Scheduled (automated) messaging glitch

[Stacey169]

Is anyone else having trouble with the new automated messaging feature? I have four listings and set up automated messaging for each of them weeks ago. Each listing has an automated check out instruction message that is set to send at 7pm the night before the guest's checkout. However, I started getting frustrated because a handful of recent guests were not following any of the checkout instructions I provide. When I went to look back at the messages sent to these guests, I find that the checkout message never sent! So I started doing a little digging and looked into the automated messages set to send to future guests over the next month. SOME of them have the checkout instructions message scheduled; others do not. There is no rhyme or reason to the omissions that I can find. I have had multiple calls with Airbnb but no one has been able to help me. In fact...the last representative I spoke with this morning said she is a host herself and this is happening as well to her! But she had no answers. She suggested that I delete all my automated messages and reenter them. I did that (took a LONG TIME) but the problem persists. Now Airbnb tells me just to post about it on the "Feedback" page. I did that...but I don't expect to hear anything back personally.

I was so excited when Airbnb finally added this feature for hosts. What a blessing! (And way overdue!) But if the messages are not reliable, then the service is more trouble than it's worth. Anyone have any suggestions? 

Stacey

[Daniel38]

Scott,

I'm sure you are getting lots of advice on this. But, here is one thing that will help while this glitch is getting fixed.  I think it should be easy.

In the inbox, next to the text box where one composes a message, there are three icons. One brings up the option to insert an image, one for quick replies and the middle one for scheduled messages. When the scheduled message is skipped (for the reasons you laid out above) there is no option to send the skipped scheduled message when hitting this button. If you just put it there - so that all scheduled messages appear for every reservation - it will make it easier to just click that button and send the scheduled message.

Hope that can be done.

[Scott]

Hi @Daniel38 thank you for this suggestion!

[Marla75]

YES!!! that is EXACTLY what I am looking for!.

As said above, since the option is not there, in the scheduled messages for the guest, I need to copy, paste and then reorganize it with extra spaces, etc.

So adding it would be VERY helpful!

Also, I tried adding my departure notifications on the quick reply's thinking that would be easier, however it wouldn't save. Even though I hit save, it didn't save it to my quick replies.

Any fix would be helpful!

Thank you

[Justin100]

Hi Scott!  Any resolution or improvement with the scheduled messages here for single night bookings?

[Cristina2288]

Hi Scott, 

FYI, we are dealing with a similar issue. Our scheduled messages have been going out fine, but then suddenly, they stopped and one for July 12 and one for July 15 did not send. They were all working just fine prior to this and no changes were made to them. 

[Jessi-Arrington-and-Creighton0]

Another idea, have a one-night stay feature in the scheduled messages. This way you can set up a special message that can include the checkout info alongside the welcome message in a thoughtful way. I don't like sending the checkout message a few hours after someone has checked in so maybe this could solve both issues.

[Brad-And-Kristi1]

This is a ongoing (even now august 2022) issue for me. Attempted to resolve with airbnb but gave up after 35 min with no answer. Anyone figure out a solution?  Thanks

[Bilal77]

Very frustrating the "1 day before checkout" does not trigger for one night bookings. @Scott please tell the dev team that 1 day before checkout for a one night booking is the night of the booking!!!

[Anjelie0]

Having the same issue for 1 night bookings. My "1 day before checkout" message with checkout instructions never gets sent. I've started just including them in earlier messages. Would love if Airbnb would resolve this issue!

[George-and-Amanda0]

VERY TROUBLING: all of my automated messages were missing from a couple of bookings recently. (June 27th and 28th 2023). Now they are back on again. The system is NOT 100 percent reliable. Hopefully they have fixed the flaw

[Merridee0]

Was this resolved or did you have to manually send it? I’ve just noticed an automated “after booking” message has not been sent for those exact days! Maybe there’s a glitch in the system for those dates? 

[Victor3465 · Accepted solution]

@Merridee0 I’ve had similar problems like everyone else.

My check-out instructions which were automated and worked no longer did. 
I tried everything and even deleted and re-created the message but nothing worked.

I finally just figured the problem!

Under “Manage Scheduled Messages”, click in the problematic message that’s no longer going out automatically.

Scroll down until you find “Listings” ( underneath the box where you can write/create your message. The word “edit” is across from it)

Click on “listings “ and all your listings will show. Click the check mark for the listing you want your template to be applied to and voila!!!

When you go back to “Manage Scheduled Messages” , check the template and underneath its name, you should see the scheduled  day and time and how many listings this applies to.

I knew something didn’t make sense because it used to work. Unfortunately, even ABB reps may not know

[Janine487]

My solution: I've been having the same issue. When I'm out of town, I need an additional message to go out to my guests for the check-in.

Following the steps provided by Victor above, hit the save button but then I get a message with 0 bookings  affected. I know that's not true but I see that the listing is now showing up with a Nr. 1 (for my 1 listing) Now, I go back to the edit function and just edit my title of the outgoing message and hit save. This time it tells me the correct amount of bookings affected.

It's a way to work around the glitch for my issue at least. Good luck.

[Natalie1170]

I’ve recently run into this issue! It seems that the system just decided not to send messages to guests that are only staying for one night on our end. I just woke up to check and realize that a current guests staying with us had not received the check out instructions and saw that the message had been “skipped due to timing”. Even though it’s set to this listing, it looks like I’ll have to manually check for guests that stay only one night. 

[Andrew2975]

There seems to be a bug with shortcode of [house rules] in my case. 

This [house rules] is called in the scheduled message, causing the message is not being sent.

I have talked to Airbnb support and they are aware about this bug and is escalated to the technical team.

I have been host for many years and this error happens only after Airbnb introduce new feature with more granular settings, sometime in early January 2024.

While waiting I try the workaround  as follows:

1. Edit the template of the scheduled message that is in error

2. Remove the problematic [house rules] short code

3. Type the house rules manually in that schedule message

4. Save

Once I do that the error message on the guest reservation Inbox is gone. Yeayy... !

I hope this helps, while waiting for Airbnb technical team rectifying the issue.