I have guests booked for Friday Sept. 6th. They want to cancel and get a full refund for Hurricane Dorian which is 1,000 away at this point and may or may not come to South Carolina. My listing is 100 miles from the coast.
What would you do?
I sent this missive to them earlier.
FYI: Newscasters do sensationalize hurricanes, granted areas in their direct path do sustain high winds, rain and damage ect. In the past when hurricanes skirted and actually hit SC (except for Hugo in about 1989) here in the midlands we got a little bit of rain for a day and some wind. Just saying. I do not mean to sound insensitive to what is happening in the Bahamas and could possibly happen in Florida but usually by the time they get here they are just tropical storms. I have been in the broad cast journalism business and the more things are sensationalized the more ad revenue. As to our governor ordering a mandatory evacuation for the coastal area today is pretty much grand standing and politically motivated since we really don’t know where Dorian may go, or when and if it will actually come this way. Last year when he did it coastal people were displayed for over a week for some rain…Just saying!
I think Airbnb will likely refund them regardless.
I’m in South Florida. So I’ve had hurricane scares plenty of times. I wouldn’t have sent your missive though - people are neurotic about the way the media build these things up and who would want to vacation in miserable weather. (That’s all I think we’ll get - a gloomy day or two with drizzle).
Agreed with @Militaryhorsegal - Airbnb will see it as extenuating circumstances.
I told her I would refund her. But, she wants me to cancel her reservation. I told her that she had to initiate that for me to remain in good standing that as I a host I cannot cancel without penalty (for lack of a better word) . We have both talked to support (this is actually a Homeaway booking) . They told her I had to cancel and of course they told me she did.
I really don’t have a problem refunding her as she explained it is not weather related but travel related too. I would not want to stuck in that traffic either.
Im sure she’s glad you are willing to be her travel Insurance for changes in traffic. You are certainly nicer than I would be there…
YOU should NOT Refund, or Cancel – That’s what Airbnb is supposed to do to earn their Service fees – they collect and disperse money and post our listings.
I saw a B and B in New Mexico with wording about cancellations that included something about travel insurance. Many of their policies reflect that they have the exact same struggles with guests that we do. Fines for pets, no ESAs allowed, guests are limited and with advance permission only. They include warning about “we are rural…if you want close to town stay somewhere else”, no TV or AC, etc.
For clarification this is a Homeaway booking, not Airbnb.
This is what I have in my rental agreement at HomeAway that the guests must sign. HomeAway honored it during Harvey as we got rain for days and were far enough away from the major mess. We ended up renting to first responders after the guests 2 day stay.
Cancellations / Refunds – Please initial to verify that you have read and agree to all terms: __________
If this contract is cancelled for any reason, guest no longer reserves the right to stay at the booked accommodation. However, this contract remains a legally binding contract and guest agrees the CANCELLATION AND NO REFUND POLICY and applicable sections of the GENERAL TERMS, CONDITIONS AND DISCLOSURES and CONDITIONS OF RENTAL, and the ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES section remain in full force and affect. After confirmation of booking, any cancellation will result in the forfeiture of all monies received. (We strongly urge travelers to purchase trip/travel insurance to protect themselves in case of last minute cancellation.)
Yes, you are probably right. I should have referred her to my cancellation policy.
Actually, she still has not cancelled her reservation. I don’t know if she changed her mind. I messaged her a several hours ago that if she wants to cancel she needs to do it soon. So that it will be available for possible evacuees. As there are people evacuating due to our Governor’s demand and last year during a “hurricane” that tuned into a few showers I had evacuees book with me. My friend who has an Airbnb got a booking today for evacuees.
You say you are 100 miles inland? That doesn’t deserve a refund if you are covered by your contract.
I agree. And if she pursues a cancellation and refund what should I do. In my text with her this morning I said I understood and she would have to go homeaway to cancel. Since I have changed my mind due clearer understanding of what she is asking I don’t feel like she is entitled to a refund.
You can’t really tell the guest one thing and then change your mind. I mean, you can but shouldn’t. At this point you are hoping for the best.
Do you know why you didn’t?
The storm is predicted to be in NC ( I am in SC) by Friday, which is her check in date. And she is coming from Florida!
Yeah, Stinking Mc Disaster. I cannot believe he was re elected. A guest booked my bnb in Charleston inland area, after the storm was named. So she knew it was coming. She canceled her Florida vacation and opted for the safety of South Carolina. She was a very rude guest, and communication was pretty much zero. She left one day early after Mc Disaster’s run for the hills speech. Did she try and talk to her host? NO. She just packed up and left early in the morning. Which she clearly decided to do the day before. She is also a former host and was so for 2 years. Did she cancel? Not until nearly 5pm yesterday, when my area was booking up with people fleeing the coast. So, I lost out on bookings. She said, she will not ask for a full refund, aka the days she was here but wants more than the last day. Air did not refund her fees or the taxes they steal from people in SC as they are not due from hosts who also live on the property. She asked for a refund and I declined. Sure I will get a bad review, but I feel like she booked here after the storm was named on Aug 29th, she took the gamble. I feel like she was gambling with my money and not her own. Sigh, I am seriously getting over air and their guests keep getting worse and worse. It used to be one out of 50 guests were bad. Now it is 1 out of 5 guests are great. Sigh.
Yeah and it looks like another non event for us. Only a loss of money and a plus of stress.
Me too!
Why does my post have to be 20 characters min? LOL