If you are going to refund an Airbnb guest for any reason, don’t do it until you have their money in your bank and you’ve made sure they aren’t in your rental. Never. Don’t do it.
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What, pray tell, prompted this? 
LOL. Recently? This:
And this:
But it seems there’s at least one post a month where someone has refunded and they shouldn’t.
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Very true. Although I’d have said it was probably more often than that. Mostly (I might be way off here) it seems to be new hosts who are terrified of getting a bad review or, as they call it a ‘retaliatory review’. (And I’ve never really understood that).
In ‘real life’, how often does the average business give a client a refund? Not very often at all.
I’ve known hotels change rooms for guests but I’ve never known a refund. I’m sure that there have been instances but I’ve never known of one.
Most businesses will give disgruntled guests a free something (dessert, free gym session, vouchers, gift card, etc,).
Two stories, that I’m pretty sure I’ve told here before.
The first was about my dad. He was in a London hotel and there was a fire alarm (or possibly a bomb scare - it was during the IRA times). All the guests were outside in their pajamas most of the night. And it was cold. Absolutely no refunds.
The second was me going on a cruise to the Bahamas. 99% of the toilets on the ship stopped working. Then the AC broke down to make things even more stinky. In July.
It was only a three-day cruise but these problems were not fixed. And despite me spending several angry hours on the phone, no refund. The best I was offered was a discount on my next cruise with them.
As if I’d go on another cruise with them. 
Yet Airbnb hosts…
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This should be a sticky thread.
This can’t be overstated. You don’t have money to refund until the transaction has cleared. Don’t assume that the money is there 24 hours after check-in, and don’t assume that the money is there because you got the notification from Airbnb that the payment was sent. Make sure the transaction is complete, not pending.
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I pinned it, lets see if it matters. LOL.
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I’ll tell you where I’ve seen it more than anywhere…Amazon sellers. You leave a bad review and they offer you a refund to remove it. I’ve had a few times where I was refunded for a wrong shipment or defective item and didn’t have to send the item back.
I’m unhappy with a current order and I should know the outcome tomorrow. A refund may be coming but that’s not for a service, it’s for a product.
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What part don’t you understand? The being terrified of a bad review, or what “retaliatory review” means?
I don’t understand the terror of a bad review myself. It’s like some hosts think that guests believe every word of every review. Or they are too attached to losing Superhost.
I think of a retaliatory review as one where the guest got reminded that xx is against the house rules, and to stop doing whatever it is, so the guest is miffed and makes up a bunch of negative stuff in the review to get even. Very childish.
It seems like a lot of hosts don’t have much insight into human nature, which I don’t quite understand unless the host is pretty young. By the time one is in their mid 30s, it seems like you would have run across and had to deal with various personality types in the course of life. And people who are demanding and entitled are not best dealt with by acquiesing to their demands. They are so accustomed to intimidating others to get what they want, that kowtowing to them actually makes them respect you less. They see those they can cow as weak. As a host, standing up to them in a firm, not unfriendly, and professional way usually causes them back off.
I’ve read so many posts over the years where the host says they bent over backwards for some PITA guests, and even partially refunded them, and are then surprised and dismayed that the guests left a negative review. It’s not surprising at all- that’s a typical M.O. for people like that.
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if there is an understandable reason to provide a partial refund, i offer to provide it after they have checked out and leave a 5 star review, or give them an option not to leave a review but then i will refund them 14 days after check-out. I’m not about to give money to anyone who is going to turn around and trash me in a review. I would rather just take the hit. but my house is NEVER dirty, i have impeccable standards for cleanliness and my house is listed with very realistic pictures and descriptions to avoid overselling.
i have only ever refunded fully one time, when my cleaner didn’t show up to clean and the house was dirty still at check-in time. that was super unfortunate because i was out of town and couldn’t go to the house and clean myself. cost me $750
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Ok maybe I’ll just bump it every few months.
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yes you can have a policy to refund only after 14 days when the money is deposited in your account.
my interpretation is the Airbnb TOS don’t allow this but I do a lot of things that are against Airbnb TOS and their intent.
Has any guest made a fuss about this?
Yes, bad idea to tell a guest that you will refund them if they leave a 5 star review or agree not to review. That is extortion, whether it comes from the host or the guest- you can’t say you will link refunds to reviews.
Better to just tell the guest you will consider a partial refund, which doesn’t obligate you to follow through, and if they leave a lying, bad review or low ratings, not refund.
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