The Airbnb-listed house in Salta, Argentina.
According to
Airbnb’s website, their business “is a trusted community marketplace for people
to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or
from a mobile phone.”
It’s the ideal
alternative for those who want to have a unique experience on vacation rather
than selecting a local hotel chain. Airbnb offers their customers the
opportunity to save money while renting an array of personally owned
apartments, castles, houses.
With over one
million locations in close to 35,000 cities and 190 countries, the sky is the
limit in finding your perfect spot. That’s exactly what Mike Silverman thought
until he was attacked by a Airbnb host’s Rottweiler.
Mike Silverman,
58, and his wife have travelled to various places throughout the United States
as well as outside of the country over the past years. The couple has used
Airbnb in order to stay within their desired budget of $100 per night for room
and board.
Mr. and Mrs.
Silverman do extensive research on each place they stay, reading reviews left
by former tenants. They were pleased with the home they found in Salta,
Argentina, for their destination at the low price of $60 per night. However,
there was no mention of a dog in the Airbnb listing for this property.
Although the
Silverman’s were surprised to see the Rottweiler at the Airbnb host’s home,
they admit that the dog seemed calm and harmless. After a few days of being
inside the home, Silverman decided to put out his hand for the dog to sniff in
a very non-aggressive manner. Suddenly, the Rottweiler sank its teeth deep into
Silverman’s forearm.
Before treating
Silverman, the hospital required a deposit. Silverman contacted the Airbnb
host, who could not pay the deposit. Silverman had to make arrangements to get
the cash so he could be admitted to the hospital.
Silverman
contacted Airbnb asking them to step in and reimburse him for his unexpected
out-of-pocket expenses caused by their host’s dog. Airbnb refused to pay any
medical expenses. However, the company said it was within their policy to
refund Mr. Silverman for the nights he originally booked.
Silverman was
shocked to find out that Airbnb does not provide liability insurance on any
property outside of the United States, and only began providing insurance
within the United States for their hosts in late 2014 — six years after the
company started in 2008.
Even Airbnb’s
liability insurance is secondary after their host makes an initial claim to
their own insurance. This was very disturbing news to Silverman, who believes
all travelers should be aware when traveling abroad with Airbnb. He wrote an
email to Airbnb, stating what this incident has cost him — above and beyond
financial loss.
“There is also a
pain and suffering element as well as, perhaps, permanent nerve damage. Have
you ever been attacked by a large dog? When I close my eyes at night, I see
this thing tearing at my arm and blood everywhere — which is exactly what
happened.”
Airbnb simply
replied, “Please understand our refund was an attempt to soften the impact of
an unfortunate accident and to provide our best possible customer service to
you. Unfortunately, per our terms of service, we are unable to consider any
request for compensation in liability scenario such as this.”
Then it went on to say how much the company valued him as a guest
and wished him well in his recovery.
