The Airbnb property was located in a South Korean suburb.
An Airbnb owner has been billed for $1,570 (Rs 1.28 lakh) after the couple staying there left taps running and gas on. According to a report in Independent, guests did this as an act of revenge when they couldn’t cancel their booking. The couple from China had traveled to South Korea and stayed at the property for 25 days to punish the host. The act resulted in a huge utility bill for the host, identified by the outlet as Mr. Lee.
The problem arose after the couple booked the villa to stay in Seoul during the trip. But the property is not located in the heart of the city, but in the suburb. By the time the couple realized this, they had already paid the full amount in full.
Mr Lee claims the couple have not spoken to him or Airbnb and have done everything on their own. They first contacted the host to ask if there are any surveillance cameras in the property. When Mr. Lee said there weren’t any, they turned on as many lights, taps, electrical appliances and gas taps as they could, according to the Independent report.
The host went on to say that the pair were not staying at the property and were traveling through South Korea instead. They returned just five times in 25 days, spending just five minutes each time, Mr Lee said.
When the couple checked out, the gas company contacted Mr. Lee and told him of a significant increase in consumption. He was afraid it was a leak.
When Mr. Lee visited the villa, he found the windows open and the gas. He received a water and electricity bill of $116 (Rs 9,506), a gas bill of $730 (Rs 59,824) and $728 (Rs 59,660) for “miscellaneous expenses”.
He said the couple consumed more than 120,000 liters of water during their stay.
