A picturesque beachfront getaway in Northern California was supposed to be the perfect remote-work escape for San Diego resident Kim Coutts. Instead, it turned into a frustrating ordeal.
Coutts, an experienced Airbnb user with over 40 bookings under her belt, splurged about $1,200 for two nights in September 2024 at a cliffside Airstream in Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County.
She was road-tripping up the coast with her new puppy, Wigbert, looking forward to stunning ocean views while working remotely.
“I decided to take a road trip,” Coutts said. “I was working remotely, I just got my new dog, and I thought we would go up the coast.”
On check-in day, Coutts logged into her Airbnb account to read the host’s instructions, and that’s when she saw a detail she said surprised her:“The power system will go into power-saving mode from midnight until 8 a.m.”
That meant no working outlets, no TV.
By then, it was too late to cancel.
“It was a lot of money,” Coutts said. “I didn’t want to lose the money.”
Airbnb and the host told NBC 7 Responds that the message about power savings mode was in the listing when she booked, and we saw it in the current listing under the House Rules section.
Coutts arrived at the Airstream around 3 p.m., soaking in the breathtaking daytime views.
“I thought I would try,” Coutts said.
But as dusk fell around 7 p.m., discomfort set in. She packed up, drove to a hotel in Carmel= and messaged the host.
“I am not asking for a refund, but I would hope you can meet me in the middle,” Coutts wrote, hoping for at least a partial refund.
The host offered two free nights for a future stay instead. Coutts accepted.
A year later, Coutts reached out to redeem those nights.
“I waited until September, which is the same time I traveled, and I reached out to rebook,” Coutts said. “He read my message and closed the conversation without saying anything.”
What Coutts didn’t know, and Airbnb confirmed to NBC 7, is that booking message threads automatically close themselves after a year. The host didn’t close the conversation.
Not knowing how to contact the host, Coutts contacted Airbnb.
“Their response was that they’re not responsible for agreements I make with outside parties,” Coutts said.
Frustrated, Coutts decided to call NBC 7 Responds for help.
NBC 7 reached out to Airbnb on her behalf.
“I think about 10 days later, I got the gift card from Airbnb out of nowhere, and I knew someone from your end had reached out,” Coutts said.
In a statement to NBC 7 Responds, Airbnb said:
“We encourage guests to thoroughly review a listing page before booking to ensure it meets their needs, and contact Airbnb in the event of a concern. In this case, at the time the guest booked the reservation, the listing description specified the Airstream’s overnight ‘power-saving mode’ and which amenities would be temporarily unavailable. While the guest did not contact us during their stay a year ago, and no electricity outage was reported to us or the host at the time, we have reached out to provide support with a goodwill coupon for a future trip.”
While $400 didn’t cover her full original cost, Coutts was very happy to get something back and grateful for the resolution. But more than the money, she wants other travelers to learn from her experience.
Coutts said that, to prevent surprises when booking vacation rentals, be sure to read every word of a listing before booking.
As Airbnb and the host confirmed to NBC 7 Responds, the information was there when Coutts booked. It even includes a note that if you aren’t OK with the power savings mode, let the host know in advance, and they will work with you.
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