I had one bad host experience, with a listing that as far as I can tell just didn't exist. Sent info to airbnb, including screenshots of trying to call the host. Got reimbursed in full in a few weeks. Pretty much what I expected them to do.

Since airbnb is a marketplace, it pays to look at host ratings and reviews, or just filter by superhost. If you pick somebody with 2 reviews that just opened, you have to be aware it's a gamble. It's not necessarily a mistake, depending on context, but a gamble.