A plumbing problem started this dispute. But NBC Bay Area Responds helped flush it all out for a Santa Clara woman.
The central question here is: who pays when an emergency repair is needed?
Liz Gong told us that a shower knob fell apart while renting a house in South Lake Tahoe. The homeowner (a.k.a. host) hired a plumber to fix it.
And later charged Liz $180.
“I told the host that I did not agree with that and that it was their responsibility to keep their rental home in working order.”
Gong disputed the bill with Airbnb and got nowhere.
So, she contacted us. And we reached out to Airbnb for her.
Local
An Airbnb spokesman said Liz’s initial complaint “wasn’t handled by the right team.”
Ultimately, Airbnb agreed with liz – that the plumbing flaw wasn’t her responsibility.
It refunded her stay in full -- plus the money she was charged for the plumber.
That’s $1,786 back in her pocket.
“This guest is getting a full refund, just as she should have in the first place,” Airbnb said in a statement. “We have your back in the very unusual event that a problem occurs.”
Liz is pleased with the refund, but frustrated with the process.
“An apology and a refund does not overlook the fact that I had to get NBC involved for them to review the case,” she wrote. “They probably would NOT have done anything further had I not contacted your team.”
One last note: Liz says she submitted a negative review that was later taken down.
Airbnb told us that was a mistake, too. Liz’s frank appraisal of the Tahoe home will be re-posted for future renters to consider.
