COVID-19 AirBNB Policy Violations

[Christopher993]

Hi guys, 

I want to bring to attention a systematic error in enforcing policy during the COVID-19 pandemic that is detrimental to hosts. 

I have had many reservations cancelled and fully refunded despite a strict cancellation policy citing the new AirBNB COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy. However, I identified 5 such cancellations that were cancelled and refunded in violation of that exact policy. 

The policy specifically states that "Cancellations submitted before March 14, 2020 will be handled according to the extenuating circumstances coverage in effect at the time of submission (not the coverage described here)" and that "If a reservation has already begun (the check-in has passed) this extenuating circumstance does not apply." (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...)

I have discovered that in five cases, AirBNB fully refunded a guest who cancelled before March 14 (in several cases without ever notifying me). 

Even after having this violation highlighted, each individual case manager refused to correct his or her action. I have copied the chat transcripts of each incident as appendices to this post. In two of the five (identical) cases, a supervisor was able to overturn the case manager's error and I was issued the correct payout. In the other three cases, AirBNB has chosen to openly ignore its own policy and repeatedly cites a policy that excludes this exact circumstance verbatim to justify their actions. 

In two cases, the guest cancelled the reservation citing event cancellations in my city due to the COVID-19 outbreak. These cancellations were placed before March 14 and yet AirBNB opted to side with the guest in violation of their own policy. 

In one case, the guest cancelled the reservation citing the COVID-19 outbreak.  After an extended discussion with the case manager, we came to the conclusion that the reservation did not, in fact, warrant a refund under the COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy. The case manager then states that the guest *actually* cancelled due to a death the family, despite this having never been mentioned at any prior point (this is weeks after the cancellation was processed) but AirBNB is "unable to share the confirming documentation without the approval of the guest" and naturally "there was not approval". Anyone else smell something fishy here? To go further, per AirBNB full terms and conditions (https://www.airbnb.com/terms), the extenuating circumstance policy regarding death of a guest only applies to the immediate family or caregiver of a *registered* guest. This is because in the terms a guest is defined as "Members using Host Services". Members are then defined as "registered users". This means that a guest cannot select a random obituary listing and claim that the death impacted their visit in order to exploit the extenuating circumstances policy. In order for it to be a valid circumstance, the death must be of an immediate family member or caregiver to the booking guest or his pre-registered guest. Despite this, AirBNB has sided with the guest in the matter in violation of their own terms. 

Appendices:

[Christopher993]

Mar 26, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

4:20 PM

Hi Christopher. This is Bob C. from Airbnb's Resolutions support team and I hope that this message finds you well.

I was reaching out on reservation XXXXXX with Tim.

Due to the ongoing health concerns with the COVID-19 virus the reservation is eligible for a full refund under the updated extenuating circumstance policy.

Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy — https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701

Daniel was fully refunded, your payout was not released, so they will offset each other, and no payout will be issued.

Thanks for your understanding. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions—we're always more than happy to help!

 

 

Christopher

4:23 PM

Hi Tim,

Sorry I missed your call by a few moments. I called back within seconds but am still on hold. Feel free to call back if you were hoping to speak.

Thank you for the notice. I will check the details of that reservation now and will respond back shortly.

Thanks,

Christopher Conard

 

 

Airbnb Support

4:24 PM

Thanks for getting back with me, after you check the details let me know if you would like a call, it will save you waiting on hold for them to have me call you back.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

 

Christopher

4:28 PM

Hi Bob,

This reservation was cancelled on March 10 and does not apply to the COVID-19 cancellation policy that is currently in place. The policy in effect at the time of the cancellation does not provide for a full refund on this reservation. The current policy did not take effect until March 19, 2020. Further, WHO did not upgrade the COVID-19 outbreak to pandemic status until March 11, 2020. Policy updates specifically do not apply to reservations that have already begun or that were cancelled before the change. If you would like to discuss, please feel free to call me back at XXXXXX. 

Thanks,

Christopher

 

 

Airbnb Support

4:43 PM

We know cancellations can be upsetting, even when they happen for an understandable reason. Keep in mind that guests who cancel their reservation under our extenuating circumstances policy have been impacted themselves and by canceling are helping to protect the well-being of our entire community. 

I hope you’ll understand that this cancellation happened under extraordinary unforeseeable circumstances and that we are trying our best to protect the well-being of both you and your guests.

For more information about our COVID-19 Extenuating Circumstances policy, please visit: 

airbnb.com/help/article/2701

Please let me know after you have had some to time to review, and i can get back with you as needed.

 

 

Christopher

4:43 PM

 

 

 

Airbnb Support

4:44 PM

Can you send a link to the page?

 

 

Christopher

4:44 PM

The extenuating circumstance did not occur until after the guest had already processed his cancellation. The extenuating circumstance per terms, is the global pandemic. There was no global pandemic at time of cancellation so it is not covered.

The extenuating circumstance began on March 11, 2020

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320/what-if-i-need-to-cancel-because-of-an-emergency-or-unavoid...

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...

 

 

Cancellations submitted before March 14, 2020 will be handled according to the extenuating circumstances coverage in effect at the time of submission (not the coverage described here).

That terminology is in the second link. Because the cancellation was submitted before March 14, this reservation is held to the coverage in effect at the time of cancellation submission (March 10). It is not covered by the current COVID-19 policy

If there are further questions, you are welcome to contact me by phone again to continue discussing

 

 

Airbnb Support

4:58 PM

Thank for speaking with me, that helped, I will submit a request for your payout and have placed the adjustment on hold, until we sort this out.

 

 

Christopher

4:59 PM

To Summarize our conversations:

The updated COVID-19 extenuation circumstance policy update on March 19, 2020 (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...) specifically states that "Cancellations submitted before March 14, 2020 will be handled according to the extenuating circumstances coverage in effect at the time of submission (not the coverage described here)" in the second paragraph under the Summary section. 

At the time of cancellation submission (March 10, 2020), the extenuating circumstance policy in effect was as copied below:

"If you’re traveling from or hosting in a severely impacted area and we can recognize your location and reservation details as outlined below, you may be notified that your reservation automatically qualifies on the reservation details page. If you’re traveling within mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to any reservations booked on or before January 28, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to mainland China from anywhere outside of mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 1, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to or within Italy, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 29, 2020, with check-in date of April 3, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to or within South Korea, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 25, 2020, with check-in date of March 23, 2020 or earlier."

The policy in place at the time of cancellation specifically states that reservations in the United States ARE NOT covered by the COVID-19 extenuating circumstance policy in place at that time. 

As such, this reservation does not qualify for a full refund and the Strict cancellation policy is in full effect. As such, I receive a payout of 50% of the nightly rate. 

Thank you for forwarding this to your team and I will keep an eye out for their correction to this reservation.

Best,

Christopher

 

 

Airbnb Support

5:33 PM

Looking over everything I think we have just the three with Tim, Jennifer and Austin, and they came up to $1931, so let me see how they are going to handle it.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

 

Christopher

5:36 PM

XXXXXX Jennifer, XXXXXX Austin, XXXXXX Tim. 

Thank you for your help. I'll keep an eye out for any updates over the next few days.

-Christopher

 

 

Airbnb Support

5:43 PM

I had the total wrong it's going to be $1403.11, my original amount had Jack and did not include Tim

Tim $288.09

Jennifer $694.52

Austin $420.50

 

 

Christopher

5:46 PM

Understood. Thank you

 

 

Airbnb Support

5:48 PM

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding, I'm sure we will get it resolved in a couple of days if not sooner.

Mar 27, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

12:00 PM

I wanted to follow up after our call, thanks for understanding.

I issued the $288.09 payout for Tim, and send the others back to the original case manager for assistance.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

 

Christopher

3:27 PM

Do you have any advice for dealing with AirBNB agents like this?

 

 

 

After I highlighted the mistake, they lied about the cancellation “processing” timing. Then after I provided documentation of that error, they bring up unrelated policies that are not relevant to the reservation or original claim in any way. It’s obvious they are searching for any loophole by which to not acknowledge their earlier mistake. Is there any system by which I am able to send this to higher review or confront this situation?

 

Mar 28, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

1:00 PM

Sorry again I did not reply last night I thought I had sent a message.

It sounds like they are getting you over to a supervisor, I think it's best you speak with theirs directly.

I looked and talked with Catherine, she is not able to do the review, so I can take a look at it this afternoon, and let you know.

 

[Christopher993]

Mar 27, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

8:24 AM

Hi Christopher, this is Catherine one of the case managers here in Airbnb. I hope you're having a great day! First of all, I would like to thank you for your patronage of our business, we are very happy to have you in our Airbnb family. It will be a pleasure assisting you.

I’m writing on behalf of your guest XXXX, who will be unable to complete their reservation with you.

Extenuating circumstances sometimes come up that affect guests' travel plans. Depending on the case, a refund may be authorized outside of the reservation's cancellation policy, as explained in our extenuating circumstances policy:

www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320

We are currently awaiting documentation from your guest to determine if they are eligible for a full refund. At this time, the reservation has been canceled, we have re-opened your calendar, and we will contact you again once we have made a final decision.

In the meantime, should you choose to volunteer a refund for your guest, given the circumstances, please let us know.

 

 

Christopher

8:39 AM

Hi Catherino, I have no upcoming stays with any XXXX. Could you please provide a reservation code? Additionally, what is the extenuating circumstance being claimed? I can be reached att XXXXXX

 

 

Airbnb Support

8:43 AM

Hello Christopher,

Thank you very much for getting back to me. The reservation has been cancelled on March 17, 2020, the reservation code is XXXXX. Guest reached to us because the reason of his cancellation due to COVID-19 outbreak and travel restrictions.

Cheers,

Catherine

 

 

Christopher

8:44 AM

If you are referring to the partially completed reservation with XXXXX (XXXXXX) on March 13, please note that this reservation is not covered by either the standard extenuating circumstance policy or the current COVID-19 extenuating circumstance policy..

Thank you for this information.

Please see the third paragraph in the COVID-19 extenuating circumstance policy stating "If a reservation has already begun (the check-in has passed) this extenuating circumstance does not apply." (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...)

This specifically does not provide for coverage of reservation XXXXXX as it was cancelled on 3/17 while check in was on 3/13. Additionally, the guest checked in and used the reservation so it would not be covered by even the most flexible of cancellation policies as he cancelled the reservation the day before checkout (it was made under Strict).

You may contact me at XXXXXX if you wish to discuss further.

 

 

Airbnb Support

9:41 AM

Hello Christopher,

Thank you for all the information you have provided. I have confirmed that your guest made a cancellation in the middle of the reservation. As per the policy if the guest chose to end the reservation early, refunds for nights not spent are up to the host’s discretion.

I have informed your guest about this information as well, and I am just waiting for their response. Again, I would like to apologize about this misunderstanding. May I know before I close this inquiry if you are willing to provide any refund for your guest?

Cheers,

Catherine

Mar 28, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

5:53 AM

Hello Christopher,

I hope you are having a great day, I have an update for you about your guest claim. Your guest XXXXX involved Airbnb on his Resolution Center claim. Whenever a situation like this arises, we advocate for an amicable solution. As a neutral third-party not present during the reservation, we must make a fair decision based on documentation and communication from both host and guest. We’re currently reviewing your claim, and we’ll be reaching out to both parties in order to reach the most amicable solution.

Following your guest’s claim in the Resolution Center, I had to ask for documentation that can support for his claim. I do understand that on our Extenuating Circumstance policy it says there that if the reservation has begun, the policy does not apply. Please be advised that we have this policy to provide full refund for the guest not a partial refund and what we are following right now is the Resolution Center claim of your guest.

Upon investigating further this claim, I do understand that your guest is asking too much for his Cancellation refund. Since he only cancelled his reservation on March 17, 2020 and that's the only time when your calendar was free for other guest. Per our investigation, your guest was able to provide sufficient documents to support his claim. However, we can only honor a refund for 1 night only because of the cancellation date.

An adjustment of $149 has been added to your account and will be automatically deducted from your future payouts until it has been reconciled. 

You can check the status of your payouts in your transaction history.

Should you have any additional questions, please let me know.

Cheers,

Catherine

 

 

Christopher

7:48 AM

I would like to deny the guest’s claim for refund of any kind.

There is no extenuating policy coverage here that warrants a refund of any kind.

I have carefully reviewed the AirBNB terms and conditions and it details what is and is not considered and extenuating circumstance. Further, any COVID-19 related issue is covered by the COVID-19 extenuating circumstance policy which specifically states that this reservation is in no way covered by any extenuating circumstances exception

It has been stated that any refund is at my discretion and I have stated that I am opting to not make one.

 

 

Christopher

7:57 AM

We have specifically established that this reservation is not covered in any way by the extenuating circumstances policy. If you would like to offer the guest a courtesy credit to encourage him to continue using the platform, there is no basis for that to be taken from my payout or offered at my expense

 

 

Christopher

8:27 AM

I would like to discuss and have the option to respond to any claims or requests before action to refund is taken. You can reach me at XXXXXX

 

 

Airbnb Support

9:37 AM

I was told by my colleague that you wanted to get a call from me. I understand that you wish for me to communicate with you on the phone; we're leveraging the platforms available to us at this time to best support our community. I am here for you and I'm going to do my best to assist during this challenging time on this.

 

 

Christopher

9:39 AM

I would like to speak with a supervisor regarding this case. Can you please have one reach out to me when one becomes available?

I find the actions taken throughout our conversations inappropriate and to be in violation of AirBNBs own terms and conditions which exist to protect us hosts as well as the guests.

 

 

Christopher

9:46 AM

It has been established that the COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy does not apply to reservations that are cancelled after check (e.g. partially staid). This guest cancelled part way through his stay and asked for a refund due to this policy. You granted that refund. This is in violation of the terms and conditions and your own policy.

Further, I would like to speak to a supervisor due to the inappropriate behavior of purposefully misquoting policy with intention to mislead a user, directly misquoting documented dates for the purpose of implementing an nonapplicable policy, and for taking action through alternative routes to issue a refund immediately after working with me to come to a conclusion that the reservation does not qualify for said refund, without first contacting me. (All actions were taken between 5 and 8am my time - EST).

 

 

Airbnb Support

11:36 AM

Hello Christopher, I apologize if you have negative thought about the resolution I was able to come up. I am not very sure if you understand me correctly that this concern does not fall under Extenuating Circumstance Policy and this is about the Resolution Center claim that your guest requested. I do understand that you wanted to speak with my supervisor. I do respect your decision, so I am communicating with my supervisor about your concern and forwarding in what policies I followed with your concern. Thank you!

Cheers,

Catherine

 

 

Christopher

11:40 AM

Concerning the resolution center dispute, the guest specifically mentions in the resolution center request he would like to invoke the COVID-19 policy. Further, it was stated that both sides would be contacted, have a chance to provide further input and documentation but this was not the case. I was not contacted by you regarding the resolution center request after we concluded the extenuating circumstances ineligibility nor given adequate time afterwards to provide further documentation. I’m hoping we can have that case opened back up or put under review to provide that opportunity that I should be allowed.

Thank you for forwarding my concern to your supervisor. He or she can reach me at XXXXXX.

 

 

Christopher

11:49 AM

In order to process a refund on a resolution, there must be documentation of monetary damage suffered by the guest due the fault of the listing or host. In this case, neither of those are true. The resolution decision was based on the finding that the guest had an extenuating circumstance that justified refunding him for part of his stay. However, AirBNB policy states specific that the issue brought forth for consideration for reimbursement does not warrant any such refund. In this case, AirBNB’s extenuating circumstance policy is valid for consideration in the resolution center dispute as the resolution directly deals with a monetary reimbursement due to said policy.

 

 

Airbnb Support

6:10 PM

Hi Christopher, 

Greetings!

This is Jam again from Airbnb. It was my pleasure and honor to speak with your over the phone. 

I would like to thank you for your understanding and professionalism throughout. Airbnb and I would like to confirm and assure you that we will uphold your cancellation policy and won't deduct any amount from your payout. 

We have determined that the case raised by your guest, Jack does not fall under Airbnb's extenuating circumstance, and we will close the case in your favor. 

We hope you can stay and host with us for a long time that way more guest can stay in your lovely listing.

 

 

Christopher

6:16 PM

Thank you for taking care of this. I enjoy hosting the majority of the time and have enjoyed meeting most of the guests and I like to believe they have enjoyed their stays as well. Circumstances like this are unfortunate, especially seeing guests like Jack act out in anger leaving retaliatory reviews slandering a listing with a wide array of allegations for issues that don’t exist and never came up before or after the reservation. The reservation specifically speaks about the resolutions case that did not get him the refund that he felt he deserved and highlights the true reason for his hateful review, which deals with AirBNB policy and isn’t relevant to any experience at my apartment. But regardless, I hope that we will continue a long, successful partnership. This has been a large stain on an otherwise mostly good hosting experience and hopefully does not become a pattern and can be quickly passed on as a one-off unfortunate case. Thank you for assisting me in working through everything. Good luck and stay healthy out there!

And when I say guests like XXXX I mean XXXXX alone. He is my only negative review to date.

 

 

Airbnb Support

6:31 PM

I am glad that we were able to resolve your concern to your satisfaction Christopher. We are also looking forward for a long, and fruitful partnership with you!

Please remember that we are always here for you.

 

 

[Christopher993]

Mar 27, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

11:53 AM

Hi Christopher. Thank you for reaching out to us. This is Bob C. from Airbnb's community support team and I hope that this message finds you well.

I was following up after our call, and wanted to confirm this was getting over to the case manager the processed the cancellation on reservation XXXXXX with XXXXXX, for further assistance.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

 

Christopher

12:11 PM

For context, providing the information and resolution from the prior equivalent case handled by Bob C.

To Summarize our conversations:

The updated COVID-19 extenuation circumstance policy update on March 19, 2020 (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...) specifically states that "Cancellations submitted before March 14, 2020 will be handled according to the extenuating circumstances coverage in effect at the time of submission (not the coverage described here)" in the second paragraph under the Summary section. 

At the time of cancellation submission (March 10, 2020), the extenuating circumstance policy in effect was as copied below:

"If you’re traveling from or hosting in a severely impacted area and we can recognize your location and reservation details as outlined below, you may be notified that your reservation automatically qualifies on the reservation details page. If you’re traveling within mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to any reservations booked on or before January 28, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to mainland China from anywhere outside of mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 1, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to or within Italy, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 29, 2020, with check-in date of April 3, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to or within South Korea, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 25, 2020, with check-in date of March 23, 2020 or earlier."

The policy in place at the time of cancellation specifically states that reservations in the United States ARE NOT covered by the COVID-19 extenuating circumstance policy in place at that time. 

As such, this reservation does not qualify for a full refund and the Strict cancellation policy is in full effect. As such, I receive a payout of 50% of the nightly rate. 

Thank you for forwarding this to your team and I will keep an eye out for their correction to this reservation.

Best,

Christopher

 

 

Airbnb Support

1:44 PM

Hi Christopher,

The guest did sent a request to cancel the reservation on March 11, however, there was no action and the reservation was not cancelled until March 14.

Please note that reservation is not considered cancelled until it is actually cancelled in the system. Message requesting for cancellation is only a request unless actual actions are taken to cancel the reservation.

 

 

Christopher

1:58 PM

 

The reservation was cancelled the morning of March 13, 2020

The reservation is not covered by the extenuating circumstances policy

 

 

Airbnb Support

3:09 PM

Please note that there are other cases that will allow cancellation and full refund:

1. Government regulations or orders to not travel

2. Orders to perform medical or disease control duties in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak

3. Flight or ground transportation cancellations initiated by an airline or ground transportation provider due to the COVID-19 outbreak

4. Diagnosis or suspected infection of COVID-19 by a medical or health authority

 

 

Christopher

3:14 PM

None of these apply to the situation. 1) There was no active government travel restriction on March 13. 2) There were no orders to perform medical or disease controls duties. 3) There were not flight cancellations. Leaving early was a choice and I was not notified. The guest did not let me know they were gone until the last day of reservation. 4) they were not diagnosed nor were they sick.

Please let me know if we are able to move forward correcting this reservation and reissuing the 50% payout.

If this is something you are unable to adjust yourself, could you please forward this case on for review? There were no issues making adjustments to the other mistakenly handled cases.

Mar 30, 2020

 

 

Christopher

8:15 AM

Hi, I am waiting for an update regarding this case. Thanks

 

 

Airbnb Support

10:12 AM

Hi Christopher,

I was on my 2 days weekend off.

Please note that the reservation has been cancelled due to the usual extenuating circumstance policy. Please note that it is still in place on top of the extenuating circumstance policy in place due to COVID-19.

I understand this is not the outcome you were hoping for. I want to reiterate that this decision was made after careful review of all documentation and communication from both parties, and is in alignment with our policies and procedures.

Please be advised that, per our Terms of Service, Airbnb reserves the right to make the final determination with regard to these disputes. We are unable to reconsider the decision made in this case — we've issued our final decision and will uphold it accordingly. 

Best regards,

 

 

Christopher

10:14 AM

Hi,

Please view the third paragraph under summary in the COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy. It explains that the policy is specifically not applicable to reservations cancelled before March 14, 2020, which this one was. 

I would appreciate it if you could give me a call

I would appreciate it if you could highlight the specific policy provision applied in order to justify this cancellation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Airbnb Support

10:22 AM

One of the 6 guests was able to provide a valid documentation that falls under extenuating circumstance policy: Death in the family.

They initially cancelled the reservation due to COVID on March 13 and did not get a refund. 

They followed up and the decision was reversed when they we able to provide a valid documentation on the 19th.

Hope this clarifies your concern.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320/what-if-i-need-to-cancel-because-of-an-emergency-or-unavoid...

Best regards,

 

 

Christopher

10:23 AM

I worked with a Supervisor Jam regarding a reservation with XXXXXX, for whom Catherine was my case manager. In that reservation, the case manager made the same mistake and applied the COVID-19 extenuating circumstance policy to a reservation cancelled before 03/14/2020. She too attempted to apply the general policies to justify the mistake. Her decision was overturned by the supervisor. This is my third equivalent case that ive dealt with under identical circumstance. It took a bit of discussion and explaining but both of the last two were decided in my favor. Also, the case manager Bob C who helped me with one of the priors took a look at this one for me and confirmed that it was the same situation and that I should be able to get the payment reinstated. Given this background, I hope you are willing to take a couple minutes and talk through this with me with an open mind so that I can show you where the mistake was made and why AirBNB policy mandates that I am allowed to enforce my Strict cancellation terms in this specific situation.

Oh, is it possible to confirm this document?

I was not notified of any such situation. There was a death in their family before 03/09/2020 and yet they still requested the cancellation refund be due to COVID? This seems highly unusual.

03/13/2020*

 

 

Airbnb Support

10:36 AM

When a guest send a documentation, this goes through a process of verification. Once this is verified, we receive a go signal from the verifications team.

Please note that they stopped communicating with you after the reservation was cancelled and communicated with Airbnb multiple times afterwards. When caller asks for further options, we discuss and lay everything. We only ask for documentations and forward it to the correct team for verification.

 

 

Christopher

10:37 AM

Is there any way I can discuss this case with a supervisor?

 

 

Airbnb Support

10:50 AM

I will raise this to a Supervisor.

Best regards,

 

 

Christopher

10:55 AM

This reservation was cancelled due to COVID-19 on March 13, 2020. and a full refund was provided in error. Per AirBNB’s COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy, and cancellation terms and conditions, this reservation does not qualify for a full refund.

If the guest is now claiming the cancellation was due to a death in his immediate family, I ask why this was not brought up at any point and why he specifically asked to cancel under the COVID-19 circumstance (see messages)?

If this is the case, documentation needs to be provided that shows that there was a death of XXXXXX’s immediate family member or caregiver on or prior to 10AM March 13, 2020. I do not believe this is the case or that this documentation can be provided.

[Christopher993]

Mar 27, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

11:56 AM

Hi Christopher. Thank you for reaching out to us. This is Bob C. from Airbnb's community support team and I hope that this message finds you well.

I was following up after our call, and wanted to confirm this was getting over to the case manager the processed the cancellation on reservation XXXXXX with XXXXXX, for further assistance.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

 

 

Christopher

12:11 PM

For context, providing the information and resolution from the prior equivalent case handled by Bob C.

To Summarize our conversations:

The updated COVID-19 extenuation circumstance policy update on March 19, 2020 (https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...) specifically states that "Cancellations submitted before March 14, 2020 will be handled according to the extenuating circumstances coverage in effect at the time of submission (not the coverage described here)" in the second paragraph under the Summary section. 

At the time of cancellation submission (March 10, 2020), the extenuating circumstance policy in effect was as copied below:

"If you’re traveling from or hosting in a severely impacted area and we can recognize your location and reservation details as outlined below, you may be notified that your reservation automatically qualifies on the reservation details page. If you’re traveling within mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to any reservations booked on or before January 28, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to mainland China from anywhere outside of mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 1, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to or within Italy, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 29, 2020, with check-in date of April 3, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to or within South Korea, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 25, 2020, with check-in date of March 23, 2020 or earlier."

The policy in place at the time of cancellation specifically states that reservations in the United States ARE NOT covered by the COVID-19 extenuating circumstance policy in place at that time. 

As such, this reservation does not qualify for a full refund and the Strict cancellation policy is in full effect. As such, I receive a payout of 50% of the nightly rate. 

Thank you for forwarding this to your team and I will keep an eye out for their correction to this reservation.

Best,

Christopher

Mar 30, 2020

 

 

Airbnb Support

7:14 AM

Hi Christopher,

This is Pratibha, from the Resolutions team at Airbnb. I am reaching you in regard to a reservation of Jennifer with you, HMMCFKFCE4.

The guest has reached us informing she has canceled the reservation due to the risk involved with traveling because of COVID 19.

On 11 March, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of Coronavirus, known as COVID-19, to be a global pandemic. Since then, the outbreak has evolved rapidly, with governments around the world taking swift action to slow the spread of COVID-19.

In response, we are providing the following coverage for COVID-19 under our extenuating circumstances policy to help protect our community and provide peace of mind. Please monitor this page for updates about coverage.

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before 14 March 2020, with a check-in date between 14 March 2020 and 14 April 2020, are covered by the policy and may be cancelled before check-in. Guests who cancel will receive a full refund, and hosts can cancel without charge or impact on their Superhost status. Airbnb will refund all service fees for covered cancellations.

Moving forward I did reach out to my higher hierarchy regarding the current situation & we as Airbnb have decided to cancel this reservation from our end.

The cancellation is not only a loss for you but a business loss for the platform as well but this is a time to think beyond all this, in the best interest of all the community members throughout the globe.

Every possible human known to you or us is reacting to it and ensuring every possible way to stay away from the infection. So keeping the intensity and the big time impact of the epidemic, we have taken this action.

If there is something that needs our attention in the future, please feel free to reach out to us. We will be glad to help you.

Also, Please do take care of yourselves out there.

Thanks for being the part of Airbnb community!!

 

 

Christopher

7:50 AM

Hi XXXXXX, so to clarify, AirBNB has cancelled this from their end and I will be receiving the expected payout from this reservation?

The reservation with Jennifer was cancelled before March 14 and per the policy you quoted in your last message, does not qualify for an extenuating circumstance. I am reaching out because a full refund was mistakenly issued and I need to have payout updated so that I receive the correct amount (50%) from this reservation

 

You can reach me at XXXXXXX if you would like to discuss further

 

 

Christopher

8:12 AM

Reservation was cancelled on March 9, 2020. AirBNB COVID-19 extenuating circumstances policy states “Cancellations submitted before March 14, 2020 will be handled according to the extenuating circumstances coverage in effect at the time of submission (not the coverage described here).” 

On March 9, COVID-19 related cancellation were specifically not covered by the extenuating circumstances policy for US reservations according to AirBNB policy. 

This was booked with a strict cancellation policy so per terms, this holds and my payout needs to be reinstated.

 

 

Airbnb Support

8:52 AM

Thank you for your response, Christopher. I believe there is a slight confusion here.

This reservation with Jennifer is considered under our Extenuating Circumstances Policy. If you read the policy again, you will know that it had met all the eligibility criteria in order to receive full refund.

Extenuating Circumstance is in place to protect you and your guests from unforeseen situations. Right now it is on your disadvantage and therefore, I certainly understand where you are coming from.

While the need to use this policy is a rarity, we feel strongly about looking after our guests in times of personal illness, tragedy, natural disasters, political unrest, as well as jury-related and civic obligations. Please know, this is a kindness that is part of Airbnb's ideology and policy. I know it feels unfair to be not paid out for such an instance, however, this will continue to stand behind our policy (if proper documentation is provided) in these circumstances.

 

 

Christopher

8:55 AM

I would like it if you would please reach out to me by phone.

 

 

Christopher

9:02 AM

Please see the third paragraph under the summary section of the policy you are referencing. Per AirBNB policy, this reservation does not qualify as an extenuating circumstance. 

You may use the cases opened on my reservations with XXXXXX and XXXXXX for reference. In XXXXX’s case, after the Case manager (Bob C) gave me a call and we reviewed the reservation and policy in detail together he realized the mistake that was made and reinstated my payout. He actually took a look at this case for me as well and confirmed it too was an error and that my payout would be reinstated but said that the assigned case manager had to be the one to take care of it. As for XXXXXX, the case manager refused to budge and insisted that the inapplicable policy be used on the reservation and a supervisor had to get involved and the original case manager’s decision was overturned.

Both of those cases were under the same circumstances as this one and both of them had my payout reinstated. I ask you to please take a moment to really review this so that you may realize the mistake and we can work forward without me having to go through this whole process again. I’m happy to get on a call with you and discuss/explain if that would help.

I can be reached at XXXXXXX

 

 

Airbnb Support

9:20 AM

Thank you for your response, Christopher however, I will not be able to give you a call due to system limitations.

What you are feeling about the situation is perfectly understandable since we believe that you also have your own personal reason on hosting with Airbnb which makes it important to keep the reservations and have the earnings from it.

At the same time, I would like you to know that it is also a very hard decision for us to let go of a reservation because we also wanted guests to experience the hospitality brand of our community, and we believe with utmost confidence, can be reflected through you as one of our valued hosts. This is the reason why we are very strict when it comes to the investigation process in order to really make sure if a situation falls under our extenuating circumstances.

I know that it is difficult to let go of an expected payout if you already have plans on it, but we need to abide with the policy which we have agreed at the time we signed up with Airbnb. Extenuating circumstances can happen to anyone, both hosts and guests. And I can assure you that if you will also have a situation which will fall under our extenuating circumstances in the future, you will be protected by this policy as well.

We also want to clarify that Airbnb won’t benefit from any reservations canceled under this policy—our service fees will be refunded in full for every covered cancellation. We’re in this together.

We are truly sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding of these circumstances. We hope that this experience will not deter you from using Airbnb in the future.

Also, please know that insights from members of our community is immensely valuable to us. If you have any feedback regarding our website or how we can improve our service, please don't hesitate to send us a feedback through:Â www.airbnb.com/feedback

Thank you very much and please take care!

 

 

Christopher

9:21 AM

Can you please have a supervisor contact me?

I agree with your statement that AirBNB policy needs to be upheld. You seem unwilling to uphold said policy. I have provided quotations from the policy you are claiming to have applied to this situation that specifically state that it is not applicable, yet you have completely ignored this and refuse to reread or discuss the policy and have failed to provide me with any valid policy that was used to waive the cancellation policy agreed to and refund the guest.

As such, I would like to speak to a supervisor.

Thanks,

Christopher

 

 

[Pat271]

@Christopher993  I, for one, really approve of and admire your persistence! 

[Andrew1959]

Although most of us would have felt compelled to issue full refunds to our guests given the recent circumstances, I agree that is both confusing and disingenuous of Airbnb to unilaterally change someone's refund policy for specific guests while, at the same time, denying that these refunds were eligible for Airbnb's Covid 19 compensation. 

I had 5 cancellations due to Covid 19 and only one was eligible for Airbnb's 25% refund. (And, to be clear that means I will receive about $50 from about $2300 in bookings.) 

I understand that Airbnb wants to be compassionate about how the outbreak has effected the guests staying during this time, but it would have been more honest to tell hosts that Airbnb couldn't or wouldn't compensate them for all Covid related cancellations instead of stating that these cancellations weren't actually Covid related.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Christopher993 

You are clearly being denied of three lawful payouts.

[Wendy223]

WOW  Christopher! You've done an extremely remarkable job with this issue. I do hope it's going to eventually fall into your favor as to me it does seem pretty straightforward. Could you please update as to what the current situation is with this? Very curious. P.S. If you're not, you should have been a lawyer …. kudos to you for never giving up when many would have.     Wendy 🙂