A woman, Kaitlynn Thayer, called out her Florida Airbnb host for lacking empathy after they denied her a refund for a family trip booked before Hurricane Milton at an Amelia Island beachfront property. The storm caused significant damage and fatalities, per the Independent.

In Amelia Island, evacuation orders were issued on the day Hurricane Milton arrived, predicting storm surges over five feet and high tides in some areas. 

Thayer shared a video that received over 160,000 views, explaining her request for a refund for the first two days of their Florida vacation due to Hurricane Milton’s expected impact. Yet, the host refused. She mentioned it was 4 adults and 7 children, including her foster children who were looking forward to the trip. 

“If there is a hurricane coming towards you and somebody says ‘hey, I don’t wanna cancel my vacation, I would just like to push it out a few days to make sure that, one, you have power, two, you have enough resources from locals if you lose power, three, it doesn’t feel safe to drive into a hurricane, and four we are travelling with children that need to have state-approved papers to travel across state lines’, and you still make them forfeit their money, that is a lack of empathy and humanity,”

the frustrated mother explained.

The family booked their Airbnb in June but contacted the host days before their trip to discuss options after realizing the seriousness of the hurricane. Despite initial understanding, the host refused to refund the money. The host suggested changing the family’s vacation dates, but due to laws about traveling with foster children, they couldn’t work around this option.

She also mentioned not wanting to take resources from locals or being a liability if caught in the storm. Airbnb initially couldn’t provide aid, but after evacuation orders, luckily, their executive team granted the family a full refund.

#Clique, what are your thoughts?