Airbnb Answers: Easier access to Customer Service

[#1]

You asked: Can Airbnb make it easier to contact customer service?

You’ve raised this important question at each Global Host Q&A, and we hear you loud and clear. Easy access to support when you need it, with quick and straightforward resolutions, is important. And we haven’t always made it easy. But we’ve made major improvements and are committed to more. So, what’s been improved?

Easy access, especially when you’re hosting

We’ve created a new way for hosts and guests to contact Airbnb Customer Service. The feature is available during active trips beginning 48 hours before check in and ending 48 hours following check out.  

To quickly contact Customer Service using this feature, follow these steps:

On your desktop computer:

• Log in to www.airbnb.com, click on “Help” at the top right corner of the screen
• Click on “Visit the Help Center” button
• Click on the “Contact us” button at the bottom of the screen

On your mobile phone:

• Via the Airbnb app
• Tap on the “Profile” tab on the bottom right of the app
• Tap on “Get help”
• Tap on the “Contact us” button at the bottom of the screen
• Via the Airbnb app
• Tap on the “Trips” tab at the bottom of the app screen
• Tap on the specific trip you are interested in
• Tap on “Help” at the bottom of the screen
• Tap the “Contact us” button at the bottom of the screen

When you click “Contact us” you’ll be able to select the reservation affected (if applicable) and the type of issue you’re experiencing.  After that you can select how you prefer to receive support from Airbnb, including self-service, online messaging, and/or by phone.

So far we’re finding that over 90% of hosts are able to easily find and contact Customer Service using this new feature. Currently, it’s only available during active trips beginning 48 hours before check in and ending 48 hours following check out.  But, stay tuned - we expect to make this feature more widely available in 2018.

Faster help once you’re connected

If you’ve used the steps above to call us, we’ll automatically send your Community Support Specialist the relevant information about your reservation and reasons for calling. This way you don’t have to explain your situation multiple times and your issue can be resolved more quickly. We’ll also allow you to easily confirm who you are prior to speaking with a Community Support Specialist so you can skip time-consuming security questions during the call. We’ve found that this saves between 1-2 minutes per call.

If you have less urgent issues you can always email us, find answers in our Help Center, and seek advice from your fellow hosts in the Community Center. Superhosts always have access to our dedicated Priority Support line.

What’s in the works for the future?

While we aren’t ready to make big announcements, we can say that we’re investing in self-service tools and instant chat to allow both you and your guests to easily and quickly remedy issues that come up. Our goal is to make sure you have the help you want at your fingertips.

As always, we appreciate your questions and feedback and look forward to the next global Host Q&A!

The Airbnb Team

In the latest Host Q&A, CEO and Head of Community Brian Chesky answered top-voted questions during a livestream event. For questions he didn’t have time to address, we’ve introduced the Airbnb Answers series. View the latest Host Q&A, here.

[Ann10]

 What serious problems did you have and how were they resolved?

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Yasmin

@Yasmin0

[Marcy10]

I completely agree.  There are problems occuring with reduced support to hosts.  Very disappointing.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Marcy10, @Ann10, @Linda1012, @Nicola226, @Stay-Asheville0, @Bonnie44, @Juan-J0, @John1574, @Nieves-And-Ricardo0, @Holly15, @Barbara1082, @Rodney1, @Farida12, @Yasmin2, @Janis18, @Larissa79, @Λεβαντή0, @Melanie206, @Charisse3, @Karyl-and-Henry0, @Julie1017, @Jerry-and-Craig0, @Tony134, @Colette18, @Roman103, @Chas7, @Cindy373, @Mahinui0, @Kelly-and-Darren0, @Jackie229, @Chinenye0, @Scott228, @Robert1032, @Jeff400, @Janice163, @Colleen47, @Kyla13, @Emily96, @Debbie314, @Debbie313,  @Karen1038, @Karen-and-Jim0, @Betty158, @Rosie65, @Wendy441, @Nicoline0, @Dharma2, @Ian325, @Stephen132, @Rashad4, @Jane650, @Suzanne121, @Sharon275, @Pearl18, @Adriana-and-Marta0, @Monte5, @Jenny1, @Conrad24, @Forrest11, @Heather32, @Noelene4, @John-And-Michele0, @Cindy380, @Ana1061, @Iliahi-J-0, @Sam185, @Kelly149, @Melissa471, @Manjit0, @Bruce168, @Kanishka0, @Dianne107, @Maria2218, @Christina-Strommen0,

Thank you for taking the time to share feedback on your experience with our Customer Support Team. You have all highlighted some important points and I want you to know that our team have read all of your comments here. This update is just one of the areas we are working on and your feedback is really helpful to our team, who is dedicated to improving the experience for you and the rest of our community. 

Thank you again,

Lizzie

[Ann10]

@Juan-J0 

When I told them lately that I was recording the calls I was told by one guy named AJ that it was against the TOS. I scoured the TOS and I didn't see anything saying it was against ABB policy. In that past when I said I was recording they said ok. Lately, this one was lying to me and she freaking out & said it wasn't allow but I had already gotten the lie on record. Then I asked the T&S team for an answer and they tried to pass me off to another department. I told them I was told they know the answer to that question. I never got a reply. Does anyone know? Is it against the TOS to record phone calls w ABB reps. I'm a business I need to protect myself. They are recording. They used to say it was fine. When they get funny w me, I say has there been a change and I they say it's always been that way. So, I say how long have you been working there? Oh! About 4 months. LOL!

When I told AJ that this T&S Specialist named "Jay" had threatened me several times he suddenly got amenesia about the TOS and said he wasn't sure if it was against the TOS. Earlier in the conversation he had said one of the reasons they don't want people talking off of the message thread was so people can't threaten one another. Oh boy! Then I told him that I cut and pasted it from the policies and emailed it to her but that didn't stop her from saying things that made me feel threatened. 

[Larissa79]

Airbnb is a joke 

[Larissa79]

Ursula ** threatened me too    I want to learn how to tape them    one lies and the other one covers it up and says it's in the terms and conditions       

**[Inappropriate content hidden - Community Center Guidelines]

[Ann10]

My last few calls to customer service have been a lot better! I don't know if it was a fluke or what. It wasn't about a serious issue like a criminal guest trying to extort money from me or a T&S agent cancelling my reservation worth $7000 because she thought I gave out my email before the reservation before the listing was made which I didn't, and even if I did, it would have been blocked out. At one point, she realized I in fact didn't give out my email before the reservation was made so like all other incompetent case managers she made up a new excuse for stealing my money, but everyone that had spoken to me at ABB had already said it was because of the email. One ABB rep. said, I did nothing wrong, the guest cancelled, but I knew that wasn't true because the guest told me.   Finally, the T&S "Specialist" threatened me that if I brought it up again she would deactivate my account.  Meaning if I call and complain about her incompetence, my account would be deactivated. True story, I still have the email.  Before that another T&S person called to apologize and said I didn't deserve what she did and said she would call back the next day.  She never did. 

Next, I found out that ABB has this thing where the T&S "Specialist" can take back "ownership" of a case. Forget about a moral hierarchy or flow chart. It's all about power and control. It's ok. I'll wait till the the right time and bring it up in the real world.  

[Larissa79]

I feel ur pain 100% 

[Ann10]

@Larissa79 Use speaker phone and record on another device or even an old fashion tape recorder. Another device is better because the time and date will be on it. 

[Ann10]

@Larissa79 Re-Ursula is retarded and threatened me too    I want to learn how to tape them    one lies and the other one covers it up and says it's in the terms and conditions       

She even had the nerve to threaten me in writing several times. She even shut down my account when I asked the guest if she had cancelled. I already knew she didn't but I wanted her to answer on the thread. I called in and they turned my account back on. Then when I mentioned it, a manager said they never turned my account off. However, I recorded my conversation when I called in to get it turned back on. The guest confirmed she did not cancel the reservation. They are going to have to pay me. 

[Alan192]

Record your calls with customer service:  In Canada, you can record any conversation in which you are one of the parties in the conversation.  You are not required to tell anyone you are recording any conversation in which you are a part.  There are no TOS, from any company,  that supersede Federal law in Canada.  This law exsists for the specific reason, it allows people to protect themselves, period, and no one has the right to remove that protection, at least in my country.  You can Google what I have written to confirm it is true; or ask another lawyer.

[Ann489]

Airbnb has the worst customer sevice.  Ever.  We started hosting this summer and two months in, had a guest who was not very honest/tried to deceive us.  We have a no infants/small children policy and she and her friend insisted on bringing two one-year-olds along.  We ask every guest how many/who is in their party.  She did not respond until we send a second message a few days before her scheduled arrival.  She finally admitted that there are two infants in her party.  When we pointed out that we made it very clear that infants are not allowed, she became very bellligerent and told us that airbnb does not count infants as guests, therefore she does not see a problem.  End of communication.  I tried contacting customer service immediately since I wanted to cancel the reservation.  Nobody responded until two days AFTER the guest had arrived and left again.  By then, I had to scrub koolaid off my floors, buy a new guestbook, which the kids had scribbled all over and wash every dish in the kitchen.   On top of that, this guest docked me points on my review for communication.   All in all, a terrible experience which could have been avoided had customer service responded in a timely fashion.  I think it is especially important for new hosts to have better and quicker access to customer service.

[Az2]

I think it is deeper than that, most probably airbnb does not check people. Instead they hire call center companies. And I would like to ask airbnb to give a chance to hosts to evaluate them.

[Minerva4]

I have been fortunate, my experience with customer service has always been positive and efficient. My only complaint was that for awhile it seemed impossible to find direct help contacts, but that seems to now be better sorted - which is much appreciated!

[Diana-And-Lando0]

I agree that there are problems with the call centers.  In my experience they knew how to answer basic questions that maybe a new host needs.  As an experienced host when I have had an issue they give me answers that are very basic that I already know the answers and do not address my question.   They don't really understand what I am asking not due to a language barrier in my cases, but level of experience.  Example, when I called to change a reservation they gave me the basic answer on how to do that.  I already know how to do it, but there was a problem that needed more. There are so many situations that can occurr and Airbnb makes changes quite regularly with out notifying the hosts and the call center folks and so they are not equipped to answer those questions.  It should almost be like an emergency room where the call center needs to adapt to the level of calls.