My experience with the host was extremely unpleasant and hostile. Upon arrival to the property, I was e-mailed immediately by the host to pay him directly in a separate bank account and not through the booking.com website as according to him, there were some confusions related to booking.com. In this instance, I refused to pay him directly as he requested and I proceeded to pay through booking.com and mailed him the receipt of payment. Three days later I received a phone call from the host asking me not to shout over the phone and to be aware that there are other people renting out other units within the house as allegedly other neighbours complained about a person shouting. I was perplexed at his affirmations considering that I was on my own in the room and I was not talking to anyone at the time. The host himself told me that I was not shouting on the phone whilst talking to him which is my normal way of talking. The host refused to accept a video call to show him that I was alone in the room and he also refused to see my telephone log at the time to confirm that I was not on the phone at the time of the complaints. At a point during the phone call he claimed that the neighbours could hear a foreign person speaking. He also claimed to have in his possession recordings sent to him by neighbours which allegedly recorded someone shouting in a foreign language. When pressed to answer whether it was custom for the neighbours and himself to record other neighbours conversations within the house without the latters specific consent and to share the recordings between them, he did not answer. Although the host never accused me directly of shouting, he did keep telling me not to shout in the future. This event left me uncomfortable for the rest of the stay and hopefully this did not occur because I did not pay him directly as he requested.
(Read More)