My partner and I were assaulted, threatened and feared for our safety
by ashleshak
on December 20, 2015
Besides the criminal conduct that we were subjected to on the last day, leaving us no choice but to flee, the experience was unsavory in other ways too.
1.Sarika didn't accept our booking request on Airbnb until 3:30 pm on the day we were meant to check in. At this point we were on the verge of making another booking, but upon Sarika's acceptance we were committed, as we had been charged when she accepted our booking. Next, she didn't let us check-in until 5:30pm. We waited for her on the street with a lot of luggage. This was inconvenient, but we didn't mind. However, when we requested to check-out two hours after the customary check-out time, she demanded to be paid for a full day even though she had no other bookings for that day.
2.She describes the room as luxurious, but we quickly discovered that there was no hot water (in winter!), the flush didn't work, and that basic fixtures (bath mat, toilet paper, and a shower curtain) were missing. A water heater was installed a few hours later, but the other concerns remained unaddressed despite her repeated promises to address them. Moreover, the heater provided only a few minutes of hot water and was unsafe to use as the switch sparked and shocked us when we operated it. Finally, the room is barely two meters from the street and poorly insulated, leading to loud noise from horns and traffic by day.
3.Dysfunctional pattern of behavior: She twice offered us restaurant coupons and once offered the use of her car to drive to a nearby restaurant. We were grateful for these, but they were extraneous benefits, which, as we later realized, were intended to appease us for non-performance of her primary contractual obligations.
4.Intimidatory allusions: She mentioned in conversation that she possessed a loaded gun, that the local cops were on her payroll, and that she ran a debt recovery" group that didn't refrain from using underhanded methods. As we found out later, this information was meant to intimidate us.
5.The ill-fated night: She presented us an inflated laundry bill. Some of our clothes were missing and she took three days to return the rest. She stomped around outside, sending us messages and calls to pay immediately at midnight. We had assumed, reasonably, that we'd settle her bills at check-out. Subsequently, we left the laundry money outside the room as she had asked. When she replied with a condescending text, we pointed out that a polite response would have been, thank you'. At this, she lost all composure and, in a violent rage, stormed into the room, threw our clothes on the floor and at us, and began screaming vile abuses. She threatened to call the police and frame charges against us for theft and worse. She repeatedly threatened to beat us and asked us to leave her home.
Avoid this