Airbnb Host Accuses Guest Of “Disconnecting” TV After He Forgot This Basic Step

We all know that moment of pure frustration when you just want to relax, but the technology refuses to cooperate. For one traveler, a cozy weekend getaway with his girlfriend seemed absolutely perfect—until they tried to stream their favorite show and realized the cabin’s entertainment setup was stuck in the past.

Finding only standard satellite television with limited channels, he decided to take matters into his own hands by plugging his own Roku streaming stick into an empty HDMI port on the bedroom TV. It seemed like a completely harmless, everyday tweak—or so he thought. However, what he assumed was a simple adjustment quickly spiraled into a dramatic confrontation.

Upon checking out, a minor oversight on his part sparked an unexpected tech crisis and a furious, accusatory phone call from his hosts. Curious how a basic button press blew up into a hospitality nightmare that threatened his guest rating? The full story is right below.

Airbnb Host Accuses Guest Of "Disconnecting" TV After He Forgot This Basic Step

AITA for changing the input on an Airbnb's tv?

Every traveler knows the struggle of dealing with outdated cable packages when all you want to do is unwind with your favorite streaming app. For one guest, a simple attempt to watch a movie turned into an unexpected ordeal.

A little while ago, I went on a trip with my girlfriend, and we booked an Airbnb.

The place was nice, and we had a good time, but there was a little hiccup.

There were two TVs in the house, and they both had Dish satellite receivers.

We bought a Roku stick so we could watch something other than satellite, and hooked it up to the bedroom TV.

The TV had two HDMI inputs, so I just hooked it up to the empty one.

On the way out, I remembered I didn't change the input back.

I wasn't really worried about it, though.

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The owner was a 60-something-year-old woman, and I figured she should be able to change the input.

Turns out I was wrong.

On the drive home, I got a call from the owner.

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What should have been a simple, two-second fix suddenly morphed into a high-stakes tech support crisis. The host was absolutely furious, claiming that the guest’s minor adjustment had completely broken the entertainment system in the house.

Owner: "Is this [Name]?"

Me: "Yes, it is!"

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Owner: "Did you mess with anything on the TV?"

Me: "I just plugged something in briefly. Is there a problem?"

Owner: "Yes. Neither of the TVs were working, and it took my husband two hours to get them working again."

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Me: "I guess I could have bumped something...?"

Owner: "Well, when you stay in someone's home, you shouldn't mess with their technology stuff. It isn't yours. You need to remember that."

Me: "...My bad."

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Owner: "Yeah. I know. Hope you have a safe trip."

I feel sort of bad for not changing it back.

I knew the owner was an older woman, and I probably shouldn't have assumed she wasn't very tech-savvy.

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However, and maybe I'm wrong for this, I don't think you need to be very tech-savvy to change your TV input from HDMI 1 to 2.

Also, I'm sure she lied to me when she said both TVs didn't work, as I didn't even touch the living room TV or the remote.

Am I the AH?

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Some things I forgot to mention: The TV was not a smart TV.

For clarification, 'on the way out' meant 'on the way out of town,' not 'on the way out of the house.' When I said, 'I may have bumped something,' it...

Although I do understand how that would look like I was lying about the input, I said it because I was just kind of taken aback by the owner's frustrations...

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The ultimate fallout arrived in the form of a public review, transforming a private misunderstanding into a permanent mark on his traveler profile. The host left a scathing complaint that accused him of disconnecting multiple devices.

UPDATE: The owner left a review on my profile that reads as follows: '[Name] stayed for 2 nights but disconnected both TVs.'

'Never told me the TV no longer worked because of him messing with them. Two hours of my time spent to get it resolved.'

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'I'm very disappointed with this stay and lack of communication.' To be honest, I'm a little upset (but not really surprised) about this.

I'll own up to forgetting about the input.

I understand the frustration at the lack of communication, but I didn't disconnect both TVs.

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Just thought it’d be beneficial to add a bit more context.

Community Opinions

Reddit overwhelmingly backed the guest, with many pointing out that changing a TV input is a basic life skill, though a few criticized him for not being honest about the Roku.

u/JustWannaRelax22 No you are not the ah. We literally do this every single trip (bring our own Roku or Apple TV). They should have been able to switch the hdmi...

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u/Imaginary-Sand-1417 NTA as you just changed the input. Now, if you had mirrored the screen or changed the language to japanese, then yes, you would have been rude had you...

u/CorgiSilver8194
You be surprised how many people don't know how their tv works or the difference between the smart tv and the cable box.

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u/ConflictGullible392 NTA. You’re not staying in “someone’s home” you’re staying in a commercial rental, where the money you pay entitles you to use the facilities. If she can’t deal she...

u/disasterbee
Why didn’t you just tell them you changed the input tho? Why the lying about bumping something

u/El6uy
A good rule of thumb is to leave things the way you find them; just in general.
I was always taught to be considerate of other people's things though.

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u/wklink If a guest I invited plugged stuff into my TV and switched things around, I would not be happy. That's why I don't rent my house to strangers on...

u/abstract_lemons
If I hadn’t experienced Airbnb, I’d think this was fake… still sort of do since it wrapped up so nicely
As long as everyone gets nice review, NAH

u/Ok_Patience1542 NTA. Not your fault they can't figure out technology. Changing the input on a tv is not something that was just invented. Tvs have been doing that for 30+...

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u/wesmorgan1
You weren't staying in "someone's home", you were staying in a commercial rental.
NTA - and feel free to give them a less-than-positive review for calling you about it.

u/Artwebb1986
NTA 1000000x
I would have laughed on that phone call, sorry I must have mistakenly hit the change input button, My bad.

u/gothicmirror I work in an entertainment place, bowling, arcade, escape rooms the like. The sheer volume of older folks that are using something incorrectly or not understanding a puzzle, and...

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u/Nesrie98 NTA. You didn't bump anything. They just didn't know how to put it back and instead of figuring it out, they decided to call you. We play Switch, often,...

u/HowDoesTheKittyCatGo Definitely NTA. That lady sounds like the customers I had who called my boss accusing me of breaking their ceiling fan because it wouldn't turn on after I did...

u/GenitalFurbies
Hard NTA.
If you're hosting people in your home you should know how to change your TV from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

A few commenters also reminded everyone that leaving things exactly as you found them is simply good manners, regardless of the host's tech skills.

Navigating the unspoken rules of modern vacation rentals can be a minefield, especially when technology is involved. While it is always polite to leave a space exactly how you found it, expecting travelers to completely abstain from using basic TV features might be asking too much of paying customers.

Both sides clearly lacked a bit of grace in this situation, leaving behind a ruined rating over a simple input switch.

Do you think the guest was in the wrong for not resetting the TV input, or did the host completely overreact to a simple fix? How would you handle a bad review like this on your profile? Share your hot take below!

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