This blog post is a rant against technology when it doesn’t work; when someone (like me) clicks on something quickly without thinking about it.
No, I didn’t get a virus – not this time. This time, I got locked out of my Airbnb account only three days before arriving at my host’s front door! I know, oh, poor pitiful me, whining about going on vacation and to add insult to injury, I’m not getting all my wishes to come true!
Yes, I’m privileged, lucky enough to be able to fly somewhere nice on vacation and stay at an Airbnb (if I can untangle the disaster of my account). I’m sorry, sort of. But. But. But.
It all happened because I upgraded my Android phone software. That’s right. When I updated my software, it lost my “login information” to my Airbnb account.
So when I received the final receipt form Airbnb, by email, confirming that I’d finished payment for the reservation, and it had a big red box that said “click here” –so I could contact my host to see how to get the key, you know, check-in – the folly began.
I got to Airbnb and it asked me “Do you want to check-in with your Facebook account?”
I’d always gotten logged into my account immediately so, without thinking, I clicked “Yes.”
Have you ever done that? Just clicked “Yes” when you see your picture (it was there! It was me!) and then regretted it only a second later?
You guessed it. That’s where it all unraveled. I’d started ANOTHER Airbnb account. Without boring you further, Airbnb doesn’t allow you to have two accounts. That puts you on their destroy list. They’ve wiped out my accounts now, and I.have.no.idea.
I tried to undo my catastrophic disaster. I went into the app on my laptop. I signed in under my email account – the way I should have in the first place – but I’d forgotten my password. Yes, that. Don’t tell me you’ve never had to reset your password.
I asked to get a NEW password. And then I answered ALL the identity verifying questions.
But I got one wrong.
Which one? I have no idea. But I have a suspicion. I think that, when I was creating my original account with Airbnb, I thought, “Why does Airbnb need to know how old I am? In fact, if there’s a breach of their database, and someone steals my data, why do I want all this information stolen? I bet they have lousy security. I’ll change my age. No one will ever know.”
That was my undoing.
Now, I’m trying to unravel all that bad work – the setting up of a second Facebook account, the lying about my age (I think?), and I’m hoping my Airbnb host will be kind. So far, she has been. In a panic, I called her and then emailed her the receipt that conformed my reservation.
But now my account is gone. Wiped out. She has nothing from Airbnb.
Now, I’m waiting from a call from a “specialist” at Airbnb. Hoping I can unravel this. Hoping that my family will have a place to stay in Maine over the weekend.
And I curse Airbnb.
I curse myself (for lying about my age, I think).
And I curse Android for messing up all my nice, comfy, saved logon information for all my apps.
I try to remember to breathe, deeply, and be calm with the universe of technology. After all, I’m supposed to be going on vacation to relax, right?
This never happens to you – or, does it?
