Customer service updates, payments, and more in the latest Host Update with Catherine Powell

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Customer service updates, payments, and more in the latest Host Update with Catherine Powell

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The past few months have been a tough time for all of us, especially hosts and guests. We’ve been listening closely to your feedback in all its forms and working tirelessly to create solutions because we know that encountering delays—especially when it comes to customer service or payments—is incredibly frustrating. 

 

In the latest Host Update, Catherine Powell sits down with Tara Bunch, our new Global Head of Operations, to offer transparency about how we’re strengthening our customer service team and to explain more about our payment process for hosts. Once you’ve watched the video, we’d really love to hear from you. Please let us know what you’d like covered in future Host Updates with Catherine. As always, thank you for sharing the topics that matter to you.

 

Visit the Resource Article

 

245 Replies 245

Hi @Denice0 ,

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply here, and I'm sorry to hear you had a missing payment issue in 2018.

 

@Tara-Bunch and I, and our teams, are working very hard to reduce the number of these issues which occur, and to ensure that any which do occur are swiftly and efficiently dealt with. I completely agree that this should not be happening.

 

Thanks, Catherine

@Catherine-Powell 

 

Were are all missing payments - we have 05.10.2020 - it is 7th week and you paid only 72.800 CLP -when you are going to pay all money from 25.08.2020 ? No respond and you are removing all my posts now right ? 

Monika

Peter-And-Meg0
Level 4
Cape Woolamai, Australia

Thanks for the March extension for super hosts but for us it will not be enough as Meg and l are in the very high risk category for COVID19 and will not be able to take bookings until a cure or a vaccine is found and implemented so it is highly unlikely we will be taking bookings before March which means the loss of our long time super hosts status which will put us further behind in resuming a normal life and getting an income again.

PLEASE EXTEND KEEPING SUPER HOSTS STATUS to this time next year for hosts that can not open due to the virus as we are not willing to put our lives on the line.

Pete & Meg 

If you do lose your superhost status @Peter-And-Meg0 you can gain it back in a matter of months. Sometimes even weeks. You may not even notice it's gone for a short time 😀

I shouldn't have to gain it if l have not been able to take bookings, airbnb should come good on their claim that the are there for hosts.

@Airbnb@Peter-And-Meg0 , @Catherine-Powell 

Sure, if you do singular night bookings of maybe, more than one room across a city or town that has a 52 week tourist season, or demand for accommodation: you can probably build your Super Host status quickly. If you live where the size of the population is diversifying into short “local” getaways, that may also work. I have neither..... Current super hosts should also not be penalised if they have family with health issues, and are currently unable to host. 

 

I usually agree with you, but not quite so, this time @Emilia42.

 

Here’s my personal example:

If you are in a geographical zone which has a short tourist season, that you have not been able to open for Covid19 or govt or local restrictions, your theory doesn’t work. 

Eg. For me our tourist season is from 1 May to Sept 30th, our Dry Season. The humidity buildup prior to the Wet Season is not something the average tourist seeks.

 

With family health issues and closed borders  no opening of the Airbnb space = no prerequisite criteria or reviews to build up that ratio for superhost status again)

 

We are too isolated and too small a city to appeal to locals, so that newer demographics doesn’t work in Darwin, as government has been offering credit vouchers to residents for tourist/hotel chain stays etc. Borders have sporadically opened to only some states, not all, and we have no international travel, so this also now means extremely limited stays/earnings. I cannot compete with the major hotels dropping prices to gain the same tourist I might be seeking.

 

In fact I am having my first, and possibly my last Airbnb guests for 2020, this week, for a 25 day stay. They depart early October, which is the tourist “climate” cliff for us. 

 

So probably with a one guest stay = 25 nights across Super host October quarter, the January quarter,  and the April quarter, I’m screwed!  Why? Well due to climate and some border closures including international) we will not have accumulated #stays or # nights. Truthfully, the July 2021  quarter will also be affected. For me, it won’t be until the October quarter, 2021, any tourists season/guests across the 2021 tourist season (whatever that might look like) will be visible.

@Cathie19 You are right, but I looked at Peter and Meg's profile specifically and saw that they had 2 listings and received 13 reviews in March 2020 alone. So it would be easy for them to regain it quickly when things got back to full swing again. 

@Peter-And-Meg0 , @Catherine-Powell 

 The reviews don’t tell the whole story, @Emilia42 . Phillip Island is a holiday area for Victorians and other Australians.

The state of Victoria, is currently Australia’s hotspot. Unlike back in the time of those reviews, it is currently entering the sixth week of a very strict stage four Covid19 lockdown. This stage 4 is being extended another two weeks, and goodness knows where the road to recovery will go to from there. It will depend on the numbers......

Victoria’s state borders are on a full lock down. No one can enter and return from other states without a controlled 14 day secure government mandatory quarantine, on their return; for me that would be $2500. (1 person)

 

They have a 5km travel restriction from their place of residence, unless they have  a permit as an essential worker. From today, Victorians will be allowed out to exercise for two hours, an increase from one. The whole state is suffering to bring Covid19 under a level of control. The numbers are dropping, but the state is in shut down with no major movement. No one allowed out unless with a specific exemption and then at the cost of a govt mandatory 14 day quarantine, under security guards, within the state they have travelled.

 

I wish all Victorians a safe return to the Covid19 “normal”. It will take awhile, but it will happen. Stay strong. 💐

@Cathie19 Technically @Peter-And-Meg0 will not loose their super host status until July 1, 2021. I hope that you all in Australia will be able to travel by then and be in good health!

Thanks @Emilia42. Since March, we aren’t even  allowed to leave Australia. The Australian govt has mandated there is no international travel for at least another three months. Christmas may be a very quiet, state by state, restricted affair. 🌻

Hi @Peter-And-Meg0 @Cathie19,

 

Thanks for weighing in here, and I understand the difficulty that the pandemic has created for our hosting community.

 

We will continue to reassess the Superhost extension on a quarterly basis, taking into account the changing macro factors. I appreciate your perspective here - we'll make sure to take this into account when deciding how to move forwards with the programme.

 

Thanks, Catherine

Thank you @Catherine-Powell for finding time to read and respond to @Peter-And-Meg0 concerns. They are extremely valid. 💐

Hi Catherine, thanks for your feed back and information it is realy appreciated. 

What would really make me happy and help restore my shattered opinion of AIRBNB is to get someone to show some compassion and refund the service fee to my last booking that canceled due to the Australian leg of the International  Moto GP in October being canceled due to COVID 19.   I have given them a full refund even though I don't have to and we have lost $20,000 in bookings and have not had any income for the last six months and now are selling the Art House ( which was supposed to be our retirement nest egg ) so we can survive this pandemic.

This booking was made in February before covid19 hit and should be covered by the full refund policy in my view but no matter how hard and how many times l have tried the answer is NO !!!!

If l can not get some compassion from AIRBNB l will refund the service fee out of the money we get from selling the Art House because I want Jenny to re book hopefully with us in the Tree House if next year's International Moto GP goes ahead but l will be contacting her myself and doing the booking out side of AIRBNB if Jenny is not refunded as AIRBNB is not entitled get two service fees from her.

Paul6761
Level 1
Saint-Benoît, France

It is very laudable that you hope to answer all phone calls within two minuets, however as a host when I had a major problem with a guest booking who was to arrive the following day, I could not even find a number to contact anyone on. Your automated support centre sends us round and round in circles about cancellations etc. It has been 20 days since I finally managed to speak to someone in customer support and despite contact from 3 different support staff the problem remains unresolved.........Are you actually listening to us???????

Katie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hey @Paul6761, I'm really sorry to hear about the issues you've had with your case this time. I've just had an update for you so I will send you a DM now.