I Paid ₺82,000 Outside Airbnb for a Villa and Faced Horrible Conditions and Zero Support

I’m writing to share an awful experience that I hope no one else has to go through. I’ve already tried reaching out to Airbnb and other platforms, but no one is helping because the reservation happened outside of Airbnb due to payment restrictions in Turkey.

On July 13, I traveled to Kuşadası with my family, including my elderly, sick mother. We intended to book a villa via Airbnb, but since PayPal isn’t available in Turkey and our credit cards didn’t go through, the host offered to finalize the booking outside the platform and shared all contact details directly. Upon arrival late at night, exhausted and with no other option, the host insisted we transfer the full amount — ₺82,000 (around €1800) — via IBAN without even giving us an explanation or receipt.

The nightmare started after we paid:

The villa was dirty and unhygienic.

The washing machine smelled awful.

There was no air conditioning, which was unbearable in the summer heat.

We had frequent water cuts.

The internet didn’t work at all.

There were no towels provided.

There were power outages, too.

And worst of all — we never received an invoice or proof of payment.

The host showed zero interest in resolving any of these issues, and despite repeated complaints, nothing was done. I have all screenshots and chat logs saved.

I demand that this issue be acknowledged and addressed. This kind of treatment of tourists is unacceptable and reeks of tax evasion. Airbnb and related platforms must take action to prevent these scams and protect future travelers.