A RETIREE was left fuming after Airbnb cancelled her families accommodation for the Commonwealth Games with just three weeks notice.
Sarah Thompson and her family spent over £800 on tickets for the games in Birmingham, West Midlands at the end of this month.
However the 69-year-old from Sussex, East Anglia received a message on Sunday telling that her seven night £1,145 stay had been cancelled.
Sarah and husband Dennis Thompson, 66, have now been left scrambling to find somewhere to replace the three-bedroom apartment.
Despite Airbnb offering the mum-of-two an additional £344 to her full refund all other stays are now out of the family’s budget due to rising pricing because of the games.
Price hikes across the city have seen other three bedroom properties listed between £2,499 and £6,979 for a seven night stay.
This has left the retiree at an impasse as official resale sites for the event closed on July 4 leaving her stuck with £800 worth of tickets but no accommodation.
Sarah also claims that holiday letting service sent her links to apartments in Lancashire, two hours from Birmingham by car or rail.
Speaking today Sarah said: “I am really upset about it, my family had a wonderful time in Glasgow back in 2014.
“We are all very keen on sport and I was a student in Birmingham, so we were delighted and decided to wait until we had secured accommodation before we applied for tickets.
“We had the apartment in a great location as we knew that we could use public transport, we bought around £800 worth of tickets for the games.
“I was sent a text on Sunday which said the Airbnb had been cancelled.
“At first Airbnb offered me £230 then upped it to £344 but there is nowhere that cheap at the moment.
“We don’t want to be split up, it made me furious, absolutely furious that they just cancelled like this with no notice.
“They are refusing to be held responsible but I sense that the motive may be profiteering.”
Sarah shared her dilemma to Twitter yesterday writing: “We booked on April 9th 2021 and told the hosts we were coming to the games and had spent £800 on tickets.
“We were told last Sunday our booking was cancelled and there is no equivalent available at a price we can afford, so we cannot use our tickets.”
A spokesperson for Airbnb today said: “We were disappointed to learn about this experience, and are providing ongoing support to the guest in addition to the full refund already issued.
“While host cancellations are rare, we recognise the impact they can have on guest plans, which is why we have fees and penalties in place to deter against this.
“AirCover provides free protection for guests from host cancellations, and in the unlikely event of an issue, our 24/7 support team is on hand to help.”
The Commonwealth Games begin on the 28th July in Birmingham and closes on the 8th August.
