Not sure if this allowed. I am a host but also a guest, i am wanting info as a guest. We recently booked a 10 day vacation in Bucerias. We received confirmation and all was ok. I then get a message from the host saying that there was a problem with the app and that someone booked before me for those dates (It was about 16 days for the other booking) so they would like to give us a refund. I stated no that i did not want a refund and that i have confirmation. The host now state that there was a duplicate ad and that they are working on trying to honour our dates. I told the host that airbnb wanted us to contact them and wanted confirmation for the trip, and i asked also how would they like to respond to airbnb. I have not heard back from the last message. Do I call BS on this one. How is it possible to have a duplicate. Did they get a private message to get a booking for a longer date and now they want to dump us? Advice.
Yes, it’s possible to get a duplicate booking. It’s also possible that he just got a better offer and wants you to cancel. Absolutely do not cancel on your side. Make him cancel and get your full refund. Bottom line, is that whether it’s a double booking or some glitch, it’s still on the host.
I know you may think you want to stay there, but really…do you want to stay with a host that would be dishonest? Or incompetent maybe? How many reviews and what is the rating average?
@Thunderlake How quickly did the host contact you about the other booking? Although it’s not common, sometimes blocked dates become unblocked (glitch in the calendar system) or someone else really does book just a short time before you on another platform, such as Booking dot com or Vrbo. So it’s not always a greedy or incompetent host.
In that case, I would have expected the host to contact you shortly after the booking (within 24 hours if not sooner) and told you the situation. I agree with @KKC - the host has to submit the cancellation (this is why I have become nervous about using IB on AirBnB) and you should just start shopping for another property.
If it was a good number of days after you booked, then it’s more likely they got a better offer. But it’s still on the host to cancel.
If the host does not cancel soon, then call AirBnB CS and tell them the host cannot honor your reservation and you want your money back but won’t cancel because it is not your fault.
I live half a hour from Bucerias, and am in fact, going there tomorrow. Want me to grab a machete and go tell her she´s in big trouble if she doesn´t honor your booking? Just kidding with that last question. Hope it works out for you.
She could be scamming, but there´s no way to know that. Airbnb definitely has glitches where blocked dates open up mysteriously or vice versa. When is this booking for? Soon? If so, it´s not like this is major tourist season, like Xmas or Easter, where she might have gotten someone to pay a lot more. Newish host, or lots of reviews?
KKC thank you. Yes we want the booking. How is it possible to get a duplicate booking, never heard of it but i am not savvy to airbnb? I think they got a better offer in my opinion but you never know. The refund is not a question as it is 100% refundable till a day before the trip, we don’t want one, we want the booking.
PitonView they contacted us 2 days after we received confirmation of our trip. Stated they had problems with the app and offered us other dates. They have still not cancelled out trip they said they are working on accommodating us.
The host could list on more than one platform, as mentioned, for instance, Airbnb and VRBO. Hosts who use more than one platform sync the calendars, but sometimes there are glitches, or lags, and they can end up double booked, through both platforms. It wouldn’t be possible to get double booked on only one platform, because the dates would be blocked. But it’s also not beyond the realm of possibility that there is a tech glitch on Airbnb and dates the host has booked open up. I’ve never heard of that, though, only the possibility when using more than one listing platform.
What @muddy said - she was typing at the same time I was.
2 days is a little longer than I would have hoped, but it’s possible they somehow overlooked the AirBnB booking.
At this point, I’d just cancel and find a different place as long as all the money is refundable, including the AirBnB service fee. They (I mean the host) should cancel, but if they don’t, you risk being “accommodated” to another property of unknown quality. I still suggest you call AirBnB and have the CS rep help you, since you are cancelling because the host isn’t really accepting your reservation.
Nothing you have said in this thread leads me to believe this will turn out well for you. I asked about reviews and you didn’t reply so I’ll assume the worst.
The reservation has been confirmed and not cancelled as of yet, and we are not cancelling. Airbnb is trying to sort it out. The host didn’t divulge that they were also on a different platform, they said the airbnb app had a glitch and double booked. Not concerned about the money at all as it is 100% refund and no penalty at all.
As KKC said, we asked if this place had reviews, but you have ignored that question. The reason for asking is to know if this is a new inexperienced host who screwed up. Now that I reread your first post, as the host explained it to you, she had a duplicate ad, rather than what is normally thought of as a double booking that could happen because calendars from different platforms didn’t sync. Which makes it sound like she is inexperienced.
Yes, hosts can have more than one listing for the same place, but that is normally done because there are different parameters to each ad. It may be the same house, but for instance, they might only open up 2 bedrooms of a 3 bedroom house in certain seasons, and have a lower guest count for that one than the other. But in that case, the open dates would be different in each ad.
Sometimes new hosts create a listing, and somehow duplicate it. Then they don’t realize they haven’t deleted one of them, both go live, and they could get bookings on both for the same dates. If she’s a new host, this could have happened.
I can see why you feel that they ought to honour the reservation, but I just don’t see this ending well. They have one place and two bookings. Which one do you think they’ll choose.
I imagine they are hoping you’ll cancel so they don’t get a penalty. There’s no reason why you should do that, other than giving yourself the opportunity to get looking for another place sooner rather than later. My read is that the only way you’re getting this booking is if by chance the 16-night stay cancels between now and then.
If it were me, I’d walk.
mica555, yes for sure we are not getting the booking and no we will not cancel, if they get a penalty, it is on them! We want this booking as we have scored the rental sites and there is nothing else that suits. If they are new to this and it is a glitch I guess airbnb would know this and inform us. We have contacted the host and asked for confirmation of our reservation at the direction of airbnb and after 24hours airbnb states that they can do more. We hope to hear today. I will let you all know how this drama ends.
If you aren’t going to lose any money, why not just go ahead and cancel? Then move on and book something else. It’s supposed to be a vacation, right?
You seem like a complicated guest. Double bookings are common, just move on, host can wait till day of check in and cancel on you last second, and what are you gonna do then. Nothing nice available then to book… save yourself the trouble and time and cancel if refundable and find a host with nice reviews like mentioned already.
From the guest point of view I’d be quite irritated if I was expected to cancel because the host made a mistake. But if Thunderlake wants to book another Airbnb they have to get this booking canceled first. This sounds like the kind of host baloney that Airbnb is trying to clamp down on with their new host cancellation penalties.
We want the reservation, we are not cancelling it as it is a perfect location and we will only be sleeping there and spending the days with friends in their new house.
what part you don’t understand?! the host has double booking, and he already chose the other reservation is better for him, so he will either change the listing where you will stay or can cancel on you last second, just move on, don’t be so stubborn.
Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments. Never thought of them cancelling last minute, i guess that is a real possibility. It has only been a few days so we would like to see if there is a resolution. It may seem like we are digging our heels in but we would like to know what happened from airbnb point of view. I am not here for the scolding,… only suggestions, even if I don’t agree with them, I welcome them.
don’t count to much on airbnb cs, they don’t have much power, best case you get a 100 USD voucher if the host cancels last minute…you should focus on what other properties are left to book in the area, if you wait to long there might be a lot less choice and higher price… cancel and move on is my advice