Just lost $200 on a 'co-working paradise' in Bali that was a total scam

I booked a month at a place in Canggu that looked amazing online, with photos of a pool, fast wifi, and a quiet garden. Got there and the 'garden' was a patch of dirt, the wifi cut out every 10 minutes, and the pool was under construction. The owner just shrugged and said the photos were from 'last season'. I paid upfront, so I was stuck. I ended up working from a cafe for three weeks, which cost me even more. Has anyone else been burned by a fake co-working space? How do you check them out before you pay?

4 comments

4 Comments

cora_west51mo ago

Ugh, that's so frustrating. What a nightmare. Did you try to leave any reviews to warn other people?

the_faith1mo ago

But is it really that big of a deal? Seems a bit over the top.

lisas781mo ago

$200 for a month in Bali sounds cheap to me, honestly. Places that look too good to be true usually are. I get it's annoying, but you're traveling in a foreign country, some risk is part of the deal. Cora_west5 has a point about leaving a review, that's the best you can do now. Next time maybe book a shorter stay first to check it out. It's not like you lost your life savings.

abbyf7918d ago

Yeah I read somewhere that a lot of those cheap Bali rentals are basically scams where the photos are from a real listing but the actual place is a dump or doesn't even exist. $200 for a month is alarmingly low, like you're basically paying for someone's utility bills and nothing else. I remember a travel blog saying you should always reverse image search the photos before booking, because scammers just grab them from legit hotels. Sounds like you learned that lesson the hard way. At least you're out the cash and not stranded there, which I've heard happens to some people.