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.

[Kristen198]

I had nothing but help from air bnb.  When I called, they knew exactly what I was talking about.  When I sent a message, I got an answer in 24 hours.  I never have had any difficult guests or anything missing, so I don't know about that.

---

@Ana1061 wrote:

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.

---

[Cindy380]

This is still bogus!!! For a company this large to NOT have dedicated customer service all over the world is unacceptable. Today (this afternoon) I got notice from AB&B that THEY canceled a reservation which was to occur tomorrow AND refund the guests money. No explanation as to why the reservation was being cancelled. I could find NO number to call for resolution and I emailed 3 times within 4-5 hours and still never heard from them at all! In the mean time, the guest reached out directly to me and asked if I cancelled because they got a notice for refund and they were expecting to arrive tomorrow! Of course, I didn't cancel it! She didn't cancel it...and neither of us had an explanation for why it was cancelled. HOW UNACCEPTABLE IS THIS??? Plenty!!! I still havent heard a word.

[John-And-Michele0]

We agree with everything said here. There have been so many changes with customer service with Airbnb especially with the outsourcing.  The most recent issue we had involved a guest (15 minutes before arrival) asking if it was ok to bring her college age daughter. It was 10 o’clock in the evening! To make a long story short, she and her daughter left the next day because I reported her for bringing a second guest. The reservation was for one guest only. We had called Airbnb and spoke to someone in the Philippines and the representative had to transfer us to speak to someone in the United States to get the issues resolved. 

[Noelene4]

I find in New Zealand the service is wondeful keep it up regards Noelene [Surname hidden for safety reasons]

[Heather32]

I have to say overall, I have had good customer experience with Airbnb, and that the service HAS improved vastly. I have had glitches in their system resolved, and was able to get help when I was not sure how to handle something. The company has grown, but I do believe that overall they have done a good job responding.

This evening I had to deal with an overbooking situation (two guests trying to book on top of each other) and it was resolved easily and rather elegantly. I was thrilled to have the option of receiving a call back rather than waiting on my phone for a pick up. It took 10 minutes for the call back rather than the 30 minutes I was advised. I'm very happy.

[Forrest11]

I also use another rental hosting site and they have 24 hour access by phone.  You are never on hold more than a minute and they immediately go into your files and resolve the problems.  Airbnb hasn't been around as long but is making enough money that they could easily research how other platforms deal with host support.  

[Conrad24]

We had a similar experience as Cindy from Walla Walla this past Friday, but we were the guests and our reservation which is in less than a month, was cancelled on us.  However,  we didn't even get a cancellation notice!  Just an email saying our reservation was refunded - no explanation from host, Air BnB or even a mention that it was being cancelled and certainly no apologies.    I was confused - what happened?  When I called Airbnb, they couldn't give me an answer as to why the reservation was cancelled. Also,  I have not been given an opportunity to even write a review about the hosts... in fact.. I'm not even sure if they were the ones that cancelled the reservation! 

 When asked to talk to a supervisor ASAP to find answers and help rebooking, it took more than 24 hours to get a call back. 

 Air BnB needs to have quicker response time because if this happened on the day of a reservation, we would have been stranded!   

However, the agent who eventually did help us, did as good a job as she could despite not having all of the information herself though! 

[Jenny1]

Yesterday I called customer service because I was still waiting on a payout 48 hours after my current guests had checked in. The person on the other end of the phone told me I could expect to be paid in November. It is now June.

[Monte5]

I had a guest that left over $2,000 in damages, the guest offered to pay me $500.00 to settle it and I refused and put the claim with Airbnb. After providing pictures, invoices of the replaced items and bills for the labor the lady from the claims department said she was reimbursing me $174.00 for all the damages, when I told her that I would not accept that amount she said her decision of the amount was final, when I asked to appeal to a higher in corporate she said she was the highest and her decision was final. I lost $2,000. Airbnb advertise that they have insurance for $1,000,000 but this is false advertisement and you have not recourse in the case of damages from the guests.

[Adriana-and-Marta0]

I also find the service in Australia very good. I never had any major issue with guests but my questions were answered very professionally. 

[Amy214]

Been a host for several years.  Abnb customer service has only gotten worse as they have grown.  With this size company, they should have responsive customer service in the language of the caller.  Not acceptable Airbnb!

[Pearl18]

Except this doesn’t work. It’s rubbish, AirBNB.

[Sharon275]

Yes 

impossible to get support 

go round and round in circles until you give up 

[Suzanne121]

I called support for the first time in 3 Years of hosting due to my having an aggressive and bullying male guest. The woman I spoke to had minimal English, definitely not to a level where she could understand the majority of what i was saying. I am really shocked that ABB are using staff with such poor English in such an important role. It's an insult to hosts. I was told my complaint about the guest was being escalated to the next level. That was 2 weeks ago and I've heard nothing else. 

[Jane650]

The worst thing about customer service is that if you have a problem there is no continuity in who you are dealing with - it would be nice to speak to the same person instead of being sent all round the world each time and having to explain the situation again and again. Also i think it should be possible with an organisation of that size to have a call centre in each country - it is not just a question of who can speak your language , there are so many nuances in understanding- even between English and American. The most irritating phrase being "Reaching out to you" it sounds a bit like the Samaritans- which i must say i think i,ve needed when dealing with the customer service. My worst experience has been in trying to get myself verified as a guest - i still am not- despite having been a host for nearly 3 years and having been a guest in the past. Last Christmas i made at least 30 phone calls to try and sort it out but each time i was told my photo did not match - when asked what was wrong ( i had also taken at least 30 photos ) no one could tell me  I was not even told whether it was the passport photo or the profile photo. Then i was told the "team " were dealing with it but when i asked if i could speak to the team was told no. I eventualy booked through booking .com.