Before Dan Seaman moved into his rental apartment in Washington D.C. this summer, he didn’t review Airbnb’s refund policy for guests. Nor did he bother to check if the apartment had air conditioning.
What kind of Airbnb in D.C. wouldn’t offer a working AC?
But when he arrived on a blazing hot June day, his bedroom felt like the inside of an Istanbul steam bath. There was an air conditioning unit in the wall, but it didn’t work. He asked the host to fix the AC, but the host dismissed him. When he turned to Airbnb for help, he says the vacation rental platform also blew him off.