That makes no sense to me.
That’s not the way anybody is going to see it.
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I think you missed a very important part of my initial post…I will never use Airbnb again as a host or a guest. I do think you are very wrong though that they won’t hold it against Airbnb, the guest is essentially relying on Airbnb to guarantee the reservation, they don’t know me from the next host or if that will happen to them again. Let’s call it shaking the faith in the guest that their reservations will be honored…much like hosts are having to deal with now. Unfortunate that their are pawns in this world but like I stated earlier, I don’t have billions to expose the PR game that Brian is playing…just doing my little part, maybe it catches on with other hosts that are in a similar situation as myself and didn’t use Airbnb as a business.
Sorry it doesn’t make sense to you. I’d guess you may be someone that has set up a business around Airbnb.
This is the problem with the gig economy, it was suppose to be exactly that, got a spare bedroom, make a couple extra bucks and provide a traveler with a deal and an experience. Uber, same thing…got a couple free hours in your day and maybe make a couple bucks, both great ideas but never intended to be jobs and full blown hotel like empires. My condo was bought and paid for with cash as a vacation spot for my family and invited friends. So when no one was planning to use it, I made it available on Airbnb to cover HOA fees and taxes…make sense now?
@Grendel. You’ve been on this forum for 3 weeks and @Ghvs is brand new so if some of us are not acting “supportive” it’s probably because (as you probably know) the AirBNB refund policy has been discussed ad nauseum over the last month.
If you both spend a little time reading the rest of the topics you’ll see what I refer to. You’ll find some people who are in an uproar over ‘Extenuating Circumstances’ policy on AirBNB T&C, and others who acknowledge the extraordinary circumstances that this pandemic has brought the world. Many of us are just a little tired of the continued whining about AirBNB when people around us are sick and dying. I hope those who continue to bemoan their own decision (to agree to AirBNB terms and conditions) get some perspective on things that truly matter.
There is plenty of support on this Forum; it just may not always be what they want to hear.
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No. It doesn’t make sense because it’s not necessary. You can quite easily manage stays by friends and family and regular guests without having a strict cancellation policy.
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No, I didn’t miss your point. You aren’t planning to use Airbnb again. But guests will still hold you responsible for the cancellation, not Airbnb. And no, it won’t catch on with other hosts- you object to the games Airbnb is playing with hosts, then turn around and use your guests in order to play games with Airbnb. Personally I find your attitude offensive.
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That’s your opinion Brian. Let’s take my April reservation as the perfect example. I had no one express interest in the beginning of the year to use it for Easter so I put it on Airbnb and someone got a great deal for the entire month of April with Easter week included. In the beginning of February, I had one of my sister’s ask if it was still available for Easter and I had to tell her no because I had a reservation and was honoring my contract with Airbnb and guest. Airbnb and guest didn’t feel they had to do the same. I guess I should have cancelled on airbnb and let my sister use the place huh???
Again, makes no sense. You are justifying your reason for selecting a strict cancellation policy in the first place, but you could’ve done what you just described with any cancellation policy.
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I guess we’ll see but I’m not sure how the guests that have their reservations cancelled will hold me responsible as I am not concerned about my ratings…let’s be real, who is the guest going to bad-mouth, some host that they have no idea is or the company that is all over the internet with problems?
I wish I could tell you I was the genius that ce up with this, got it from another host so don’t be so sure. Airbnb is going to be a footnote in the history books quicker than you think. Not only because of management blunders but people will be thinking twice about the cleanliness of your rental against that of just paying a few extra bucks and staying at Hilton…I’m betting big corporate hotel wins that war.
Sorry it doesn’t make sense to you Brian but I think since it cost my sister the opportunity to use it over the Easter break because I was honoring the reservation, that I receive the full reservation price. Can’t be any simpler.
@HH_AZ
You’re actually supporting Airbnb’s decision to override hosts’ cancellation policies? You think the entire burden of the pandemic should fall on the shoulders of hosts?
I block off dates quite often when friends or family want to come visit. Anyone else can book the open dates. I have a moderate policy- as Brian said, there’s zero connection between the cancellation policy and keeping the place available for friends or family to use.
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The point is, if I commit it to a family member, friend or an Airbnb host that I expect it to be used. While their is no monetary gain for me with family or friends, if I’m going to make it available to Airbnb guests and essentially tell family and friends that it is no longer available to them for that particular time, then I expect to be compensated for the contract that I have with Airbnb.
Well, when my family and friends tell me they are going to come, they do. So I block the dates off for them. I don’t book the dates and then tell them it’s already booked. They all know I host on Airbnb and have to let me know when they are coming enough ahead of time so it doesn’t conflict.
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And when Airbnb tells me I have a reservation and I will be making X amount of dollars, I expect the same. More so as I have a cancellation policy in place that was supposed to guarantee it.
So you believe there’s some kind “opportunity cost”, where if your family can’t use it during a time they wanted to use it, then you want to make sure that you get paid handsomely for that time (even though you would’ve earned nothing if your family had used it).
You seem to be very upset about losing money, but it doesn’t appear that you were managing your listing in a way that maximized your earnings and you claim to not be dependent on the income. Doesn’t seem like there’s that much to be upset about.
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Not upset about the money at all…in fact, because of the cancellation, I have someone that took the unit for April and May so I made out better financially.
The point in all this Brian is that a contract was broken without my input or consent. Doesn’t matter if it’s 5 bucks or 5000.
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You would last-minute cancel a bunch of guest reservations to get revenge on Airbnb for $5?
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This:
The point in all this [ ] is that a contract was broken without my input or consent. Doesn’t matter if it’s 5 bucks or 5000.
Right on
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I look at AirBNB similarly to a credit card. Be it VISA, AMEX, Discover, there are reasons I reach for one vs the other. But while I don’t always remember the card I used, I always remember the product I purchased or merchant I purchased from.
I use AirBNB as my marketing and transactional agent, and I believe guests who stay with me hold ME responsible and will remember ME.
That is why before AirBNB officially implemented its Covid19 refund policy, I was offering concerned guests full refunds despite my Strict Cancellation policy. I did this because it was the right thing to do, and something I would have expected had I been on their side.
Every one of my guests that cancelled was grateful that I went the extra step in consideration of their needs and safety. And many said that when their plans take them here, they will seek my listing out. That’s what customer service is. That is how I want to be remembered, both as a business and as a person.
100%. I don’t blame AirBNB for the pandemic. I whole heartedly support their refund policy.
I believe “shit happens” and those who have to find someone to blame for things beyond any reasonable control have some soul searching to do.
Aside from having empathy, I agreed to AirBNB EC policies when I signed up for AirBNB to be my transactional tool; If a Global Pandemic is not an extenuating circumstance then I don’t know what is. But if I didn’t know, I might first look at the T&C’s where it might provide some insight:
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