I Lost Money on Airbnb After Host Double-Booked and Gave False Cancellation Reason

I booked a villa in the Ovacık area of Fethiye through Airbnb for the dates August 9–13, 2025. A few days later, I reached out to the host to confirm our reservation. That’s when I was told—shockingly—that the property had already been rented out by the host’s real estate agent, and they “forgot to block out the dates” on Airbnb. If I hadn’t contacted them myself, I wouldn’t have even known. The host then asked me to cancel the reservation myself.

When I reported this situation to Airbnb, the host falsely claimed they gave the property to a family member. That was not what they originally said. Worse, when I checked the listing again later that evening, the same dates were still available at a higher price—so clearly they were just relisting it to earn more money.

To make things worse, I did not even receive a full refund. I was refunded less than what I paid, despite being the victim of this dishonest and misleading behavior.

I demand a full refund of the remaining balance and expect Airbnb to investigate this host’s behavior and apply penalties if necessary. This kind of manipulation is unacceptable on a platform that claims to protect travelers.