Airbnb cock up leaves British couple out of pocket

HOLIDAY booking agency Airbnb is in trouble after a British couple arrived at their €10,000 VIP “penthouse” only to find it did not exist.

Ian and Denise Feltham, from Chiswick, west London booked the VIP room at the Las Boas complex in Ibiza after seeing the listing on the popular hosting site.

The listing had 37 reviews and a five star rating and was listed as dog friendly so they could travel with their beloved Yorkshire Terriers Ross and Honey.

However once they arrived at the resort, they were told by reception that the VIP room they booked did not exist, leaving them to fork out to spend an extra €200 per night for the nearest dog friendly accommodation 40 miles away.

Mr Feltham, 75, explained “When we turned up, the receptionist said, ‘There isn’t such a thing as the VIP Penthouse in Las Boas’. A gentleman who lived in the building said they get tourists turning up all the time and that it’s a very big problem.”

The holiday was listed by the Thailand holiday company Lux Travel Collective.

Mr Feltham became suspicious after they didn’t receive their holiday details a week before they were due to travel.

He tried to call the travel company to no avail, even asking a friend already in Ibiza to visit the hotel to inquire about the booking.

The hotel explained that there was no record of the couples booking and with Airbnb stating that in order to obtain a refund the couple would have to be at the hotel in person, Mr and Mrs Feltham were forced to make the trip to the resort only to be turned away.

It wasn’t until the UK media contacted Airbnb that the listing was removed from the site and a full refund was offered.

A spokesperson from Airbnb made a statement saying, ‘There is no question that we dropped the ball and I am so sorry for all the trouble.’

‘Our handling of this issue fell below our usual high standards and we have reached out to the guest to apologise and refund them in full. We have suspended the listing while we investigate and are continuing to work with the guest to make things right.’

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James Warren

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