A recent TikTok video by Sarah Luepker (@saramics.pottery) highlighted one of the worst sleeping experiences possible, in which the Airbnb guest discovered her bed was infested with bedbugs.
@saramics.pottery Replying to @TessaG.G. 0/10 would not reccomend hopefully this information saves someone from this misery #bedbugs #fyp #storytime #travel #traveltiktok ♬ Moonlight – Villano
Sarah relayed a horrifying tale about her recent stay at an AirBnb in Colorado during which she got bitten by bedbugs while she slept. Bedbugs are small brown insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals while they sleep. They hide in cloth and carpet, and can live for several months without feeding. In her video that’s been viewed over 2 million times, Sarah begins with a warning.
“If you plan on traveling ever again and don’t want to end up looking like this, please listen to my tale,” the TikToker says as shows massive bites all over her body.
“Last week I flew into Colorado for a friend’s bachelorette event, and we checked into a very nice, very clean Airbnb. The first thing I do is check for bedbugs. I check every corner and there is nothing.”
Even after Sarah checked her Airbnb bed for bedbugs, she woke up the next morning with two bites on her arms. But, she says she didn’t think much of it as she assumed she got bitten by mosquitoes while sitting on the outdoor patio.
Sarah pauses for a moment before continuing, “I thought when you got bit by a bedbug you would wake up with the bite. But according to the CDC a bedbug can bite you and the bite will not show for up to 14 days, so the bites that i was getting throughout the day were bites from the night before activating, but I didn’t know that so I got in the bed again.”
Sarah shows her audience a slideshow of photos documenting the bites all over her body. She said that after she checked out of the Airbnb, new bedbug bites were popping up every five minutes. At this point, she and her friends decided to go back to the Airbnb.
After searching the homestay, Sarah’s friend came out white as a sheet and explained to her what happened, “Every other bed had a wooden headboard, and yours was cloth. And you know those indented fabric buttons. They were wedged in under the little buttons.”
Airbnb refunded the group their money, but users believed that the company did not do enough. This is also not the first time that a guest has had a problem with bedbugs at their Airbnb. Viewers took to the comments to express their horror at the entire situation.
“Oh my gosh. New fear unlocked,” read one comment.
Another said, “I’m getting a wooden headboard for the rest of my life.”
Some people shared their past experiences with bedbugs and offered medical advice. “I got bit by bedbugs at someone’s house and by welts that looked like yours went away after a couple of weeks. Hang in there,” one person helpfully said.
But most users agreed that Sarah wasn’t compensated enough for her bedbug ordeal, either by Airbnb or her friend.
“Honestly a refund is NOT enough compensation,” one person commented.
“Idk, I feel like your friend should give you all the refunded money, not just your portion,” another added.
“The airbnb host should take care of the medical bill for you…seriously,” said a third commenter.
“Oh I’d sue for every single cent they have! They ate you up!” wrote a fourth.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sarah and Airbnb via email for further comment.