Big Thank You from Airbnb. True story

Had a few probs with Airbnb. Then they paid me for a smashed door GBP350. Big thank you. And now, I swear this is true, they thought what I did for a guest was so nice, they sent me multiple emails telling me so, and also sent me a gift. A small one of my choice.

Here is what happened. A guest instant booked, STRICT, short notice. So full loss of cost if cancelled. From Singapore. On reading her intro message realised she had her geography wrong, and she wanted to stay at another location about an hour or so away. So I wrote to her and said happy to have her but she may be better booking closer to XX. She wrote back and said she had got it wrong…and could she cancel. Told full loss by Airbnb. LSS…I rang Airbnb and asked them to give her a full refund because she was booking somewhere else. Common decency right? Airbnb seemed gobsmacked (as granny used to say). Anyway thought I would share.

18 Likes

Good for you. I have let guests who have made a mistake in location/dates etc cancel four times and given them a full refund when I didn’t need to and haven’t got some much as a thank you from Airbnb let alone a choice of gifts :frowning: @sarah1

3 Likes

Being in business doesn’t always come down to financial rewards it is also doing the right thing IMHO. Kudo’s to you for doing what was in my opinion the right thing to do.

8 Likes

That is exactly why I don’t refund. Sorry guest, you didn’t read. Not my problem. Some may say full refund would have been the “right” thing to do but next time they will more likely READ before booking at YOUR place incorrectly, so I saved you the hassle.

2 Likes

It is not necessarily the guests fault - if they don’t know the geography of the country they are booking and Air puts your listing in a way too large geographic area they may find themselves booked far away from where they intended. Our listing shows up in the same list as small cities 1 to 2 hours away in a different state. There are stories on the forum of people on border towns being linked with cities in a different country.

We showed up on a search for a city 3 1/2 hours away! The international guest was shocked when I let her know where we were. The only reason I knew she thought she was nearby was when she mentioned how excited she was to see that city. Full refund.

5 Likes

It is a shame that Airbnb does that but it is still he guest’s responsibility to look at the actual location of the one they book (before committing) to be sure it works for them.

2 Likes

Mine quite clearly show the area I am in, bang on location in the East of the city, the guest just didn’t bother to look\ask. And I mention my location/area five times in the description and have photos.

1 Like

I appreciate that and that’s why I allowed penalty free cancellations. It’s still a little gutting to hear that Airbnb treat hosts differently when they allow penalty free cancellations.

3 Likes

I’d definitely refund if this whole imbroglio only took my listing offline for a few hours.

A lot of times when I’ve done something reasonably decent like that for a guest, instant karma has floated my way with an even better booking.

6 Likes

In my case they have taken my listing off the market for weeks at a time and in one case for up to three days before arrival !!!

1 Like

I’ve done that too but no gift for me :frowning: :frowning: :frowning:
To me it’s just common decency. what if I were that guest, right?
But hey, our society is so screwed up they reward what it should be normal.

true, i can relate to this

1 Like

I can certainly appreciate that and wouldlikely do the same if not for the dozens of guests that have disrespected me and my listings and Airbnb supports that. When/if the balance shifts I’m sure my willingness to refund will change accordingly.

1 Like

If you were that guest why did you not look to see that the location actually worked for you?

2 Likes

@Militaryhorsegal actually i am very careful when planning, i actually do go on google map and figure out the miles from a desired abb location to my point of interest but there are people and people… and it’s very easy for someone who might not be that good with computers to book a place far away from a venue. Many of my guests actually ask before booking “how far are you from xx?” but it is possible to have people who made a genuine mistake.

4 Likes

Sarah1, this is truly the heart of being an Airbnb host… showing compassion when warranted, being accommodating, being the excellent host in a holistic way. Sure, we can have the cleanest, most sparkling house, provide the finest amenities, but sometimes miss the hosting part. We are not a hotel, we are much more than that!

I’ve seen this too many times: “Strict - no exceptions - many house rules - you violate anything you will be fined huge money - if plane is late, or guest is out of phone range, or host unable to communicate with guest when they want to, just cancel the reservation”, with no regard to the issues the guests may be facing.

I fully get it… it is hard to deal with some guests, and some do deserve to be treated with a firm hand. But after reading some of the posts about going after guests aggressively for some small thing they missed, sometimes for no cause or the guest simply having not read thoroughly every sentence of many rules (I admit, I’m a speed reader and sometimes miss a few small things), it makes me hesitate to book Airbnb when traveling myself.

We have had many nice people stay at our home, and many good experiences as guests. And hope to keep it that way; Keeping house rules simple and concise, clearly listing what we DON’T provide (not just listing what we DO provide); A small expression of kindness, a smile, and common courtesy goes a long way! Rant over… :sunglasses:

6 Likes

I’m glad you do check the map so if you do make a mistake it is that, a mistake, and if you accept that then great. And if the host is willing and able to finance that even better. I can’t at the moment. I do look forward to the day when I can. And I am glad there are those that can and do! Like the OP!

I completely get your comments against what I did Militaryhousegal. Especially about the money. But, she booked, and I saw almost immediately that it i was wrong. It was a 2 night stay. Seemed the right thing to do. SAME WEEK I had a request for a cancellation for a one week reservation that had been booked in February. Big money for me, and the busiest month of the year. STRICT. People book months in advance so unlikely to recover with a replacement. She wanted 100% refund and I said NO, only 50% according to the rules. Suggested she call on her travel insurance (overseas travel). I didnt say, but why should I be her default insurer? So, there you have it. Swings and roundabouts. I was just so surprised by Airbnb gift. Thought I would mention it.

4 Likes

I am still waiting for the karma. Please!!!

They sent you an actual gift? How did this work? In my experience the Airbnb reps are more inclined to throw cash at me.

1 Like