My guest contacted me at 8:37 to say she wanted to cancel the next day because heavy rains were predicted. We have strict cancellation policy. We said rain was no excuse. She wrote 7 minutes later to claim death in family. Airbnb refunds $378 and I am stuck with empty house for 2 days. I point out liklihood of scam. They say they saw obituary but wont show me. They admit they do not check to see if really related since they want to be sensitive!! Amazing, not sensitive at ALL to MY financial loss.
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@Nell How long have you been doing Airbnb? What kind of listing do you have whole house or private room?
two years, 4 properties. No rooms. Sole family business.
Well, it sucks but if you’ve been successfully doing this two years across 4 properties and this is the only loss you’ve had then I’d just chalk it up to the cost of doing business and hope for some karma to come their way. Are you the one in Savannah? If so, “Hook 'Em!”
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I would fight Airbnb. They need to prove their reason otherwise what’s the point of any cancellation policy.
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It does nothing believe me. All you will get is, sorry, we can’t release that due to confidentiality. I know it stings Neil. I’ve lost approximately that same amount due to a fishy mother in law story quite recently… I know other hosts have lost a lot more than we did. They really need to do something about this issue, as it is clear hosts are getting the short shrift when it comes to bogus cancellations. Yeah I know why you canceled. No one died. You found someplace else to stay. 
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And do you know why they always say it is an in law who kicked? Because invariably, the in law will have a different last name, so therefore literally any obit they find can do the trick.
Dusty is right about it being inevitable and the cost of doing business in this business, but ABB almost ALWAYS takes the side of the guest. I have seen it time and again in these forums. Although, I once had a guest book and then cancel because I said my grill was broken, all in the space of an hour for a same day rental, and they let me keep the cleaning fee. That was decent.
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Wait, if they wrote you on Airbnb and said they wanted to cancel because of rain, and then suddenly right after that a relative died - couldn’t Airbnb look at that message thread and see they were making it up?
We have a strict cancellation policy too and once a guest cancelled - claiming his wife suddenly got some deadly disease - and Airbnb said they checked into it and said it was true. But one time a woman made a reservation with us and then claimed a few days later that something happened at her job that would make it impossible for her to show up. I suspected a bogus excuse so I told her I was sorry but we couldn’t cancel it unless she could prove it to Airbnb. We didn’t hear back from her until the day of her arrival - when she actually showed up!
Whether Airbnb is good about it or not, you can use Airbnb to scare your guest from cancelling by telling them Airbnb will require ironclad evidence that their excuse is valid. Most people will give up at that point when they know they don’t have good evidence and can’t create it.
Anyway, just be glad it was only for two days!
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I even referred them to email thread BEFORE they started the “investigation”. They said they have to be “sensitive” and cant really question too much. They provided obituary and they verified a person with that name died. But they refused to make thsm show how they were related. But you are right, i am seeing on here it cpuld have been worse like all week. I just lived through being ebay seller where they only had a business because if sellers. BUT sellers were always the loser in any dispute. Now I see airbnb the same way, hosts are not nearly important as guests. Oh well.
An even worse priblem was thar fir 68 days my listing only showed 3 weeks out so amyone looking betond 3 weeks could not see me! They verified it was happening . I called everyay for 68 days. They were suppossedly working on it the WHOLE TIME. Even said it was a system wide prioblem they were teyi g to get to bottom of. I opened twin account and switched my listings there (no reviews). Finally they said it wasnt really a glitch!! It was an algorithm they used on some accounts to “help me” get “quality” stays be ONLY ALLOWING people wanting to stay more than 4 days see my account., even though i had1 day minimums. In savannah, stays average 2 days. With 4 properties i have had 2 stays that long in 2 years!!! So the result was NO ONE SAW IT. They applied this algorithm without my knowledge and it was just luck i caught it. It also happenned to a host i stayed with in May.
So i was already fed up with them.
But for now i get so mamy more bookings with them than vrbo, so its like cable oe ebay - your stuck havjng to live with their service.
Thanks for writing!! I really just needed to vent:)
Had the same thing happen to me; AIRB has no interest in assisting hosts. But in time, as the good hosts leave their platform, AIRB will become known as the place to book a dump, and their business will suffer; at which point they will give a poop about hosts. I for one maintain my AIRB listing, just to see how far down the listing page they can push me for not accepting their instant book nonsense, or for not accepting known hookers (had that actually happen, AIRB said I should not be so judgmental - sure, let hookers stay in the AIRB reps house then). Anyway, just remember this: AIRB will ultimately be treated by hosts the same way they treat their hosts - and their product line will decline, and decline and decline. Already I see they have more listings for a room in a place instead of entire apartments and homes - wonder why (this is a change over the last year in my city)? Guess that explains their price match suggestions - have you ever looked at what AIRB thinks you should rent your place for? I have, I would never lower my price to the price they suggest, their price is just that far off reality.
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I’m afraid Airbnb is giving you some "tough love"
Just think;
If these guest could have done this to you before staying … Imagine what those bastards ‘could’ have done with your property “if” they actually stayed!
Karma my friend. Karma ‘eventually’ pays dividends both ways.
I wish that were the case. Unfortunately, my numbers with vrbo are going down and airbnb up. I was an Ebay seller, so know in these business models the seller/host is NOT considered a customer. So I am adjusting. The price suggestions are a joke!! You might as well just rent by the year. Fortunately, here in Savannah, there has not been any price cutting. Someone on twitter said not to complain or they would terminate me. So at least I got to vent here 
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@Alan1 Do I understand you correctly? You are saying that Airbnb is in decline because private room listings exceed entire apartment/entire home listings? If so you must be completely confused about how Airbnb started. They actually promote the corporate image of people hosting in their homes rather than professional landlords using Air as just another way to get business.
So tell us about your hooker hosting story, what happened?
Look up the hooker story; there is a thread titled “As a superhost am I required to rent to known Prostitutes.” Its all there.
Ok, I actually remember reading that now. Yes there have certainly been cases of prostitutes using airbnb. I’m sorry yours is the kind of place that attracts prostitutes. I haven’t had any request to book here and probably won’t but then again if they follow all my rules I’m unlikely to know. I’m sure if I were internet researching one of my guests and found them evidence that they were sex workers I’d probably be uncomfortable. But again, that just isn’t going to happen at my listing or many other air listings that are in people’s homes where they are present. That’s why your insinuation that those kinds of listings are a signal that air is in decline is puzzling to me.
I have read enough of these forums now to know, there is no point in responding, as the comprehension level of what is written and what people think is written are two different things. Good luck with your listing. And BTW, your slight about my listing attracting hookers - not only is it in poor taste, but childish. I am sure though, we both agree, we attract two totally different types of guests.
If AirBnB wants to be sensitive to this lying guest, that’s their business. However you should still get paid per the cancellation policy.
This has happened more than once to me, where the guest gives 2 or 3 conflicting reasons for a cancellation. I’ve been paid in full each time.
You mean perceived slight
Quite true of you as well
I asked you to clarify your statement about the increase in private room listings vs whole house. You did not.
I said that I’ve never had a prostitute attempt to book my place. I’m sure this is because it’s “a room in a place” instead of an entire apartment or home. But you are ranting about the increase in private room listings and the decline of Airbnb.
I’m going to apologize again that a prostitute tried to book your place, whatever kind of place that is. I’m assuming it’s an entire house or apartment. My choice of the words [quote=“KKC, post:16, topic:5473”]
the kind of place that attracts prostitutes
[/quote]
is not meant to be a slight for you to take personally. It means there is a kind of place that prostitutes would choose. I didn’t say it was your fault. You are quite firm in insisting that this is an all too common problem and that I can read lots of stories if I will just do the research. Since I and others here who rent a room in place don’t get prostitutes as guests then I have to think that is not the sort of place they want to book.