Many of us have gone on vacation and decided to skip the hotels and instead book a short-term rental. What could be better than living like a local — in an actual, glorious home — during your travels? Authenticity, baby.
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Unfortunately, reality doesn't always match our expectations. Sigh.
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Maybe you set off thinking, this place is going to be awesome!
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But then you arrived at your host's home and quickly realized: Something isn't quite right. It's not just that the place is a little dingier than you expected, or the Wi-Fi didn't work, or even that the host was late to meet you. No, there's something far worse going on.
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Some people have discovered hidden cameras in their rentals.
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Other travelers have complained about full-on bug or rodent infestations.
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And sometimes, the whole damn place just malfunctions. People have gotten hurt.
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But because it's not a hotel, you can't just call the front desk — which can be really stressful when you're just trying to enjoy a holiday.
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Still, people are increasingly staying in homes instead of hotels while they travel. The vacation rental industry is already worth more than $100 billion, and it's estimated to grow to $194 billion by 2021, fueled by plenty of positive experiences. That doesn't mean it's all rosy though, especially when it comes to customer service.
We've all had some pretty terrible vacations before, so tell us your vacation rental horror story via the DropBox below! The best submissions will be featured in a BuzzFeed Community post or video!
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