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I have a situation where I’m going to refund any nights we get booked for a cancellation. We have the Strict Policy and they cancelled more than 7 nights ahead of time, so I get 50% of the total.
I know to wait until after I get the money from AirBnB. I could just Zelle/Venmo the guest the refund (I’ve looked them up and they are legit), or I could go through AirBnB, I guess through the resolution center. But then they just withhold that amount from future payouts, right?
Thoughts? Better ways to do it? (This is so easy with Vrbo or direct bookings, where I control the payments…)
Edited to add: Let’s say the 50% refund is $1000, and my next booked amount is $2000. If I go through the resolution center to give the guest the $1000, does AirBnB withhold that from the $2000 then send me $970 (after their 3%), or do they withhold that from the $1940 payout, giving me $940?
What @PitonView is asking hasn’t been addressed, and I don’t know either, as I’ve never refunded a guest through the resolution center. If I understand correctly, she is asking if Airbnb is going to deduct another 3% in service fees if she refunds the other half of the guest payment.
@jaquo I’ve never refunded a guest if I got a replacement booking either, but ifI did, I wouldn’t do it with the thought that it would be valuable in terms of that guest becoming a regular or repeat visitor, I would just do it because the thought of double dipping, in most cases, doesn’t sit well with me. But I wouldn’t necessarily refund the full amount, because I think guests need to realize that hosts have usually spent time messaging with them, etc., and our time isn’t free, so I’d probably deduct $20 or so from a refund to account for that.
I agree. By the time the guests have arrived and the house tour is done, for many hosts that’s 75% or more of their work finished.
Preparing for guests is a specialised job in itself, especially if the host does it themselves. Even if they employ people to do the bulk of the work, it’s ultimately the host’s responsibility - which can be hard work.
We have prepared the rental, kept the garden, pool, stairways, parking areas and so on clean and tidy, we’ve taken time to shop for treats / breakfasts / bottle of wine / fresh flowers as well as consumables like loo paper, paper towels, toiletries, etc.
Plus, as you say @muddy the messaging, answering questions, giving directions. agreeing to guests’ special requirements, offering recommendations, explaining about check-in time, explaining why they can’t bring their dog … and so on and so on and so on.
There will always be guests who are needy during the stay but in many cases, the host has little more to do after the guests have arrived - and we love those guests especially.
Answer to my own question after going through this:
If you refund a guest that cancelled after you’ve been paid for their stay, you have to go through the resolution center. You can only refund the amount you were paid - the resolution center won’t allow you to pay one cent more if you choose that you are refunding for a cancellation as the reason.
I have no idea what the guest actually gets, but I encourage the guests to call up and push to get the rest refunded since the host refunded 100%.
I would just Zelle or Venmo it with an itemized receipt showing the expenses/fees you’ve deducted. Much simpler than trying to go through Airbnb. That’s how I handle payments for additional nights a guest wants to add on and refunds like you are proposing. BTW, that’s very nice of you and not required. You might ask if they have trip insurance.
Most people don’t realize many credit cards have a trip insurance benefit.
I recommend against using a different refund method than the original payment. If you refund using Zelle or Venmo, the guest can still file a chargeback on the credit card they used to book. If they do, AirBnB will most likely take back whatever they paid you already.
It’s not highly likely, but it’s a possibility and it’s not worth the risk IMO.
The Resolution Center is there for this purpose. Going outside the Airbnb universe is never a good idea. This will provide airbnb as well as your guest the information about the ‘refund’ and make sure that double dipping etc do not happen.
My view is that I’m not in business to double-dip. The purpose of withholding refunds is to make me whole, not to provide me with a windfall at someone else’s expense.
The offer of a conditional refund is also a good way to get whiners to STFU – if they are getting all entitled (they’re not) I remind them that this is a “goodwill offer,” and the offer only stands if all of us approach this with good will. (Sub text: Put a sock in it Bub… if you keep being obnoxious or impatient, you’ll talk you way out of any possibility of even a partial refund.) Usually has the intended effect.
