Laissé par le workawayer () pour l'hôte
(Have fun and take part ...)
Phil and Deb, I am truly sorry.
It pains me deeply to write something so negative, but I do not wish to remain silent and thus become complicit. I am sharing this review out of my own moral conviction, in the hope of preventing future Workawayers from suffering similar harm. I fully understand that this may lead to receiving a negative review in
… read more return from the host, and I am prepared to accept that.
If anyone has doubts about the credibility of this account, both I and a German Workawayer named #redacted#, who stayed during the same period, can vouch for the accuracy of everything written here. All communications with the host—both on Workaway and via WhatsApp—have been recorded and preserved.
Let me start by saying that this review is not a personal attack on the host. In the interest of fairness, I would first like to mention the positive aspects. I am grateful that Phil and Deb welcomed me into their home. The house was clean, the food was delicious, and they were kind and accommodating even though I am not fluent in English. I especially appreciate that they took me to the hospital by car immediately when I was injured.
That said, there were serious issues. Despite a clearly agreed-upon two-week stay arranged in advance between the host and myself, both I and #redacted# were asked to leave on the fourth day of our stay for what can only be described as minor and emotional reasons. Even the host acknowledged that we were not at fault.
Nevertheless, our right and opportunity to fulfill the agreed-upon exchange—where accommodation and meals were to be provided in return for our labor—was unilaterally cut short. We were given only one night’s notice to vacate, and the host made no effort to arrange alternative accommodation. As a result, I was forced into temporary homelessness.
There were also safety concerns. Due to inadequate protective equipment provided by the host, I sustained an eye injury. In #redated# case, he was not even given any lung protection at the beginning, and he had to perform tasks that posed serious health risks without proper safety gear. To be honest, the working environment could not be considered safe or secure by any reasonable standard.
While I truly appreciate that they rushed me to the hospital by car when I was injured, the root of the problem lies in the environment itself—it should never have allowed such injuries to happen in the first place.
Despite us being in no way at fault, our opportunity to work in exchange for accommodation and meals, as explicitly agreed upon in advance, was abruptly terminated. I requested assistance with covering the cost of accommodation and meals via the Workaway messaging system, as a form of compensation. However, I received only one message from the host, which was full of deflection, avoidance of responsibility, and misdirection.
I responded to each point carefully and rationally, but they never took responsibility until the end.
To be specific, after the incident, the host made the following claims:
1. **"The spirit of the exchange arrangement did not work out for us and sometimes there is no fault on either side."**
This is inaccurate. In reality, the host unilaterally ended the arrangement during the agreed period, revoking our opportunity to work and failing to provide the promised accommodation and meals. This constitutes a breach of agreement on the host’s part. Therefore, it cannot be said that “neither side was at fault.”
2. **"Workaway website recommends travellers to have a back-up plan."**
Yes, it is important to have a back-up plan, but this is only a recommendation and does not justify a host breaking a clear agreement. It does not excuse the failure to uphold promised conditions.
3. **"Hosts and travelers are free to end an arrangement at any time."**
While Workaway’s terms do state that either party can end the arrangement at any time, a unilateral cancellation by the host during an active agreement should not occur without a valid reason or a reasonable notice period. Once the agreement has started, the host still bears responsibility for any breach.
Citing the “freedom to end arrangements” as an excuse to deny obligations is simply wrong.
4. **"As a host we were happy to welcome you..."**
While I acknowledge their initial hospitality, it does not erase the fact that the host later revoked our right to work and failed to provide the promised accommodation and meals. The host failed to fulfill their responsibilities as a host.
5. **"It is best to move to the next part of the adventure to avoid stress and problems."**
It was the host who unilaterally broke the agreement and caused significant hardship. This message shifts the blame and avoids addressing the core issue. The stress and difficulty I experienced were directly caused by the sudden cancellation of the agreement and the lack of any assistance.
Finally, to anyone considering a Workaway stay:
If you want your clearly agreed-upon rights and promises to be respected, if you wish to avoid becoming homeless without just cause, if you value a safe and healthy working environment, if you do not want to expose your body to irreversible harm, and if you expect calm and honest communication when problems arise—free from blame-shifting, deflection, or manipulation—then I would not recommend this host.
And once again, Phil and Deb, I sincerely apologize for having to publish such a negative review.