THANKS @airbnb FOR TAKING MY 50% REFUNDS AND PAYING ME 12.5% INSTEAD

[Anthony1092]

How generous of you @Airbnb to continue to override our agreements with our guests.

I thought it was really creative the way you

guys figured out how to continue to force losses on the hosts but make it sound like you were being generous.

Your first change was stupid (it was not a matter of public health because you could have had the same effect by providing credits to the guests so they could reschedule their trips in the future).  Instead of realizing that YOU DOUBLED DOWN ON SCREWING THE HOSTS!

Let me make it simple for you... here’s the solution... EITHER LEAVE OUR AGREED UPON CANCELLATION POLICIES ALONE OR PAY THE REUNDS IN CREDITS OUT OF YOUR OWN POCKET!!!!!!!!!

[Trish164]

I appreciate whatever airbnb gives us.  

An idea.  Take our daily ave. Revenues for 2019 then take a % of that x so many days we are unable to rent and give us that.  Just an idea 

[Sheila22]

Airbnb is telling the Guests that they must cancel at least 7 days before the reservation date in order to received the 100% refund in the form of a credit.  Airbnb is currently sending this message to the Guests as we speak.  Of course this means Airbnb only has to provide 12.5% to Hosts, as opposed to 25% if the cancellation happened within the last 7 days before the reservation.

[Kim278]

this is a rough time... I get it. but good will goes a long way. if not handled correctly the backlash won't be pretty. I thought about the credit idea and even had guests volunteer. i realized that would muck up future bookings and drag out the losses while at the same time making most guests think twice about using ABNB in the future. Hotels give refunds. there will be grants and loans and hopefully we can make up for the downturn later with guests who appreciate our losses... no time to be greedy

[Huma0]

@Kim278 

I understand your point RE future bookings but, for a lot of us, any future bookings are a long way off.

I am not sure that it's necessarily greed when a host who has lost a significant amount of their income looks for solutions that are not to the detriment of the guest. 

I tell you what is greed though: Airbnb telling the world's media that they giving guests full refunds and hosts 25%, when neither are strictly true. Firstly, it's not 25% unless you had a strict policy and the guest cancels less than seven days before their check in. At the moment, Airbnb is actively encouraging guests to cancel more than seven days before because it is kinder to the host. I wonder why they are doing that?

They are further conning guests by telling them that if they want a full refund (in the form of a voucher, mind you, that benefits Airbnb who makes further interest on that money, but not the host), they MUST cancel more than seven days before.

Both these things are a lie. If the guest qualifies for the COVID-19 EC, they are entitled to a full refund of their money, not just travel credit. The guest is entitled to this even if they do cancel less than seven days before. Airbnb is deliberately misguiding guests in order to pay out less to hosts and earn more interest from guests. THAT is greed.

[Haleana0]

Hi! I just want to hop in here as a guest. I'm not the main guest (my friend has organised our trip), but we were told that we would have 100% refund if we were unable to attend our trip due to the government announcing no non-essential travel out of the country. This, of course, has now happened. Now my friend has gone to claim the promised refund and the whole thing is lies. They are trying to panic us into taking a half-refund and that offer expires in a week. They refuse to take on board the official government statement about non-essential travel and even if the flights are actually cancelled, we've been told that we need to provide evidence that flights are cancelled in all airports at the country we are flying to. We will get a 50% refund LESS the service fee which amounts to almost a further 25% of the whole cost. I personally would rather see that service fee go to the hosts who are clearly losing out, but equally, as a guest, this is completely out of our control and we would like our money back as promised. The whole thing puts me off AirBnB altogether as this is actually the first trip we have ever booked through them. On another note, me and my husband had a trip booked shortly after and it was booked through hotels. All cancelled with no quibble and full refunds. I know that they are a different kind of beast, but Airbnb have been so slimy, I wish we'd booked with hotels. 😞

[Drue0]

That's such a disappointment! @Haleana0 As a host with only two rooms - I opened my home because I love meeting people from all over the world and, after losing my teaching position at the university, it helped pay my utilities and property taxes. But mostly, I loved meeting people and exchanging ideas and showing them this beautiful place where I get to live - mountains, sea, wild blueberries ... I'm sorry that this was your first experience with Airbnb. 

I'm becoming disillusioned now, too, though. It's really a bummer when there is no way to actually get through and talk with an actual human being. These are highly interesting times we're all living through ... I thought Airbnb had more integrity than it is presently exhibiting. 

[Laurence-and-Jean-Michel0]

Totally agree with you. The worst thing for me is all the "look-at-me-look-at-me-see-how-generous-I-am" promotion, Airbnb is making out of this big mess

[Sigrid19]

It is interesting that only some of the cancellations due to COVID 19 are eligible for a service fee refund. I think this rule needs to be across the board COVID 19 cancellations not just to selected cancellations within a date frame. Interesting that we as hosts are expected to give the full refund yet Airbnb can retain the service fee!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Sigrid19 

Totally separate from the covid-19 situation........ based on my own experience and communication with past guests related to any sort of cancellation, the consensus from guests was always along the lines of "I understand I won't get my fees back if I cancel (and I'm okay with that) but why should YOU (=host) get to keep my money when I'm not even going to stay with you AND you have XX days/weeks to get another booking in my place?." 

[Sigrid19]

Perhaps Airbnb could consider their service fee to include a component to go to the host when a guest cancels. Sometimes you just can't fill the gap that is left by a cancellation.

[Carol62]

That falls to the guests... they should be aware of the cancellation policy ahead of time. We keep all or part of the money bc it's potentially days that can longer be booked. It's not likely in a 5-7 day window that those days will be booked and as hosts we are left losing money. I have given full refunds to guests that had to cancel outside of my cancelation timeline due to extenuating circumstances in the past however that is very infrequent. 

[Mary419]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 This is the first time I have seen someone else express this exasperation I have felt many times. Guests want every penny back from the host but are perfectly fine with Airbnb keeping the service fee! I have a very high volume setup in a city dependent on tourism so I see it all and that phenomenon has stood out over time. 

Which is why I thought when this mass cancelation chaos first started, they should have said the host is getting the service fee as life support and the guest is getting a full refund. Now the 25% is really the service fee anyway. As long as you were not Flexible policy then.... sad!

And think about how many times over Airbnb cashes in on the Flexible and Moderate listings with guests being fine with them keeping the service fee? 

Also @Huma0 and everyone else who is unaware of how the vouchers are being pushed over refunds, these are screen shots of the processThe fine print is the only way to apply for full cash refund and reportedly sometimes the hyperlink does not work on mobile

[Huma0]

@Mary419 

Yes, that's how some guests are seeing it. I assume these are the guests that actually hit the cancel button?

However, others, who have not even indicated yet that they are going to cancel, are getting an email from Airbnb telling them that, should they want to cancel, they can either pay the normal cancellation fee or get a 100% refund in the form of a travel credit (and the host will get something from Airbnb), but ONLY if they cancel more than seven days before (as a courtesy to the host). There is no mention of a 100% cash refund and no mention of having to provide evidence in order to get that.

See below:

Dear xxxxx,

We know you have a reservation coming up. We remain hopeful that you will be able to complete your travel safely. We also understand that the coronavirus (COVID-19) may impact your ability to travel and wanted to make sure you’re aware of your options if you need to make changes to your upcoming trip.

We’ve expanded our cancellation options. You can always change or cancel your existing reservation under the terms of your host’s cancellation policy. As an alternative, we are now also offering guests impacted by COVID-19 the option to cancel and get 100% of the amount they’ve already paid as travel credit to use toward a future trip. To receive this credit, please cancel at least 7 full days before your check-in date to give your host plenty of notice. Know that when you choose this option, Airbnb will also pay your host a portion of the reservation value from a support fund we have established for this purpose. This is our way of helping to ease the financial burden of both our guests and hosts during this crisis.

Please visit the Tripssection of Airbnb's website or app for more details about your cancellation options. If you are still able or need to travel, we recommend observance of health and governmental guidelines and wish you a safe journey.

We are all looking forward to a time when travel will be more predictable again. Until then, our hosts will continue to offer a variety of flexible cancellation policies to provide you peace of mind for future travel. Thank you for being part of the Airbnb community and please continue to consider us for your future travel plans.

Sincerely,

The Airbnb Team

[Anastasia--Ann0]

That seems unfair for us.

[Serafina2]

@Airbnb Does anybody know when and how that 25% are going to be paid out?