Get a refund from Airbnb for a stay with no hot water using ChatGPT agent

Posted

Sep 12, 2026 by Robin Lobo (LinkedIn)

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Last checked

Oct 17, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Outcome

After an Airbnb stay with no hot water and a host-required third-party app that didn't work, a guest explained the problem to ChatGPT by voice and uploaded a video. Instead of drafting an email, ChatGPT opened its cloud browser, had the guest log in to Airbnb, found the stay, opened a support ticket, asked for a human, made the case and uploaded screenshots from the video; the guest only stepped in to approve messages. A representative called and the guest got $250 back.

Agent

ChatGPT agent

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Open a support case for a problem with my stay and ask for a fair refund.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- What went wrong and when
- Photos or video evidence
- Booking platform (I'll log in myself)

Rules:
- Ask 1-3 questions about what I want (refund amount, credit, apology).
- I'll log in myself; pause on any login or verification screen.
- Find the booking, open a ticket, ask for a human and lay out the facts calmly with evidence.
- Show me every message before sending and never accept an offer without my OK.
- If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: An open support case with evidence attached, and the outcome or next step.

You'll know it worked when: the platform confirms a refund or credit in writing.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Open a support case for a problem with my stay and ask for a fair refund.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- What went wrong and when
- Photos or video evidence
- Booking platform (I'll log in myself)

Rules:
- Ask 1-3 questions about what I want (refund amount, credit, apology).
- I'll log in myself; pause on any login, verification, CAPTCHA or two-step code screen, and never guess or store passwords.
- Find the booking, open a ticket, ask for a human and lay out the facts calmly with evidence.
- Show me every message before sending and never accept an offer without my OK.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Check the platform's deadline for reporting problems after a stay, and act before it passes.

Output: An open support case with evidence attached, and the outcome or next step.

You'll know it worked when: the platform confirms a refund or credit in writing.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robinlobo_chatgpt-got-me-a-250-refund-from-airbnb-activity-7504553893784076288-4szN