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I am going to disagree with your assessment of Apple. They have fabulous customer service and to date, all of my issues with them have been taken seriously and resolved. Now, not always with the urgency that I want, but resolved none-the-less.
The rest subscribe to the customer service is a cost that we would prefer to minimize.
Might be an issue in Australia (we deal with phone support in Asia not the US). The one time I had a big issue with them, it turned into the worst customer service recovery experience I’ve ever had
Completely agree. Yes, you don’t get the feeling they actually want to help…just the pretending. They really need to change their name to AirMirage. Every single thing about the company is a mirage: insurance, cancellation policies, customer support, etc.
You can definitely feel the shift that Air thinks you need them, more then they need hosts now. And this attitude shift definitely starts at the top, and trickles all the way down to the front line.
They just sent me another email to follow up from an old case, but not really to follow up, - it’s almost like they try to piss you off with their canned responses. And yes, they do lie. They will say everything is working just fine on their end when they know it’s not.
Ah. I either walk to my Apple Store, or call AppleCare which is located in Denver or Austin. Very direct, with authority to actually fix things. Sorry to hear that AUS is not the same experience.
From my last interaction with CS here is a brief summary of what Mr Headache is telling me
ME: Hi CS, I can’t edit the Aditional Notes in my House Rules. Every time I try to save the changes it rolls back to the previous version. I have tried in many browsers, deleting cookies, in the mobile app, in another desktop PC, and nothing changes. Please, can you help me?
CS: Hi Flor, We are so happy to have you as a host bla, bla, bla. I have tried to change your description and I don’t have any problem on doing that. I suggest you to try in a different browser or device
ME: Thanks for the reply but I don’t have any issue in trying to change my description (that works fine). I specifically have issues trying to change the Aditional Notes in the House Rules (you reach that screen going to the Booking section in the listing manager). As I told you I have also tried this in many browsers and devices so it seems to be a glitch.
CS: Hi, as I told I was able to made this changes by myself but I can’t do it in your behalf. I will scale you browser issue to the tech team but I can’t promise you a fast response back from them.
ME: Hi, if you were able to change them as you said then please do it. I will send you the text I want to be there. As I mentioned to you MANY times I have tested this in many browsers so it isn’t related to it. Please, don’t scale that to the teach team as they will address my problem in the wrong way.
After this I didn’t get any answer back from CS … Of course, I know he was lying He never tried to change anything on his side. This issue isn’t new in my account. One month before I have a talked (by phone) with a different representative and he wasn’t able to change the Aditional Notes while we were speaking. . He told me that it will be reported to the teach team but one month later I got no answer so I contacted them again (this time by email)
Yep. Sounds just like the reps. I get. What I don’t understand is how you train employees to outright lie.
Do they sit around in meetings and train them how not to answer a question, how not to resolve an issue, how to make the customer think they will have someone call back, etc.??
Oh my goodness! You’ve “hit the nail on the head”! Most of those things are exactly the way I feel when dealing with some Airbnb people. I had a bad situation last year where a group did a LOT of damage to my home and I tried to contact Airbnb for help. I mean… I had included a damage deposit with my listing in order to cover such things but this is the reply I got:
"It’s also important to keep in mind that Airbnb’s decision may not align with the solution you were hoping for. By asking to Involve Airbnb you’re agreeing to accept the final decision that we reach.
Additionally, while we’re always happy to help, it may take more time to reach a solution when Airbnb is asked to intervene. Because of this, we recommend only choosing to Involve Airbnb if you’re unable to work things out with your host or guest directly."
In order to get ultimately this reply I had to “requote myself” a couple of times to a couple of different people, but I did finally get someone who at least understood me and gave me the answer I wasn’t happy with. So I think it really depends on who you happen to get “on the other side”.
Then a few MONTHS later I got an email from Airbnb wanting me to rate the service I received from them! Talk about dredging it up again.
BTW, I ended up following their advice and it ended up working out in the end by bypassing Airbnb altogether. The guest apologized and paid in full for their damage. I think I would have ultimately been disappointed if I had continued trying to resolve through Airbnb, especially after the letter they sent me. I didn’t want to risk waiting for a long time and getting partially reimbursed.
(So I suggested this to someone on another thread and was lambasted for the “lousy advice”… hmmm.)
They are just not comfortable with having a variable they can’t control. Hosts have different opinions, like to make choices, and sometimes they need help which is costly. We are not good for business.
It would be much for easy for Airbnb if for example they wouldn’t need to engage you for setting IB but instead they could set it automatically in your listing (Oh, really? Are they doing that already in some listings?)
It would much more easy if we could set the prices we think your listing should charge instead of giving you silly suggestions. Dear, why don’t you just follow our suggestions? I will make them more prominent next time but I warn you that I will demote your ranking if you don’t follow them.
It would much more easy if you just accept there is a bug in you account and there is nothing we will make to solve it. We have millions of hosts with different problems and you are just one more in the queue. We will priorized who gets the help they need and if your unlucky then there is nothing we will do to please you,
From the many times I talked with them, I have learned they have a special communication code.
For example, the way a CS representative says “Farewell” is "“we will send this to the teach team and get back to you as soon as possible”. Don’t be fooled. He is saying goodbye, wishing you luck.
Well, they have been fabulous each time I’ve called. Maybe I’m getting a better call center - I don’t know. I’m not doubting anyone else’s terrible experience, but I have to say they’ve been right with me each time - well, one time I had to push up the chain, but when I did the person knew exactly what they were doing.
I’ve found exactly the same. I’ve only had to call them a handful of times but they’ve been very helpful, polite and friendly. They have also always solved the problem easily and quickly.
Not my case at all. I have talked to a lot of them and they never helped me.
Maybe hosts outside the US get a crappy support. It´ss without any doubt the worst CS I have experienced in my life.
Yeah, I’m with you and somehow feeling I’m extremely lucky. I have had good experiences with every issue (except one that I just let go as it wasn’t that important) and good follow up from Airbnb. I can imagine well how awful it must be getting little or no help from Airbnb. I feel that way every time I call Apple, or Microsoft, or my phone company, or my gas company, or Booking.com etc etc. the list goes on. Why have you and I been so lucky with Airbnb??
