Cancelation

[Patricia5375]

Guest want to cancel their reservation or change shortened their stay .but they asking me to change it for them ,there's no way for them to cancel or change it  them self ..even a couple asked me to returned their money myself .something sound off I feel like there are scam ..

[Emiel1]

@Patricia5375 

If the guest look at their trips an select the reservation, there are options to cancel or change it.

The guest should read:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/913

You as a host can also change the reservation (shorten it), if desired.

But never cancel it yourself !

[Bettye6]

Hi @Emiel1 ,

I sorta laugh as the majority of my guest do not read everything, I frequently get questions about the code to get in, what door, etc. though it is very clear.

I do not think the link thing will work will most.

Host just can not arbitrarily decide to cut a guests trip short. A host is NOT able to shorten a guest stay or even kick them out with out a valid policy backed reason. To my knowledge by doing so can result in hefty platform penalties, loss of Super Host status and/or account suspension.

A guest can shorten a active reservation which requires a trip change request submitted only by the guest, which then the host approves. (as per your link).

Bettye6

[Bettye6]

Hi Patricia5373,

Absolutely never cancel for a client as it will be considered a cancellation by you and that is not a good thing with AirBnB. Especially returning money as all financial transactions go through AirBnB directly.

You are able to apply discounts for your guest if the return of money was for a discount you decided to give them, say if they had a bad experience or late check in, etc.

For both guests I would suggest to have them call AirBnB directly themselves if they are struggling on how to do something. 

Bettye6

[Snehal1]

Trust your instincts, Patricia—your feelings are 100% correct. This is a classic scam setup. Never cancel or shorten a reservation on behalf of a guest.

If you initiate the cancellation or modification from your end, Airbnb's system will penalize your account, block your calendar dates, and you could face financial penalties. Guests always have the technical ability to click "Cancel" or "Request a Modification" on their own dashboard. They are trying to trick you into bypassing the official system so you lose your cancellation policy protection.

To help the community give you the best advice on how to handle them, could you share a few more details:

• Did the guest give a specific reason for the cancellation inside the official Airbnb application chat?
• How many total days did they originally book, and how many days are they now trying to cancel or shorten?

Tell the guest firmly via the app that they must submit the alteration or cancellation request through their own profile, and do not send any money outside the platform. 

[Emilie]

Hi @Patricia5375, 

Has the guest cancelled their reservation now?

Emiel, Bettye and Snehal shared some very good advice on how to approach the situation, let us know how you're getting on please!

Thanks, 

Emilie