What happens if your holiday rental doesn't match the photos?

It's a bit of a buzz killer when your expectations don't match reality.

Whether it's an online order gone wrong, or a service at the hairdresser that isn't quite what you asked for, the world is full of experiences where consumers don't get what they paid for.

Fair Go has received many complaints about accommodation — holiday rentals, motels, hotels — that talk a big game, but don't deliver.

Australian-based Christine Long booked an Airbnb in Wellington in March. She paid $240 a night for six nights. On the apartment's listing, it looked clean and modern and was within her budget, but when she turned up, Long said it looked anything but.

"My heart sank a bit, and when I went through the front door the first thing that hit me was the smell of the building," she said.

"I thought maybe it's just a nice apartment and a bad building and then I went inside and my heart sank a little bit more."

Long said the apartment looked different to the listing. She said it was so dirty she had to clean a little herself and some of the furniture was different to what was pictured. The bedding was also unclean and there was no mattress cover.

"The glass windows were so dirty, you couldn't see out them and I actually licked my finger and wrote on them, 'clean these windows,'" she said.

Long understands her case may not be as bad as some experiences, but Fair Go wanted to know whether consumers should expect the pictures of an accommodation listing to be accurate.

Consumer New Zealand's Gemma Rasmussen said they should.

"By law under the Fair Trading Act, accommodation providers cannot be misleading people about what they're actually promising and what is in fact delivered," she said.

"With Airbnb there are the host terms and they say you need to ensure that the availability, what's presented, how many bedrooms, the cleanliness, the photos — all of that needs to be accurate."

But Rasmussen said people need to be reasonable.

"If a coffee table is different or if an art work has been swapped out, then that's probably not going to be grounds to complain, but if you're looking at a completely different set up from the photo that has been represented, or the house is a lot dirtier, then you do have grounds for complaint."

Long got in touch with the apartment property managers, Trust Properties, the day she arrived, and they refunded her the $70 cleaning fee.

On the second day of her stay they also offered Long a refund for the remaining nights. She didn't take that offer — she was worried about what alternative accommodation she could book at such short notice, and she was on her own.

"I can understand that anybody watching this story would ask 'why didn't she just get out?' But, for me this is about integrity, this is about people presenting things honestly," Long said.

Trust Properties stand by its listing.

"The photos of the listing where Christine stayed are a very honest representation of the property," it said.

Trust Properties also has more than 70 listings with more than 6800 reviews. Long was able to leave her own.

Long also contacted Airbnb for help, but not until she got back to Australia, a week after she had checked in.

"I assumed, never assume, that they would have a process of inspecting the building and checking out who is telling the truth," she said.

Fair Go wanted to find out what responsibility Airbnb had to make sure hosts are being honest on its platform.

Rasmussen from Consumer NZ said Airbnb would be vetting descriptions and photos uploaded.

"However, when you think about the sheer number of listings in New Zealand, it is possible that things could slip through the cracks," she said.

Airbnb apologised and directed Long to the host. It said it investigated further and gave Long a refund for the first night, since she decided to stay in the apartment for the rest of the week. It also promised a team would be sent out to check the property.

Airbnb's country manager for New Zealand and Australia Susan Wheeldon said: "Our team is very much focused on ensuring each stay is a positive experience. We introduced AirCover for guests, free. It's part of the Airbnb app and website, allowing guests to raise issues. In Christine's case appropriate action was taken, in line with our policies."

Fair Go asked what that action was. Airbnb didn't tell us about Long's specific case, but said more than 12,000 listings have been removed globally since April, due to hosts breaking Airbnb's rules.

It said: "Our hosting quality system identifies listings that may have failed to meet the expectations of our community. It also helps provide hosts with more specific and actionable guidance about how they can improve.

"When repeated or severe violations of our ground rules for hosts are reported, listings may be removed from the platform."

Long has some advice for others: "Be prepared to take action straight away, don't unpack your bag, get out."