Imagine going on a holiday vacation with your family to Australia’s beautiful Gold Coast. Now imagine an army of cops barging into your room because the house you’re staying in might be a drug den. That’s the nightmarish situation Dieter Winkler’s family faced after booking a room through the popular temporary lodging site Airbnb.
Per Mashable, the seven-member family had been staying in a Burleigh Heads home for the holidays when police came rushing in on Dec. 27. After investigators found eight cannabis plants in one of the bedrooms, the family was questioned for five hours. "The cops piled in on a mission," he said. "They didn’t know we were innocent, so it wasn't a friendly reception. We’d just been getting ready for a barbecue." He also revealed that he was told one of the rooms was off limits due to an electricity issue, but wondered why the lights were always on. Well, now he knows why.
The owner, a 40-year-old woman, has been charged with illegally producing a dangerous drug. Airbnb refunded the family for the booking and paid for their new accommodations. The house has also been banned from the service. "More than sixty million guests have stayed at an Airbnb property and while incidents like this are incredibly rare, we take them very seriously," Dylan Smith, the head of communications at Airbnb Australia and New Zealand, said to Mashable. "We've been in contact with the guest in this situation and will continue to do everything we can to offer our support."
At least things ended on a high note.
