Am I responsible if the guest has to cancel due to travel problems?

I have a strict cancelation policy. A guest who was supposed to arrive a few days ago wrote me they could not make it due to a canceled train. He also asked for all his money back.

I wrote him I would not refund him the money as I have a strict cancelation policy, and if he could not make it due tue to a canceled train the costs should be covered by the train company or his travel insurance, not by me.

However, I got the following message from Airbnb:

If a guest can’t make it for whatever reason, am I really the one who’s gonna lose money?

Airbnb does have refunds for extenuating circumstances. In this case I don’t understand why the guest couldn’t simply get a later train or a coach? Did they give Airbnb documentary evidence?

Does he have travel insurance through his credit card?

@Joa

I wasn’t quite sure from your post if there was an actual question there? :slight_smile:

I am sure you know how Airbnb’s extenuating policy works, so you will know if the guests can provide evidence that a single train being cancelled will mean they can’t travel to you, they are likely to refund them, despite your policy.

You are within your rights to uphold your cancellation policy, if not, and not to be pressurised into voluntarily giving more than your policy allows for.

Hard to comment further based on the information your provided. Is there only one train a day and no alternative route by public transport into your property? If not, do emphasise to Airbnb all the options for travel open to this guest.

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this is exactly why I detest ABB. Ridiculous, but with proof the guest will be refunded.

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This is ludicrous. Can you imagine any other business operating this way? Ok, maybe big hotels can re-book last minute and cover the cost but nobody else. Can you imagine this:
Dear theatre/cinema/concert venue/airline … I missed the performance/ film/flight because my train was cancelled. Can I have my money back, please.

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I just had a guest who had to leave because he broke house rules. He subsequently is trying to get a refund because he is now flying to Hungary and wants to present his ticket as proof! What?

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Joa, is that the only train …? Perhaps you should look into how else the guest could make it to your place and send a screenshot of that information to Airbnb.

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For the record, we had a guest cancel last minute because they couldn’t enter the country. Airbnb contacted me to ask if we’d be willing to refund and I said no because we had turned out another more valuable booking. That was about 2 months ago and I haven’t heard anything since.

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This is the same problem that I’m facing, I hope AirBnB will address this too.

Yeah. This point irks me and is the reason why i no longer allow stays over 14 nights, just in case they cancel under the extenuating clause and leave my entire calendar empty.