Airbnb host refuses to refund mom who canceled family trip to Florida due to Hurricane Milton

A US woman has called out an Airbnb host in Florida for their “lack of empathy” after they refused to refund her for a holiday she booked for her family before the attack hurricane milton

Kaitlynn Thayer, a mother of five, took to TikTok to air her grievances with an Airbnb host who owns a beachfront property on Amelia Island. Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County on Oct. 9, spawning dozens of tornadoes, 28-foot waves, high winds, heavy rain and devastating storm surges, leaving 23 dead and more of a million homes without electricity over the weekend.

On Amelia Island, where Thayer booked her family’s Airbnb rental, an evacuation order was put in place in some areas the same day Milton arrived, with swell projections of more of five feet and high tides.

Thayer posted a video on social media that has now garnered more than 160,000 views, explaining how she requested a refund for the first two days of her vacation in Florida, arriving on October 11 instead of the 9 October, so that they could wait for the most serious impacts. the hurricane would have in the area.

However, despite trying to negotiate with the host, they refused to offer a refund to the family of seven despite the dangerous incoming storm.

“PSA to all Airbnb owners,” Thayer began. “If a hurricane is coming your way and someone says, ‘Hey, I don’t want to cancel my vacation, I’d just like to move it up a few days to make sure that, one, you have power, two, you have resources enough of the local people if they lose power, three, it doesn’t feel safe to drive into a hurricane, and four we are traveling with children who need state approved papers to travel across state lines, and you still make them . lose their money, that’s a lack of empathy and humanity.”

While the family was booking and paying for the Airbnb in June, when they realized the severity of the Category 3 hurricane that would hit Florida, they called the host a few days before they left to ask what their options were now Milton. on the way

At first he claimed the host was “trying to ignore the situation” but gave him the benefit of the doubt as they continued to talk for a few days, but eventually the host decided not to return any money.

She offered the family to change the dates of their vacation, but due to laws surrounding travel with foster children, she was unable to accept this as a compromise.

“As a business owner, I can’t imagine charging someone for services they didn’t receive,” he said.

He also noted that if something happened while they were there, they didn’t want to take resources that could have helped the locals, and they also didn’t want to be a liability to the property owner.

Initially, he called Airbnb, which said there wasn’t much they could do, but once parts of Amelia Island were placed under an evacuation order, Thayer said in a follow-up video that the team Airbnb executive issued a full refund to the family.

Thayer said all they were trying to do was “keep our kids safe, be responsible foster parents, and at the same time not pay for vacations we’re not taking.”

Airbnb has a “Major Disruptive Events” policy in place in parts of Florida that allows guests and hosts to cancel or implement a refund during certain events that could legally prevent or prohibit a reservation, such as evacuations due to hurricanes.

However, hosts are not required to offer refunds just because of a hurricane, there must be another event such as an evacuation or large-scale service disruptions to request a refund.

An Airbnb spokesperson explained more The independent: “This policy means that hosts can cancel eligible stays without consequence, and guests who have an eligible reservation can cancel for a refund.

“Hosts and guests can view eligible bookings in their Airbnb account through their Travel page. Our 24/7 customer support team is also available to help with any questions.