In need of a vacation, two anesthesiology residents left Boston for a little relaxation in California, only to have an Airbnb nightmare. 

Jaleesa Jackson and Chiedozie Uwandu have requested $5,000 from Airbnb, a home-stay company that allows hosts to rent their homes or rooms to other users, in compensation for the horrors they endured throughout their stay, the Boston Globe reports. When speaking to the outlet, Jackson and Uwandu recounted the odd turn of events and their even stranger host.

After booking a small guesthouse in Los Angeles from a “superhost,” a title that Airbnb grants to those who receive a 5-star rating from at least 80 percent of guests who leave a review, among other qualifications, the couple was excited to find a bottle of wine and a welcome note waiting for them. The gifts were left by their host, JJ. 

The trip was off to a great start until the pair was woken up by the sound of loud banging on the door around 5:30 in the morning, the Boston Globe reports. Outside, a man reportedly yelled, “I know you’re in there, Kevin!” Jackson quickly called their host for help, only to hear his phone ringing on the other side of the door. 

“Yeah, that was me,” JJ told Jackson afterward. “Sorry about the confusion. Life’s too short for me to give you an explanation. Have a nice time in L.A.”

According to Newsweek, the couple pushed forward with their vacation, enjoying a day at the beach before everything escalated. Their next morning visit came around 2 a.m. when a man suddenly crashed through the guesthouse’s glass window. 

“I had no idea what was happening,” Uwandu told the Boston Globe. “But I reacted like we were under attack.”

The police were called, and JJ was arrested, claiming that Airbnb asked him to remove the couple due to “cleaning charges,” Newsweek reports.

Around the time the couple was speaking to officers about what took place, an older woman came out of the main house, asking who they were. Uwandu and Jackson soon learned that the woman was the real owner of the guesthouse and that she rented it out to JJ, who was not authorized to rent to others. 

The two eventually opted to stay at a hotel sans erratic hosts. 

When the couple requested compensation for their struggles, the company agreed to pay just half of their asking price and for therapy sessions. People Magazine reports that both Uwandu and Jackson declined the offer. In a statement to People, Airbnb declared its initial response to the couple was "insufficient."

“Our original handling of this incident fell well below the high standards we set for ourselves. We have apologized to Dr. Jackson and Dr. Uwandu for our insufficient response," the company said. "We are currently working with them to make this right, and we are reviewing every aspect of this case from the reports of the host’s disturbing behavior to our response. Our community’s safety is our priority, we are deeply sorry for the anguish and inconvenience our guests have experienced and again we are working to make it right.”

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