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I got a booking last night for a stay couple of weeks out.
This morning the guest messages me saying:
I booked this by accident. Would I be able to get my refund for the date that I booked for?
How does someone book by accident? I think there are 3 or 4 pages in the booking flow. To me, the more probable reason is they decided to change their trip plans and making up an excuse for a refund.
It is easy to do. When you are browsing around (as I often do to check out the competition) Airbnb will sneakily add dates for you and the red button changes from âcheck availabilityâ to âreserveâ without notice. Itâs very annoying.
I have also had a guest accidentally book thinking my city was a city with the same name in a different country.
I think youâre right. Itâs an excuse to cancel without penalties. If I remember correctly, in order to book guest has to input credit card information and click on âconfirm.â
Iâve had guests from tiny countries book with me who have then realised that Orlando isnât in South Florida!
Because they are from small countries, they donât fully understand that just because a place is in Florida it doesnât mean that itâs close to other places in Florida. 
You need to approach this situation with compassion.
Iâd say something like this to the guest:
I understand that you booked my listing by mistake.
I feel for you.
Please remember that no one is perfect.
We each make mistakes; when we do, we need to âownâ it.
Please donât feel âdefinedâ by your mistakes.
Now is a time to listen without defensiveness.
Resist any negative self talk: youâre a capable person!
On the plus side, youâve just had an "Airbnb experienceâ
And an opportunity for self-growth.
On the minus side, you wonât get all your money back,
But the way to look at it is the positive self-growth youâve gained.
Be positive!
Cheers,
Xxxx
This also reminds me of the West Wing episode where it turns out that Sam Seaborn (played by Rob Lowe), advisor to the President of the U.S., says he accidentally slept with a prostitute (Lori, played by Lisa Edelstein). Toby (played by Richard Schiff) asks the question youâre asking.
Sam Seaborn:
About a week ago I accidentally slept with a prostitute.
Toby Ziegler:
[pause] Really?
Sam Seaborn:
Yes.
Toby Ziegler:
You accidentally slept with a prostitute?
Sam Seaborn:
A call girl.
Toby Ziegler:
Accidentally?
Sam Seaborn:
Yes.
Toby Ziegler:
I donât understand. Did you trip over something?
Iâd just roll my eyes and cancel.
Well, taking action is something too many people â especially guys â resort to
When empathetic listening is called for.
Now is the time for the Host to listen, actively, empathetically.
Itâs often helpful to âmirror backâ what the guest says, like:
âI hear you saying that you booked by mistake, is that right?â
In this way the guest feels, heard, acknowledged, respected.
Itâs important for the seasoned Host to resist taking any action, but to keep asking
open-ended questions and then mirroring back what was said,
Most people wonât even realize that youâre using this advanced listening technique
and just feel enveloped in a bubble of warmth and love.
/s
Since the booking was just made, donât sweat itâŚtell them to cancel fuggetaboutit.
So I hear you saying that given that the booking was just so recently made, that the Host should tell this mistakeful guest to simply cancel. Have I got this right?
And your âfuggetaboutitâ suggestion - well, itâs so, so easy going, isnât it? Would you describe yourself as an easy going person?
Yet this imperative you pronounce: âdonât sweat it.â Itâs an interesting choice of words, isnât it?
The imperative followed by something easygoing but in between the raw, visceral evocations of the physical body. What is that about â for you?
@house_plants So, you see the technique. Itâs quite advanced, subtle, barely noticeable. Engage your guest in this way and no doubt the guest will not contact you for long either about the refund or a booking.
Tell them that youâve been a long-time home share host, so you could be there, for them.
Yeah I would describe myself as easy going. But donât guests get a 48 hour window to cancel penalty-free? If it was just last night they can cancel even on a strict policy and get a full refund.
Yes, they can get a refund on a strict cancellation policy if they cancel within 48 hours AND the cancellation is at least 14 days before the check-in date.
It sounds like this quest might qualify as the OP said the check-in date was a âcouple of weeks out.â
But this guest might not know that. So here an advanced Hosting technique would be to wait to respond for 48 hours and in this way increase not only revenues but the bottom line itself.
Or the Host could say something artfully vague like, âI certainly understand. Mistakes happen. Thank you for explaining, please think of us if you come to the area and best to you.â
The unsuspecting guest might feel that they have just cancelled. But if course they have not cancelled, and as the 48 hours ticks by the Host can become filled with glee at the free money to be siphoned into their bank account.
Iâm just kidding, of course, in a silly mood just now by this guestâs âmistakeâ. Although many hosts are profit-maximizing, few are so Darwinian.
Guest chose the non-refundable option⌠no such grace period on that option.
Ding! Ding! Ding! I hear a jackpot.
itâs not free money⌠how about all the work that goes into answering their questions after they book such as âbooked by mistakeâ.
And all the responsibilities that go with the âjobâ of hosting: answering inquiries, dealing with Airbnb policy changes, keeping listing updated due to Airbnb settings changes, etc. With these responsibilities, hosts also get perks such as an occasional profit from a guest who books a non-refundable stay and does not stay.
I realize that. I was kidding.
I get it. You win some, you lose some, and it balances out.
This reminds me of âMadame Secretaryâ when St Augustine walks into a bar.
In all seriousness itâs your call.
Maybe the guest made a âmistakeâ, maybe they want to change their plans.
We really canât know.
But they chose a nonrefundable option and youâre well within your rights â in every way you think about that, legally, morally â to honor the arrangement that you and the guest each agreed to. The guest â and Airbnb will hold you to your agreement, we know that.
So, if I were the Host and if I decided not to waive the policy, I might say something like:
Iâm sorry to hear you say that you booked this by accident. You chose the non-refundable option and my policy of fee integrity assures all my guests that I strictly abide by the cancellation policy that we each agreed to.
In that way each guest knows that the terms and conditions apply equally to everyone, that thereâs nothing that could be said where for some the policy is waived but not for others. I hope you can arrange to come [edit appropriately], itâs so beautiful at this time of year, the flowers are in bloom and the weather while hot is really so very nice. I look forward to hosting you!
In that case my response is always
"You were offered a booking option that would have allowed you to cancel with full refund, but you declined that option and chose to book on a ânon-refundableâ basis in exchange for a 10% Airbnb discount.
"Although you chose to make a non refundable reservation, I am willing to offer you a goodwill CONDITIONAL full or partial refund if another Airbnb guest books for some or all of the nights you have reserved. I am willing to offer this voluntary refund because I am not looking to get paid twice for the same dates. The refund would be forwarded to you by Airbnb after I have been paid for the replacement booking, usually a few days after the guest arrives.
âIf you would like to accept my goodwill offer of a conditional partial or full refund, your first step is to formally cancel the reservation. The sooner you cancel, the sooner (and more likely) that someone else will book the empty night(s).â
PS to forum members
If the guest starts getting obnoxious or aggressively entitled, I remind them that this voluntary âgoodwillâ offer assumes that both of us are trying to resolve the situation with goodwill, and the offer will be withdrawn if they do not want to approach resolution with demonstrated good will that matches my own.
If the guest gets abusive (personal insults â and this happened once) I just tell them the offer is withdrawn in face of their bullying, and complain to Airbnb that I want them cut off, and once Airbnb saw the swearing and personal insults, the abusive guest could no longer reach me through the platform.
This is a possibility, though given that the booking is just two weeks out my concern as Host would be that I want the guest to feel good about me so that they donât come and mess the place up or give a retaliatory review. SO itâs a judgment call on whether the possible offer for refund makes that more likely or the approach I gave above.
The wording I use for the potential refund is:
âI will agree to Airbnb refunding you, up to your daily rates, the amount for the cancelled and any re-booked days, net of any Airbnb fees, up to the amount I receive, which is net of any Airbnb fees or any other charges, two weeks after the re-booked stay is completed and any outstanding charges resolved.â
Iâve explained elsewhere here (and not everyone here agreed with my formulation) : 1) I donât refund monies that I didnât receive (e.g., Airbnb fees) and 2) if that re-booking guest is a shill for this guest or otherwise gets a refund or causes me unrecovered charges that I donât refund that and 3) the calculation is by the day; if somehow the rate I receive is higher I donât refund more than the cancelling guestâs daily rate.
In other words, given that I donât have to make any refund offer at all, I donât want to find myself in a position where by my gratuitous promise I now, potentially, lose money that I had in hand when the guest cancelled.
Some here have said that the canceling guest shouldnât be held responsible for the charges, if any, of the re-booking guest. But my perspective is different and not about âfaultâ. I donât have to make any refund offer and I donât want to find myself in a potential position where by offering the refund I have lost money depending on what happens. Itâs not about âfaultâ of the cancelling guest, itâs about (to me) wanting to be in the same economic position whether I get a re-booking or not.
I use 15 days since I have 14 days to make any claim, though if a claim were made it would likely not get resolved immediately and hence the phrase â. . . and any outstanding charges resolved.â
EDIT: I also use 15 days because I have read of instances, however rare, where the Host is not paid because of some problem with the guestâs payment method. So, by having the 15 days, Iâm more likely to truly have the monies in hand.
Agree itâs important to be careful not to overstate your commitment to the guest making the cancellation. I cover that off by offering âfull or partialâ refund, and â if they do cancel â I then explain that I never get my hands on taxes or Airbnb fees, and that any refund of those are between Airbnb and the guest.
I know for a fact that guests get back 100% of taxes in my tax jurisdiction because it would be illegal for Airbnb to hang on to sales taxes if the underlying sale does not exist⌠the withheld ânon refundableâ accommodation fee is considered a penalty â a non-taxable financial transaction fee â and not âtaxable goods or services.â
Oh no! Mistakes happen, go ahead and cancel and should I get a replacement booking I will refund you 80% of my payout from AirBnb for the nights that get booked.
Thanks for reaching out
RR