A user on TikTok is calling out Airbnb after a host allegedly edited screenshots of their WhatsApp conversation to have her 3-star review removed.
In a video with over 207,000 views, TikTok user Marni (@ohmarni) reveals what happened, saying that the experience led her to one conclusion: “I really don’t think airbnb is worth it anymore.”
According to Marni, she left a 3-star review for an Airbnb in Turkey. After a few days, she received an email saying that her review had been deleted as it went against Airbnb’s terms of service and that if she left similar reviews in the future, her account would be restricted or suspended.
This confused Marni, as she believed her review was polite. Frustrated, she contacted Airbnb support to figure out what happened.
“[The customer service agent] said, ‘Oh, this was an open-and-shut case,’” Marni recounts. “‘The hosts provided screenshots where you were requesting a refund, and because you didn’t get it, you left that three-star review immediately.’”
“I was like, ‘This is fraud…because never did I ever contact them requesting a refund,’” Marni continues.
Marni then offered to provide Airbnb support with screenshots of what she says is the real conversation, which the support agent accepted. At the agent’s suggestion, Marni also sent the screenshots to the Airbnb hosts. Two of the hosts read the message but did not respond.
“They literally did all of this just to remove my three-star, truthful review,” Marni says. At the end of the video, she adds, “Airbnb says, ‘keep all communications in the app.’ They mean keep all communications in the app!”
@ohmarni I really dont think airbnb is worth it anymore #airbnb #airbnbexperience #storytime ♬ original sound – Oh Marni
Marni later followed up her video saying that she had “essentially won the case”—but the story doesn’t end there.
According to Marni, she was told her review had been reinstated, but when she looked on the site, it wasn’t there. However, she says that due to the host’s alleged behavior, simply reposting the review is not good enough.
“Honestly, I don’t think this is justice, and I don’t think this is good enough, because for me personally, I was going to bury you into the ground,” she says. “That host should not be allowed to host anymore. They should not be allowed to post anything on that platform, nor should that listing be allowed to be posted anywhere on that platform. Like you should just lose your hosting abilities.”
“If you’re at the point where you are literally forging and Photoshopping conversations between your guests in order to put them in a compromising situation…you don’t deserve to be on the website,” she adds.
She concludes by noting that the host requested that she message them on WhatsApp, which Marni infers could be a sign that this was planned from the beginning. She also says that Airbnb could have been more communicative throughout the process and given her a chance to plead her case.
@ohmarni Replying to @Black People Outside see now i actually want my money back 😐✋🏽 #airbnb #airbnbexperience #storytime #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Oh Marni
Marni isn’t the first to spark discussion on TikTok after sharing a negative Airbnb experience. One commenter told their story about how a host tried to charge them $100 for items they did not break. Another alleged that they rented a 5-bedroom house, only to discover that one of the rooms was in the garage.
In the comments section of Marni’s video, users shared their thoughts about Airbnb.
“Yeah I’m a hotel girly now. Air BnB is no longer a deal,” said a user.
“Airbnb should give the host a strike for communicating outside the airbnb platform in the first place,” added another.
“I had a bad review for not following check out procedures. Airbnb could not find check out procedures on the apartment page,” claimed a third. “I’m over bnb.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Airbnb and Marni via email.