Mar 27, 2020
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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.
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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.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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
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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!!
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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
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You can reach me at XXXXXXX if you would like to discuss further
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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).â€Â
On March 9, COVID-19 related cancellation were specifically not covered by the extenuating circumstances policy for US reservations according to AirBNB policy.Â
This was booked with a strict cancellation policy so per terms, this holds and my payout needs to be reinstated.
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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.
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Christopher
8:55 AM
I would like it if you would please reach out to me by phone.
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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.Â
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
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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!
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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
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