IB cancellation was not supported by Airbnb Customer Service

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In know that there were changes to IB so before I exercised my request, I called customer service and told them my concerns and they confirmed in writing that I was within my rights. In 9 years, I have never request Airbnb to cancel an Instant Book.

I then messaged the guest asking about some inconsistencies (his account said TX, he wrote that he was coming in to visit Boston but then gave me a local address). I also asked that he update his profile picture because I could not see his face clearly to verify that the person checking in was the person that booked. (Itā€™s written as one of the requirements when they instant book.)

He cleared my questions but was very defensive and was asking why I need this info and what my insurance company was. (I have a very strict rider on my home owners insurance that requires me to collect certain info.) He also informed me that I was breaking Airbnb rules and that he planned to contact Airbnb and file a complaint.

At that point I decided that I did not want this person staying in the suite in my home. I wrote back to Airbnb using the thread they sent me earlier detailing my concerns but when I did not hear back from Airbnb I called because the guest was arriving that day. (They booked the night before.)

The Airbnb supervisor told me that I could not cancel because there was nothing threatening in the message (even though I felt threatened - WTF) and hereā€™s the best part.

I was told that I had no right to request that the guest change their profile picture to be of their face. (not e - you donā€™t see it until after they book).

I asked them how can you verify that it isnā€™t a 3rd party booking and they didnā€™t answer me.

I also had confirmed with the customer service earlier in the day that my Disclosed questions and requirement to book were not in violation.

I was told I was being denied the request to cancel IB because I asked them to update their profile picture. I was told I was not permitted to do this.

When I asked the supervisor where in the Airbnb rules it states that I canā€™t have the guest update their profile picture so that I can verify itā€™s them, I was told that it was in some internal rules that I wasnā€™t permitted to see. Really ,that was their answer.

Iā€™m not really looking for advise, more of a FYI to otherā€™s who use IB.

Another fun day hosting on Airbnb.

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Which is precisely why I have instant book turned offā€¦ā€¦.particularly if they are going to be housed within my home!
Lovelyā€¦. Now there are internal rules and policies that we canā€™t see or verify and they want to tell me how to run my business!

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Can someone pinch me please? What happened to the former requirement that guests are obligated to have a photo of their face in their Airbnb profile?

Hosts explicitly did have the right to cancel a reservation if a guest failed to upload such a picture and if I recall correctly it was even stated that they wouldnā€™t allow ā€œCartoonā€ profile pictures.

Now it looks like this:

In France weā€™re adhering to the laws that require the collection of personal details of all of our foreign guests. In order to operate efficiently we communicate this (legal) requirement in our listing and guests have to provide this information within 24 hours of making a reservation to facilitate a smooth check-in and ensure a pleasant stay.

Guests who do not agree with this practice can book somewhere else and weā€™re happy about that. We only want guests who understand the implication of hosting ā€œstrangersā€ under our roof (besides the legal requirement).

Hosts who bought or rented dozens of apartment building studios couldnā€™t care less about such issues but for us it is imperative to have proper communication and documentation of who is staying with us.

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Thatā€™s exactly what I say. I even cleared it with Airbnb. How can I possible confirm that the rental is not a third-party booking without a clear photo.

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Iā€™d like to do that but most of my bookings come in via IB and with my market saturated and being outside the metro Boston area (even though Im 7 miles north and party of the subway system) I only really show when people search Boston and filter for price. Iā€™m wondering if IB is still a searchable feature.

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Have you experimented with turning off instant book? Iā€™m in a different city, but I get a lot of bookings from people who want to stay in the same neighborhood as family theyā€™re visiting or they want to stay in a quieter neighborhood where there is street parking.

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@Lynick4442 You say most of your bookings come in via IB, but isnā€™t that because you offer IB? Isnā€™t that the whole reason Airbnb pushes IB, because guests supposedly prefer it? So it stands to reason that if IB is an option, more guests are going to choose that?

But if you donā€™t offer it, it doesnā€™t necessarily mean you wonā€™t get booked, it just means youā€™ll get requests instead of IBs.

While I am in a completely different market from you, different country, etc., I am also outside the main part of town, and Airbnb also lumps the listings in my little tourist town in with those of Puerto Vallarta, an hour away (which is ridiculous, because no one is going to book a place in PV if they are looking to stay in my town, or vice versa). But I still get bookings as long as guests input the right filters, and I have never used IB in the 9 years Iā€™ve been hosting.

There definitely was a place to check in our settings requiring a clear face photo, even for RTB. Iā€™ll see if I can find it again. I wonder if ā€œitā€™s an internal ruleā€ is BS and just something Airbnb reps say when they donā€™t want to help you.

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Whenever I get an inquiry I almost never get the booking. Request to book yes and before I send them the approval, I send them the list of questions I will be asking.

When Iā€™ve taken off IB in the past, I have definitely noticed a difference. Now I have no idea.

The guest left me a review but I havenā€™t responded. Iā€™m going to wait the 14 days so that I build up some other reviews that will get bumped to the top because within the same country, they seem to be listed by the date of booking.

If I do find something in the review , then Iā€™ll request it to be removed but I suspect the guest was very careful, the same way I plan to be when I write his review. Itā€™s crazy that I have to deal with this shit after 9 years of hosting.

On a separate note - are you anywhere near Cuerrvaca, Morelos? Iā€™m visiting a friend who lives there and rents it as an Airbnb but the people who maintain he property have been falling down on the job taking care of the guests (but she says they donā€™t steal from her so thatā€™s a plus) . She desperately needs to find someone one else to live there and take care of the property. Are you nearby and do you know anyone who might be interested. Free housing and pay.

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Itā€™s over 560 miles and a minimum 11 hour drive from my area to Cuernavaca. So canā€™t help you out there. Maybe your friend can contact some other hosts in the area for recommendations?

Yes, inquiries rarely turn into bookings, regardless of whether you use IB or RTB. I donā€™t find that surprising, as inquiries are just a way for guests to ask questions- they may have sent out inquiries to multiple hosts.

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ā€¦and that does not prevent you from asking for profile photos after they book. In fact, that is what we do even if it is a reservation request.

Instant Book, for us, screens guests. Requests to book many times go nowhere after they realize our house rules etc. We are happy that IB exists for this reason and also because it puts us more firmly into our guest demographic, which is ā€˜seriousā€™ travelers; they do not want to ā€˜start a dialogā€™ with us, just book.

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Well, thatā€™s what I thought too but the main reason I posted this is because they are trying to tell me that I can not ask them to update the profile picture and when I explain I need to know because of 3rd party bookings I got no answer

but

this did inform me that there is an internal rule that they can not show me that says I canā€™t ask this. WTF

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Thatā€™s insane. Thereā€™s an ā€œinternal ruleā€ that hosts must adhere to, even though this is some secret rule that hosts arenā€™t made aware of? Do they just make this stuff up on the spur of the moment?

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Ask another CS. Probably your question was misinterpreted by a poorly trained CS.

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Iā€™ve escalated the case due to a lot of misinformation. So far every thread but one has been closed by Airbnb saying their decision is final.

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15

Hi Muddy,

Iā€™d like to get your opinion on the review Iā€™m about to use with the booking above. I went around and around with Airbnb but they just changed the reason for why I couldnā€™t cancel.

Iā€™ve waited until 2 more recent bookings gave me 5 stars before I was ready to post a review. (He posted his the day he checked out.) just in case I couldnā€™t get it removed, I figured it would be buried behind newer reviews.

Iā€™m going to contest his review but I donā€™t know if Iā€™ll be able to get it removed.

What do you think of what I wrote below?

I can not recommend Guillermo in good faith. He booked the suite via Instant Book which clearly states what info that will be requested when you book our suite. When he provided the info, I found conflicting info and when I asked for clarification, his messages, in my opinion, were argumentative. Additionally, the first day of the booking he did not arrive but his guest did which would be considered a third-party booking. He did not disclose this info and is against Airbnb Rules.

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I think you should eliminate ā€œhis guestā€ terminology. Guests do not have guests- anyone who stays at your place is your guest, not the guestā€™s guest.

Maybe something like ā€œRequirements for booking my place are clearly stated in my listing, however Guillermo Instant Booked and ignored the information required. When I messaged him asking for it, he gave conflicting answers, and when I asked for clarification, he became argumentative and took an aggressive tone and threatened to report me. Furthermore, a second person on the booking arrived on day one, not Guillermo, who did not arrive until the next day, and this plan was not communicated to me beforehand. I unfortunately cannot recommend this guest.ā€

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Thanks for taking the time to get back to me. I value your input greatly and I know Iā€™m too close to the matter to write objectively. I re-wrote this like 5 times.

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Hi Muddy,

I knew his review was waiting for me and strategically it worked to have 2 newer stays review come up higher. (I was wondering if that would work. I had read on this forum years ago about that strategy and this was the first time I tried it.)

So his review wasnā€™t too bad. He gave me a 4 but marked me down for cleanliness and communication (too much) . I donā€™t think Iā€™ve gotten less than a 5 in these areas for many years. His actual review says ā€œGreat stay, great value, nice and quiet.ā€

So his review didnā€™t move the data on my ratings and the review wasnā€™t bad so would say that Iā€™ve put this one to bed but it really did consume hours of chats on Airbnb and it has confirmed that I can never count on Customer support to do the right thing and that they never have the hostā€™s back.

Lynn.

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