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.

[Roman103]

Although, he wasn’t able to tell me what these levels mean under our names?

[Colette18]

I totally agree with all negative comments stated here. As a superhost I'll do anything and everything BEFORE calling help center because I know-from experience- that they will not HELP. I also know that I will be caught in an eternal vicious circle trying to click "contactus"  They expect us to read at lenght the millions of questions on line. When one needs help, one does not go read an encyclopedia of everything else that can go wrong. Ive always said and continue to say that the worst part of airbnb is their poor "support". Instead of planning a future where it will be even more automated... they should hire a few more knowledgeable people who have read the encyclopedia to all questions and know how to differentiate which question applies so you get an anwser directly and fast.

[Tony134]

The question starting this thread is dishonest...

Airbnb needs to show it's serious about taking host concerns seriously *before* reaching out with any more fluff or signaling any more concern.

Airbnb, your forum comes a little more unglued every day.  

1.  Place instant book and non instant book listings in the same search results.  I have used instant book from the beginning and I would't change that, but clearly a lot of your hosts still feel slighted and ignored by that change to search results, and haven't 'just forgotten and rolled over' years later.

2. Stop making UI changes that have little to no positive effect on hosts and guests.  Some of the changes have been great, don't get me wrong, but many are also useless or plain counterproductive.  Have a beta app, let people opt in, stop rolling out bad changes in batch.

3. You asked recently about cancellation policy changes and whether or not we were cool with it.  You got 50+ pages of hosts screaming 'Awww heck no!' and still you went ahead with the changes.  You ASKED, so ACCEPT the answer; otherwise there is zero real communication between us, and that IS a problem.  You ASKED, we ANSWERED.  Man up and accept the answer.

4. Fire whoever heads your customer service department.  It is a person that does not understand personal responsibility or hard work.  I wonder if the person in charge of customer service ever had a job before this.  Vacation rentals involve people staying in other peoples' homes, and is Serious Business.  People need to be responsible for their own mistakes and their own behaviour.  The only person responsible for a person should be themselves.

Brian Chesky wants Airbnb to be a place for everyone.  If by everyone he means all demographics: all races, all religions, all nationalities, bring it on, I think that's great, I have accepted reservations from all over the world.  If by everyone Brian Chesky literally means "Everyone," regardless of whether or not some people are good guests, this is silly, idealistic, and exactly against the point of having a star rating system for guests and hosts in the first place.  When people are bad hosts or guests, they shouldn't get special treatment like spoiled children.  I see this a lot with brand new guests to platform with unrealistic expectations, and it's the hardest part of the job when Airbnb backs up total hooligan guests.

[Ann10]

@Tony134At Tony- Well said, Tony! Bravo!

[Jerry-and-Craig0]

How do you get reimbursed for Damages?

I constantly hear of situations where hosts are nit reimbursed adequately for damages. Please give information on how to get reimbursed fully. Should we as host get valuations for everything in our place or is there another way to avoid receiving a less than full reimbursement or nothing at all ?

thanks,

[Julie1017]

Gosh, a simple phone number would be of help!  We are all busy people. Cheers Julie

[Karyl-and-Henry0]

Karyl & Henry - Broken Hill, Australia

I agree with all of the above and have experienced the language barrier more times than I care to mention.  

Why  can't they let us talk directly to our guests (as Booking.com do) as most of the problems can be sorted IF we can have a conversation with the people who book our properties.  I HATE having to go thru Airbnb all the time.

[Charisse3]

Is it really too much to ask to have an English speaking  person for help and a 24 hr hotline number??

[Ann10]

@Jerry-and-Craig0-File a claim w the American Arbitration Association or in some cases small claims court. See TOS. If their lawyer says he wants the mediator out because of confidentiality reasons, say I'm sure they can keep a secret. Don't agree to talk to the ABB lawyer on the phone. He is very manipulative. Ask me anything you want to know. I'm going to have to file another claim because  their T&S people cancelled a reservation  of mine worth $8000. Major incompetence, arrogance, and lack of English fluency. She also threatened me and said if I brought up the issue again(called to complain about her)she would deactivate my account.  I'm too tired now, but tomorrow I will post screen shots of all the messages where she threatens me or at least a couple. I'm speading too much time on here when I should be posting on other sites.

[Melanie206]

Although I have not needed to contact Airbnb for anything (that means everything is running smoothly :)) it is very important to me that I could get in touch with customer service, and resolve any issue quickly.  I hope that Airbnb Always puts live, easy to understand, and knowledgable customer service at the top of important things within the company!  When you are faced with a problem this is priceless.

[Λεβαντή0]

In Greece, it seems that the Help Center is working efficiently. They call back in time and sort things out smoothly, at least so far, with issues that do not entail guests, just content sorting out.

[Yasmin2]

Whenever I need Airbnb support they're only a phone call away, being a Super Host there is an immediate a response to resolve the issue, whatever it may be.. In fact, over all, I really appreciate the genuine care and understanding of the support team as they are always in support of a win-win for all.

There will always be ongoing glitches in any system but how we deal with them can be done with a quality of care and integrity, as with anything in life, there is always more we can learn from any situation. Airbnb is extended family to me and I am treated like family and our guests experience the same. 

[Larissa79]

Yeah   b.s.

[Ann10]

@Yasmin2-Do you work for ABB? Or have you ever had to call for help w a serious problem?

[Ann10]

@Julie0 Be careful what you wish for! LOL!