I guess it depends on the listing, but I once booked a place that was billed as a nice romantic getaway in a beach town on AirBnB, and when we got there the room didn't look anything like the picture, many of the sheets and towels did not match and were low quality, and many of the small pillows, rugs, decorative curtains, and other furnishings shown in the ad were not there.
Yes I insisted on and got a full refund -- they were advertising a boutique, romantic getaway, not a cheap motel near the beach.
OP's scenario sounds like a shithead (which exist everywhere on every platform) was abusing the system to save some cash.