Airbnb Answers: Easier access to Customer Service

[Airbnb]

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]

They aren't able to read or respond in English to your question. They answer another question. !No habla Ingles! Not helpful! Eventually, they tell you to call the SH line or they close the ticket before you get an answer to your question.  It's a big circle jerk, in my humble opinion and experience. I spoke to someone who speaks English named AJ. He said it's because they have help centers all over the world. When I call or write a message for help from Chase bank, I do get someone in the Philippines, however they understand English perfectly and are able to answer in English perfectly. Hire people who can understand and speak English perfectly. Not a good excuse AJ and ABB. There are people all over the world who speak perfect English! AJ also said it is against the TOS to record phone calls w them. I have been telling them I'm recording for years and up until lately they have been saying ok. I scoured the TOS and I didn't see anything. Does anyone know? I'm a business and I need to protect myself.

[Az2]

🙂 I thought I was only one who thought so

[Maria2218]

I also want to say this is not acceptable.  I tried calling tonight as a host who was seeking support with a difficult guest!  It took more than 1/2 hour to get a response.  Yes, also from the Philippines.. The consultant was very attentive however not an Airbnb consultant that I am used to dealing with.  He did the best job he could. 

In the past Airbnb answer the phone quickly!  (Although I have only called a few times in 6 years) What has changed with Airbnb.  If anything they’re service should be better not worse!  

I am a super host and always try to be the best but I also need support from Airbnb!  Please explain 

[Larissa79]

Airbnb is going downhill because its getting so big     customer  service? Haha  a guest broke my patio set and umbrella and I was told to buy another set      it was 2600   do u know what Airbnb gave me ?  48 dollars         I emailed them 40 times   finally I got an email back that said as follows 

Hi my name Is Paul   I will b helping u    what is the best time for me to call     anytime between 3am and 6am est   

Thur thru Sunday           is that a joke? 3am to 6am?

[Susan1409]

I have found the same problem.Airbnb says they insure hosts for damage but I find they did not stand behind me with out a huge fight which took a very long time ..lots of e mails and much of my time

all to collect for damages done  around  500 dollars

[Dianne107]

I’ve had the same issues as Anne in New York and Maria in Indonesia. Truly frustrating that the representative kept answering questions that I didn’t ask and in the end I didn’t get my questions answered. 

[Kanishka0]

I am fully satisfied with the host support system. When I had a problem in changing the currency. Untill the matter was sorted out Airbnb staff was with me.keep it up.

[Bruce168]

My experience is that customer service is mostly inept..3 plus hours on the phone with no resolution was and is totally unacceptable and the promised call backs regarding an incident last Friday have still not been forthcoming. All hat, no cattle as they say. It sucks.

[Manjit0]

Although I am pretty new as a host to the Aibnb ( Joined 15 Apr 2018) but so far I have had a smooth sailing. I did have to contact the customer suppport on two ocassions, one time via phone call and the other through an email but I did find immediate support and resolution. During the phone call I did find the Customer Service rep had a diffirent accent but that is understandable as Aibnb is a word wide organization and the reverse could also be true with regard to the accent of a host trying to call the Customer Support. What matters is the efficeincy and that is what I got on both the ocassions.

[Melissa471]

There should be a 24 hr call center number... not the whole take a long time on your cell app... what if you can not get a signal and you are at an abb in an odd place? I use it when I travel stateside but I think maybe someone was right and abb is too big for its britches? When my boyfriend hosts, he is a super host, he uses auxiliary insurance, it costs 5 bucks a day... very worth it if someone breaks something and now they are out of the country and you have no recourse and need to have something fixed quick, like a toilet, shower, oven, etc. One key is to do a quick video of your place and actually meet the people coming in. He says people are less likely to mess up when they have seen someone face to face.

[Kelly149]

It doesn’t matter how quickly they answer the phone if they don’t understand the platform or follow up as they say they will. I have had a few positive CS experiences. Many more were outright terrible. 

If abb allowed hosts and guests to Star Rate their service I think they’d have to be removed for their poor marks. 

[Sam185]

I do not subscribe to Airbnb providing a 48 hours window for call backs - during 'active trips' only.  I truly believe this is a step in the wrong direction. As Superhosts, Airbnb should recognize that we mean business when we reach out for help and make it simple to communicate. Having property overseas myself, I really appreciated the quick around the clock access to an agent with a 'call me back' feature in the past. It saved time, money and a lot of frustration. Especially that VOIP is semi-blocked where I am located. Maybe a more balanced approach would be to set a maximum number of call backs per superhost per month that fall outside the 'active trip' window.  I hope Airbnb will reconsider!

[Iliahi-J-0]

 I have had nothing but problems lately with  C.S.   It used to be great a year ago, then  they starting using call centers. There is such a BIG language barrier,  they would rather   make decisions based on what is  written before them, and all decsions are final! They do not even give contact you first if a Guest makes the request to cancel or refund, they automatically refund even it it against your Strict cancelation poilicy months in advance.. They  have done it for claims, when you want to report someone that is rude to you or someone  that hangs up on you! I had many that have put me on hold to speak to a supervisor because I could not get my message accross, they hung up on me. They have closed my cases too. I am truly disapointed with Airbnb!

[Ana1061]

Sorry but that's not much help from you. Don't think you're doing anything good enough to help with the host when there's troubles. Hinkson stoled my water pressure machine and you didn't do anything about it. How is supposed to help the host. A computer or an answering machine. I'm very dissatisfied with your company. Thanks.