A couple staying at an Airbnb in South Korea got their own back after their host allegedly refused to cancel the booking – having left taps running and the gas on for almost a month, in turn racking up HUGE bills.
The unnamed couple had booked the house in Seoul for 25 days and paid in full beforehand.
However, they hadn’t checked where the property was located, and instantly got buyers’ regret.
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After realising it was based in the outer suburbs of the city rather than the centre, they asked to cancel the booking.
But the host, identified as Mr Lee, refused as the booking had already been confirmed and payment had gone through – a move that left the guests less than happy, as they showed up and decided to leave all the taps, lights, electrical appliances and gas running for the full duration of the stay.
NetEase News reported that, in total, the couple wasted 120 tonnes of water and left a water and electricity bill of $116, along with a gas bill of around $730... Ouch.
To make matters worse, they barely spent any time at the villa during that 25-day period, deciding to travel to various parts of South Korea instead, returning every three or four days for no more than five minutes at a time.
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Despite only visiting the house a total of five times, the couple managed to rack up huge bills as payback to the Airbnb host – something he only realised when the gas company called to ask about the huge increase in usage.
Mr Lee then found out that the water consumption during the 25-day booking was five times higher than usual as well.
Of course, he found this was particularly strange as they were only at the house on five occasions.
“They used 120 tonnes of water in five days,” Mr Lee said, according to the South China Morning Post.
After unsuccessfully trying to cancel the booking by claiming they had COVID-19, the couple had reportedly asked the host if there were surveillance cameras at the house, to which they were told there wasn’t.
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However, one external CCTV camera has captured the pair arriving at the property.
After realising what had happened, the host was unable to reach the couple, who had returned to China by this time, and was therefore forced to cough up for the bills.
He tried to get in touch with Airbnb’s customer service team, but claims the company has taken no responsibility, arguing that the issue is between them and the couple.
After being shared by local media, the story has attracted debate online, with many criticising the couple’s behaviour.
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One person commented: “120 tonnes of water? Wow, it’s a huge waste.”
Another added: “How bad is this couple! Somehow they should bear the responsibility.”
LADbible has reached out to Airbnb for comment.
Topics: World News, Airbnb
Jess Hardiman