YeBanKo parent
If you showed up and there was a construction going on it most likely was a scam. Very common on Airbnb unfortunately. And there aren’t that many parties involved, just you and scammers, and, of course, Airbnb, but this is when they really become “we are just a marketplace”.
No, it was an emergency booking because of fires, and I think they just didn't think of it because there was some rather frenetic back and forth to get it booked. The work was painting going on outside, but it blocked the balcony. I wouldn't default to most problems on airbnb are scams. It seems too cynical to me given my experiences and those of people I know who use it a lot, even if there are some known problems.
I agree that not everything on Airbnb is scam and plenty of reasons to use it, still. Now painting outside maybe not an issue, but it depends. If they had a balcony with a view in a photo of a property and featured it in a description, but somehow forgot to mention anywhere that it is obstructed by a construction - it is “scamish”.