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You are correct. Air’s Guest Centric policies are out of control, especially since March. Next time try to keep the conversation between you and the guest, if at all possible. Don’t involve Air unless you must. The risk is too great that some Bonehead CS Rep will supersede their authority and violate your policy.
Perhaps next time, a message to the Guest along the lines of:
"Dear Mark (husband) we are sorry that you will not be able to stay with us. We had been so looking forward to hosting you and Laura (wife) to have a delightful time in our area.
Please cancel your reservation (provide link if you can), so we have the option to refund you for days that get re-booked. Then maybe something like "We would like to offer you a discounted direct stay in the future - please reach out to us when this would fill your needs.
Ill definitely get it sorted for my guests next year. I thought it would be better for ABB to resolve the issue rather than me but know now this is not the case
I didn’t mean that Airbnb scraps it, I meant that hosts shouldn’t choose that option. If it was truly non-refundable, that would be one thing, but as long as Airbnb insists on the power to override it, it’s not in a host’s best interest to use it.
Air does not **always ** override the cancellation policy. I have always had a strict policy and with the exception of CV19 I have never had it overridden by Air that I can remember
Well, I don’t think I said they’ll always override the cancellation policy, I was specifically referring to the non-refundable option, which if Airbnb will override it if they see fit, means that it isn’t actually non-refundable.
You are welcome. Unfortunately, Air “is how it is” these days. We do not expect them to change.
Any guest who is remotely clever can call Air, mention “Covid”, and cancel away without providing a lick of proof. Worse yet, Air CS agents regularly go above their authority, as you have now seen. There are many examples of this all over, especially since March.
So, we hosts must be more vigilant than ever, to protect our own interests.
I had a guest book my home more than 30 days in advance, then contact me less than 24 hours before check-in asking to cancel. They said "someone in their party is “ill” (no doctor’s note or anything). We have a strict cancellation policy, so said no - but offered a 15% discount on a future booking. Instead, they called AirBnB and said they had been exposed to Covid - the magic words. AirBnB gave them a full refund without ever notifying me.
Sorry this happened to you. You probably need to start looking into moving your rental to other platforms with more respect for host’s cancellation policies.
Some of you host lie about your listing or it’s not accommodating as described. If a person ask for a full refund with 24 hours it should be granted regardless of non refund policy. With no issue if your listing books oh so fast.
Many of us only have one listing. If you book it months or weeks in advance and then cancel a week before or after you have arrived then it is difficult to rebook. Some hosts are in fly in destinations like Hawaii where last minute travel is nearly impossible now.
Did you even read the original post? This was related to someone cancelling who never arrived at the listing.
When you make a booking on Airbnb the refund policies are clearly stated and you agree to them.
I think you need to reconsider this statement. You recently joined & need to know the members of this forum are responsible hosts. The hosts who are sketchy are quickly reprimanded on this forum.
Airbnb already gives full refunds if a booking is made two weeks in advance and the guest cancels within 24 hours of making the reservation.
This is forum is a great resource for new hosts, experienced hosts, and those thinking about being a host.
Read some posts & get to know the group
So you just came to this forum for the first time to insult the hosts here? You don’t know anyone here, yet accuse us of being liars because maybe you encountered some bad rentals before?
There are different types of cancellation policies, available for you to read. If you don’t like the policy a listing uses, don’t book it. If you book something, you are agreeing to the cancellation policy in place, so there’s no cause for outrage or whining after the fact. Grow up.
Actually, we take great photos and describe our listings in detail. We don’t lie. Many guests do not read well - listing, house rules and cancellation policy.
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Frankly you sound like a guest, not a host. I bet you didn’t bother to read the listing and it cost you when you cancelled. That is on you.
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Here is how cancellation policies work: Airbnb Cancellation Policies
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That aside, SOME hosts will still refund if you ask nicely and they can rebook some/all of the days. Considering the attitude you started with us, I’m bet that you didn’t sugar coat your “I want my money back”.
Now that we’ve ripped this guest who dared to post here a new one, I understand the frustration guests have when they get an Airbnb that not clean or even ready or doesn’t have the amenities promised.
I just had a guest who is someone I met 35+ years ago in El Paso. We visited extensively during her stay and she said she has stayed at “a lot” of Airbnbs that were substandard. One of her jobs in the past was head of housekeeping for the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas so she knows a little bit about cleaning an accomodation. We’ve also had a number of host her post about booking an Airbnb that wasn’t up to par.
Yes, just because hosts on this forum provide good accommodation doesn’t mean there aren’t hosts out there who don’t.
To quote a private message one of my guests, who uses Airbnb a lot, sent me when he left the review- “That was one of the best stays I’ve had. You wouldn’t believe the crap some people list and actually expect money for”.
