in their listing, we’ll connect them to specially-trained safety agents, day or night. How’s Airbnb’s business doing? Despite this lousy press from Elizabeth, Airbnb is still booming. According to a March 2024 report from Hospitality Net, Airbnb’s average daily rates have surged by nearly 36% since 2019, and revenue is up more than 50%. The platform has more than doubled its host count to over 5 million and has nearly 8 million listings across 220+ countries. But some cracks are starting to show. According to Yahoo Finance, Airbnb stock is down from its 2021 highs. Investors are cautiously optimistic, but concerns mount. Regulations are tightening in domestic and international cities alike: New York, San Francisco, and Barcelona are the prime targets hit. Housing shortages are partly blamed on short-term rentals in these cities. In addition to that, the company’s forecast for 2025 is weak, and the growth era may be fading. Concurrently, consumer trust is on a downslide. Horror stories like Elizabeth’s, frustrations over pricing, and hidden back-end fees are making travelers ask themselves: Is Airbnb worth the trouble? Well, it depends. On a good day, it’s a charming, well-priced dream stay. On the worst day, it’s hours of customer service back-and-forth, broken promises, and a sneaky bill. For a company that built its brand on trust and community, it’s in a challenging position. And as more users speak out online, Airbnb might need more than a charming bottle of champagne to fix it. We’ve reached out to Elizabeth for comment. 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