My 2nd experience as a guest was with a horrid cockroach infested and moldy rental that was supposed to be a "Deluxe Executive Retreat". From that experience I learned that AirBnB really doesn't have a mechanism for dealing with issues. It's a huge PITA to get their attention let alone getting them to take any action.
Like many online services they lean towards covering up issues.
I found it fairly easy to get a live person on the phone, but nearly impossible to convince them of their error.
I booked a room. Within seconds of each other, I got a confirmation, and a message from the host saying it was not available. The host claimed it was a glitch in the system, so I cancelled. However, Airbnb kept their service fee. The customer service agent told me that the reservation system knows when a rental is unavailable, and it is impossible to double book. I responded that I had proof that that wasn't true, and invited them to read the message the host sent me. They had no interest in doing that, and said they would open a support ticket. Never heard back. It's not worth my time to chase $15.
Assuming you paid with a credit card, a simple charge-back (dispute) would've gotten you the $15 back. Credit cards - especially Amex/Discover/Visa Signature - are really good about refunding in cases like these.
My 2nd experience as a guest was with a horrid cockroach infested and moldy rental that was supposed to be a "Deluxe Executive Retreat". From that experience I learned that AirBnB really doesn't have a mechanism for dealing with issues. It's a huge PITA to get their attention let alone getting them to take any action.
Like many online services they lean towards covering up issues.