ATTENTION - Cancellations that came BEFORE March 14th are now refunded retroactively by airbnb - STRIKE

[Alex---Michael0]

Until yesterday it was bad, now it is getting worse. Guests who canceled their trip (check-in between March 14th - April 14th) BEFORE March 14th were still subject to the regular cancellation policy, in my case strict. These cancellations were still paid out normally, in my specific case a booking for about EUR 2,200 with check-in date on March 15th, canceled on March 13th. As mentioned, I have received the full payment, but now I discovered in my transaction history that I have to repay this money. New payouts are simply retained until the amount is reached.

Meaning: airbnb has now also begun to refund legal cancellation fees to guests retroactively.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR TRANSACTION OVERVIEW

I wrote my concern to the airbnb support with an urgent request for clarification. I have not received an answer in days.

Does anyone know if that is legally possible? How can I defend myself?

Thank you for your help.

Michael

[Barbara2157]

Why would you expect the guest to travel in the midst of a worldwide emergency?  WHO declared a pandemic on March 11.  Whether the guest cancelled on the 13th or after Airbnb announced their policy on the 14th, should make no difference.  Anyone who feels otherwise is simply greedy and not concerned about worldwide health.  A full refund should be issued to the guest because services were never rendered.   

[Christopher187]

@Barbara2157 Wrong, hosts don't get the opportunity to not render services.  All of the costs that go into housing are put in motion years before the guest arrives, and they cannot be stopped.  This host's house, room, mortgage, taxes, utilities, beds, and associated costs didn't all disappear the moment the guest cancelled.  Maybe the host saved a tiny bit in cleaning, that's it.  But the service was rendered.  The guest just didn't enjoy the service.

[Sarah977]

@Christopher187  Almost everyone has a mortgage to pay , taxes, and utilities, whether they are a host or not. A mortgage is related to the home owner's equity, it's not something hosts should expect guest bookings to cover, and it's not a part of the service guests pay for. 

[Christopher187]

@Sarah977   I'm not sure what you're trying to say here.  The entire Airbnb business model is based on the expectation (and promise) of sales that will outweigh the associated costs.  No, we don't bill parsing out each expense in the guest's bill, because that's silly.

A big part of what a host is selling is the guarantee of a place to stay.  Large and real costs go into being able to sell that guarantee.  The host has still delivered that guarantee, in all its value, even the guest never arrives.  

What is happening now is like if we all asked for full refunds on our homeowner's insurance because we didn't make a claim last year.

[Barbara2157]

@Christopher187 Airbnb has had an extenuating circumstances policy in place, well before their March 14 COVID-19 specific policy.  It's language clearly covers travel restrictions and epidemics which apply here.  When you agreed to be a host, you accepted those terms.  You are ignoring the fact that you are not the only one with lost income at this time.  The guests income is gone as well!  Expecting them to pay for a service that they did not receive is unconscionable.  If you had to cancel a dinner reservation because of an emergency, would you expect a bill from the restaurant for the meal that you never ate?  Be honest with yourself.

[Christopher187]

Actually, I only expect the guest to pay for the portion that they agreed to in the cancellation policy.  In the case of my own cancellations, that would just be a fraction of their total booking price.  I assure you, I and many other hosts are losing out way more than the guests would if we just followed the cancellation policy.

Regarding your hypothetical: absolutely, whatever was agreed upon beforehand is what should happen.  Movie, concert, whatever.  If I order a meal and walk out right as it arrives at my table, I would be total ass if I just walked and didn't pay a dime.

[Barbara2157]

@Christopher187 The cancellation policy prior to March 14 read as shared below.  This clearly meets the criteria intended here.   So, these scenarios were already in place to protect the cancellation. 

Circumstances that require special review

There’s no required documentation for these circumstances, but our specialized team will review each case to confirm that you’re directly affected.

Open Homes reservations that have been cancelled. More info about Open Homes.

Natural disasters, terrorist activity, and civil/political unrest that prevent the guest from traveling to or from the destination, or that make it unsafe to host guests.

Epidemic disease or illness that suddenly affects a region or an entire group of people. This doesn’t include existing diseases that are associated with an area—for example, malaria in Thailand or dengue fever in Hawaii. Any updates to our policy regarding the outbreak of a disease, and the scope of policy application, will be determined based on announcements by the World Health Organization and local authorities.

Travel restrictions imposed by a government, law enforcement agency, or military that restrict travel to or from the listing or experience location.

Safety and security threat advisories issued for the listing or experience location or the guest party’s departure location.

[Christopher187]

What Airbnb has done is issue a world-wide 'anyone can cancel for whatever **bleep** reason they please' directive. They've been lying about collecting on fees and going behind hosts back telling guests how to get refunds. Abuse has been documented and it isn't clear that Airbnb cares.  No "specialized team" is reviewing any of this, as far as I can tell.  Even after they came up with a new cancellation policy, they change it whenever they please.  Airbnb has been telling hosts "we have your back", but they don't.  It is all tantamount to intentional fraud.

[Christopher187]

Wait, really?  Airbnb bleeps out the word that sounds like the things beavers build to dam* streams?  What the **bleep**?

[Sarah977]

@Christopher187  I once wrote something here in a discussion about decorating for holidays and mentioned that bouquets don't necessarily have to consist of flowers, but in the fall or winter could be some sprigs of colorful autumn leaves, rose hips or something that rhymes with "cushy pillows". It appeared as **bleep**willows. 

[Paul351]

Barbara yes and supporting documentation are required in these instances.  For Covid documentation is not required. Obviously policy cannot be retrospectively applied.

[TheMelbourneHome0]

Facing the same issue here. Airbnb is making full refunds for cancellations made before March 14th. We are already in a difficult financial situation due to all the cancellations but these retroactive refunds are making it worse. 

I have made a complaint but Airbnb insisted that the Covid policy is also applicable to cancellations made before March 14th. I reckon Airbnb should do a 50% refund instead of a full refund. 

[Dee219]

NSW, Australia I have had two guests try to get me to cancel their reservations wanting a full refund in spite of my strict cancellation policy.  In one case a guest's reservation was for mid May and a local public event cancelled) and the other guest booked after the 14 March but now wants a full refund because of governments are advising citizens not to travel interstate. If I have a strict cancellation policy is it fair for guests and hosts to split the 50:50 costs? 

The bushfire season was extensive and as a result guests will not be able to be refunded money until I get more guests coming, which could be some months away now.

Guests keep insisting I cancel, but if its outside the airbnb window, will I lose superhost status? Its not real clear.

If both guests cancel they will get 50% refund, I could always offer a discount when they travel again for the event that is annual. What do other hosts think?

[Adriano78]

@Alex---Michael0  i have exactly the same problem but also warning, airbnb is also refund 100% for May reservations.