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.

 

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245 Replies 245
Katie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Sandra1925, welcome to the Community, and I'm sorry to hear you've had this issue. I have just had an update on your case so I will send you a DM with more details now 😊

Mpume3
Level 1
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Good day 

 

An amount of R 1278.58 was deducted from my credit card reference  Hmre48w4kt I didn't try to book a place do question I'd who withdrew from my credit card 

Katie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Mpume3, welcome to the Community Center and I'm really sorry to hear you have had this issue. I checked in with the team and you don't appear to have been in touch with Support? Please get in contact with them and they can assist you with this. There's a handy guide with some different options for contacting them here, or you can send them a message here😊

Lawrence198
Level 1
Bali, Indonesia

Hi I have been hosting and renting AIRBNB for eight years now.

 

I  have decided to take over 20 of our properties that we would normally manage to our company and put them on AIRBNB

My concerns are that I am not allowed to list in Indonesian rupiah and when the exchange rate is done by PayPal it is huge, as much is 10%. My first question is how can I convert all my properties over to a company account as opposed my personal account. My second question is why don't you have Indonesian rupiah listed as a currency when we are the fourth largest country by population in the world? I'm sure Bali were I live has hundreds maybe thousands of listings with therapy and be and we are actually forced to to violate the initial law which requires that we only list in Indonesian Rupiah. Thank you for your prompt response to these inquiries. Cheers, Lawrence

Hi @Lawrence198  This isn't customer support but a community forum.  I can answer one question, though.  Go to Account and request Professional Hosting Tools.  Once you get them you can enter your company name and tax ID number there.

Barbro-Isabel0
Level 1
São Brás de Alportel, Portugal

I actually could not find any clear information on the new scale of service fee payments from the side of us hosting.  I only heard from other users of this platform that airbnb is now also charging the hosts by 16% which I find an incredible rise to what it used to be.  Very very unfortunate, because before the fact that airbnb didnot charge the hosts very high has been the big adavantage against other platforms.  This is really are pity and makes me reconsider whether to use airbnb in future alltogether.  Fortunately I do have a number of returning clients who don't need to use any internet platform.  To me it actually feels like a rip-off - to charge both sides - the hosts and the guests so highly and thereby making prices rise or having to lower our prices / income.  No good news at all after or during these anyhow difficult times.

However, what I find most irritating is the fact, that I have never been clearly informed about this change and I tried to find the information in the huge amount of information given by airbnb (help center etc.) but could not find it anywhere.  This means, I still haven't seen it black on white, but heard it just by word say.  I don't know, how other clients found out about the new payment policy (I don't even know how knew it is??),  but I feel cheated as a client, who has been using airbnb for many years and this is definetly the opposite of transperency, sorry to say.

@Barbro-Isabel0 The new charging regime, for those who are on it, actually charges less than before. Originally it was 14-16% guest, 3% host. The new regime is 0% guest, 15/16% host. So as long as you adjust your prices upwards accordingly you and the guest will be no worse off.

@Barbro-Isabel0  Sadly, Airbnb has never understood or embraced transparency.  They operate on the exact opposite principle!  

Julieanna
Barbro-Isabel0
Level 1
São Brás de Alportel, Portugal

Interesting to know.  Why have I never been informed about it??  For me as a host it means a huge difference and I will have to consider staying on this site, since I really dislike this change of policy. 

For guests (also myself using it occasionally as a guest) it of course does not make a difference, whether they pay the host or airbnb.  But for the host it means a loss. If I have to rise my prices too much, people cannot afford it anymore.  VERY DISAPPOINTED avout this move of airbnb !!

@Barbro-Isabel0  What do you mean, if you have to raise your prices too much, the guest won't be able to afford it? 

 

The guest sees the same total price whether the host is paying the full service fee or the guest is, so the guest isn't paying more. 

Mark37
Level 3
St Petersburg, FL

How do we get in touch with the ambassador hosts (I don't think that is the right name for them), those on the committee that is representing hosts to AirBNB? I have tried and tried, and have found no way to do so.  

 

How can they represent us, if we can't reach them with our input and opinions.

Joseph-and-Nina0
Level 2
Charlottesville, VA

BEWARE you can lose half your payment for a canceled booking. We just found out the hard way that Airbnb is now selecting certain guests to participate in a pay 1/2 now and 1/2 later for their reservation. We have a 48 hour cancellation policy and had a guest with a $600 booking cancel past the 48 hour limit. We received a notice that we would receive a refund of $300. When I called the help desk I was told that our guest had chosen the pay 1/2 now and 1/2 later payment structure so Airbnb had only collected 1/2 the booking cost so that is what we would receive. We find the lack of transparency associated with this "new practice"  unacceptable and completely undermining the relationship between Airbnb and their Hosts. Hosts should always know under what financial risks they are accepting any booking so they can choose to accept it or not.

Anyone else aware of this policy or impacted by it?

@Joseph-and-Nina0  The pay half up front option has been around for a long time, it isn't new.

 

Unless Airbnb screwed up your payment, whether guests choose that option or not shouldn't effect your payout at all.

 

I'm assuming the guest cancelled within the period that they would be eligible for a 50% refund under your cancellation policy? So they would have gotten a $300 refund regardless of whether they paid the whole shot up front or not. 

 

In this case, as they only paid half up front, they actually won't see any $ credited back to them, because they only paid $300 to start with. That is the $300 you will get paid out.

Joanna578
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

Hello 

Joanna578
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

Hello @Catherine-Powell 

Please can you help us to get our payouts.

 

We have not been paid 4 payments now. Over £1000

 

We are frustrated and Airbnb have stolen our money.

 

We have tried aimlessly to get our payments but keep being sent from pillar to post with no outcome.

 

Please help us.

 

Regards

Joanna Smith