After my most recent trip, I’ve decided to part ways with Airbnb for good. While I've had good luck with them in the past, my last experience was a harsh reminder that booking directly from a host, no matter how highly they rate themselves, is always a gamble.
During my month-long stay in Taiwan, I encountered a host who was unprofessional, difficult, and frankly, selfish. In one instance, a host tried to charge me for a "messy" home and even accused me of stealing furniture—items that were simply placed in a drawer. The same host, who saw her home as a precious treasure rather than a paid accommodation, even tried to charge me for using supplies that were provided for guests. The unprofessionalism was shocking, especially considering how much I had paid for the stay.
This experience stands in stark contrast to my stays in Tokyo. There, I kept the homes clean and tidy as a matter of respect, and the professional hosts would thank me for it. They never once complained about a few pieces of rubbish. It was a normal, professional interaction that I had come to expect from quality service.
The problems in Taiwan continued at the airport. I was hit with an unexpected charge for excess baggage. This was a stark contrast to my experience in Tokyo, where the airport staff, particularly a kind lady named Mayazaki at Haneda Airport, went out of her way to help me, even wrapping my extra luggage in bubble wrap. It was a genuine act of kindness that highlighted the vast difference in hospitality.
This trip was a hard lesson in what can go wrong when you're at the mercy of an unvetted host and a company that doesn’t back up its customers. From now on, I will be booking my stays with people who are paid to be professional, not those who treat their guests as a burden.
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