Airbnb is going through a really bad patch again with Airbnb Host support. When we need help with problem guests, potential third-party bookings or just making sure that we are covered under Airbnb’s Host Guarantee for odd guest issues-they are JUST NOT THERE for us. I hate to say it’s always their overseas support-but it is! They aren’t trained, don’t even have noise cancelling headphones, lie to you about supervisors being unavailable to speak with and they are constantly all saying different things and/or providing wrong information. They just make it up as they go along. It is just horrendous. I am sick and tired of this crap. We go to bat for them all the time in our city. We attend council meetings, contact city officials, do events for them all in the name of fighting to allow Airbnb to continue in our city. And what do we get? Not even a simple issue that can be solved over the phone, sorted. Ever feel you’ve been cheated?
While I personally havent had to call support other than to report guests who were going around my state destroying peoples airbnbs (i spoke with the other hosts) I do want to ppint out that Airbnb does NOT provide any insurance. You need your own str insurance. The Host Guarantee is NOT insurance.
I’ve only called support twice in all the years I’ve used Airbnb and one of those was for a very simple techie thing that I’d been stupid enough to miss. I can’t even remember the other reason.
So I have no idea if Airbnb is dumbing down or not.
But it’s important to remember that Airbnb isn’t there to run off to every time we have a problem or query. I imagine that Airbnb expects us to be able to run our own businesses without input from them once they’ve advertised our rentals and directed guests in our direction.
Of course they aren’t trained to solve hosts’ business problems - they are not experienced hosts, they haven’t been through months of training (and even that wouldn’t equip them to deal with some of the issues we face).
Call centre employees rarely are trained - don’t you remember the early days of computers when the first question computer helpline staff asked was ‘are you sure the computer is plugged in?’
I had one the other day (not Airbnb but a medical thing) who wanted me to go to a website to fill out a form. She insisted several times on giving me an email address. (I assumed as a password or something). I She was about to ring off without giving me the URL. I had to explain to her that I couldn’t go to the website without it and asked why I needed the email address. She said ‘I don’t know. That’s what it says on my piece of paper’. See? Daft as a brush.
There’s nothing that Airbnb can help a host with, without a LOT of hassle. It’s quicker, easier and cheaper to just deal with it yourself.
Aren’t you doing this for yourselves though? STR is simply not allowed, or restricted in some areas. Airbnb doesn’t need you personally to ‘go to bat for them’.
I haven’t had the same experience at all @ballyhoo
They have cancelled bookings for me three times this year without question and have also contacted guests for me that haven’t answered my IB questions. They are always to get through to and follow up by phone and email promptly.
What sort of issues are you having with your listing that they haven’t been able to help you with?
I find myself frustrated with support about half the time I deal with them. But I agree with jaquo that it’s just best to deal with things yourself when possible. For bookings and payment I’m stuck with them but for other things like “rules,” and “number of guests,” it’s best to make my own way.
If they say “first clear your cache and cookies”. I say “No I am not going to do that I shouldn’t have to upend my entire browsing system for your mistake”. So then they give you Plan B.
Yes they do, because they ask us to go to these city council and planning commission meetings all the time. They ask us to write letters and try to meet with our city council people as well. Of course we are doing to for ourselves as well, so that would be correct that we expect a reciprocal relationship
They ask you personally and not other hosts locally?
My experience has been pretty good. I just don’t always like the answer.