A “locked” refrigerator was one of multiple problems experienced by an Airbnb guest whose host recently shared text messages of a back-and-forth conversation following a recent stay.
TikTok user Michelle B., who goes by the handle @theflowertruck, posted in late January about the guest in question. The video included overlay text that said, “I just need to know if my Airbnb guest is okay.”
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The video, which has been viewed nearly 5 million times, begins with a text from the guest asking how to open the fridge because it’s “locked.”
“There is no lock on it,” the host replied. “Perhaps you are trying to open it from the wrong side?”
The guest gave the affirmative in a text back before sending another communication regarding “the gas” not turning on. When the host asked what gas is being referred to, the guest said she was talking about the stove—that it would only turn on for a couple seconds.
Another back-and-forth ensued as the host told the guest that it is not a gas stove and that the burner needs to be turned to a high level to emit heat. That did the trick.
Perhaps the most comical portion of the TikTok came when the guest asked about a food delivery not being delivered, even going so far as to ask the host if she received it.
When the host checked the security camera focused on the porch where the food would have been dropped off, the food can be seen on the ground with footprints in the snow all around it. Meanwhile, the guest is wandering around the porch and on the ground with a flashlight.
Comments for the video were mixed. Some felt the text exchange was akin to a child repeatedly calling out to his or her mother.
“So am I the only one who thinks they are new to the country?” one person responded. “You guys can’t be so mean wow and after seeing the fridge I understand.”
“Your guest was definitely two children in a trench coat,” another person joked.
“I would die before texting the owner this many times,” another said. “I would simply not use the stove or oven if it’s THAT difficult lol.”
Another Airbnb host chimed in, saying she had a similar experience when a guest heard a noise in the kitchen and had no idea where it was coming from. It turned out to be the icemaker.
The Airbnb experience is one that has ruffled feathers in various locations for a number of reasons.
Just recently commissioners in Cobb County, Georgia postponed a vote to regulate short-term rentals for potentially an additional year. Some commissioners have reported loud parties at sites that include Airbnb and Vrbo.
Philadelphia officials went the opposite direction, though, as its city council passed a bill forcing Airbnb and similar entities to require property owners who rent their homes through such marketplace services to acquire short-term rental licenses.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that such properties “are seen by many residents as a blight on their neighborhood, causing noise issues, excessive litter, and—in the worst cases—sometimes violent and unruly behavior.”
And with the Super Bowl around the corner, Airbnb told ABC 7 that Ohio-based guest reservations in Los Angeles increased by more than 2,000 percent when the Cincinnati Bengals advanced to the big game.
That, too, was met with stern warnings from the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. The city attorney’s office told ABC 7 that it’s “unlawful to list or rent a short-term [for a period of 30 days or less] rental property without a valid city-issued home-sharing permit.”
The city attorney’s office also warned residents who may not be renting out homes or rooms, but plan to host Super Bowl parties due to possibly being a public nuisance based on city laws.
