Refund discussion - no venting

Refund discussion - no venting

Hello community!

 

Many of us are feeling the burden of Airbnbs extenuating circumstances policy and at this time, there is not much more any of us can add to the conversation. So let's use this community to help us come together and share ideas. Let's keep the anger and disdain on the other conversation feeds, please.

 

I am starting to receive requests for full refunds for stays outside of the COVID window, and I am wrestling with how to handle these requests. I want to give everything back to everyone knowing that we can help lessen the spread but that is not possible. I have mortgages and bills to pay as well.

 

I would love to hear what others have been doing/saying to help maintain their business, help stop the spread AND be empathetic to the guest's situation.

 

Here are my thoughts and I would love to hear your constructive feedback:

1. Ask the guest if they purchased travel insurance;

2. Ask them to review my calendar and find dates further in the future they would like to change to (I worry they will realize if they move dates far enough, that they can cancel with a much lower penalty);

3. Maybe offer a 50/50 refund if they don't want to find other dates?

 

My understanding is that the airlines are NOT giving full refunds, but allowing guests to change their dates at no cost. I feel that as the travel industry, we should all be following a similar process for consistency. 

In reality, the Airlines and AIRBNB are the ones that will receive a bailout NOT us, so I feel like this would be a fair option to us little guys.

 

Lets please keep this constructive and helpful so we can get through this. 

Thank you all!

185 Replies 185

@Mark396, nice bit of research! Yes, it is interesting that the wording changed from endemic to epidemic. As you say, an endemic is something that is ongoing in a region, whereas Airbnb's wording was:

 

Endemic 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.

 

I am guessing they simply got the wording wrong and realised they needed to fix it. I would argue though that even under the above (albeit erroneous) definition, the cancellation policy would still apply, especially given the second part of the original policy:

 

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

 

 

Unless I am missing something this is a close to perfect solution.  A full 100% refund w/ no fees but it comes back as a credit to use anywhere else with Air BnB.  It would be just like Southwest airlines policy of using the credit anywhere else in the next 12 months (or some time frame like that).  I feel bad for hosts because that income is what very well may cover the mortgage and upkeep.  And for a customer I don't feel they should have to pay for it due the circumstances of the country literally shutting down.  It states it pretty clearly in the guidelines for travel restriction and epidemic disease or illness policies.  Anyway I two reservations that will be cancelled due the college graduations cancelling in May and the issue is that if I wait and hold that spot until they extend full refunds through May then I am not helping the host yet the policy is set up poorly and could be fixed for all parties w/ the credit to be used anywhere  idea.

 

Air BnB does need to stop extending the dates for guests to cancel. I am not permitted to cancel as a host because my little mountain home and the surrounding towns are open. They are letting guests wait until the last minute where I have other guests that are looking now to book for future weeks and months . I will have to pay fees and hurt my status if I cancel guests and air bnb will not put together a recommit order for those that may still want to come. 

@Bonnie--Bon-Bon-0  It makes no sense for the host now if Airbnb keeps extending this freebie for guests. They're actually poor on common sense when you speak to customer service. We had two guests wanting to cancel because they saw Airbnb's virus policy. I did the cancellation myself which means we can't claim the 25% refund. Airbnb say the guest had to cancel via Airbnb. Even worse I got a cancellation fee! Anyway fingers crossed for you.

I am wondering if anyone ran into this problem: a guest wanted to cancel because they said my beach town was still shut down and they had wanted to go out to bars. I told them the town actually was not shut down, that the beach was open, the restaurants and bars were seating indoors and had live music, my community pool was open. We went back and forth and they contacted Airbnb and eventually told Airbnb that someone in their party had covid - then proceeded to provide documentation. However, I’m about three hundred percent sure that this was documentation for another person who was never going to go on this trip in the first place. I’m asking their chat help person (who has no problem getting back to me instantaneously when they were hounding me for refunds) what system Airbnb has in place to verify that the diagnosed person actually was going to be a guest. The chat help person said they could send me a feedback form to voice my concerns. Omg. The guest lied about this and while the documentation might be legitimate, the person with the diagnosis was not ever going on the trip. This is a huge loophole that cost me about $400 that I won’t be able to recoup.

 

 

I also think it’s an incredible repeated coincidence that whenever Airbnb is hounding me to give someone a refund that goes against my cancellation policies that it asked me to set - Airbnb support can talk with me for hours and respond immediately. But whenever I ask a serous question that exposes the flaws, weakness and problems with its policies and procedures, I’m put on hold for literally two hours, or all of these other things come up that can’t allow for quick responses by customer service. Very VERY coincidental.

@Virginia539 

I agree with you entirely.

 

Airbnb have a tool on their booking site which enables a booking guest to invite guests to join the itinerary. This identifies guests on their and your booking. I would argue that if no guests are clearly identified on that itinerary that subsequently cause issue to cancel, then, their evidence is null and void because there's no proof of that guest ever intending to travelling to your listing.

 

As @Mark396 posts above.. the issue of that one guest providing evidence would be overruled by the illegal change in wording of the Terms and lack of notification to members of that change (30 day notice required).

 

You do have recourse through the Airbnb arbitration process, section 19 of their terms.

 

Please show me how Airbnb is trying to find the best and fairest solution? Listen to this - hosts are not insurers. We provide accommodation. That’s it.

Jonathan1257
Level 5
Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Airbnb is grappling with the pending IPO and already raising more capital....see CNBC interview. They should have insurance cover either direct or through their own captive insurance company. If guests don't have insurance then Airbnb should refund 50% and host retains 50%. It's all well and good talking about helping communities out but the large industry players are already lobbying for state aid.

 

If a guest loses 50% that's just the way it works. I spoke with Airbnb as had a guest who wanted to book 10 days away from urban area. The Airbnb  fee was £326 and guest baulked at that fee. Offered Airbnb to split the difference and we reduce our price accordingly. They refused outright. It's all about cashflow for Airbnb.   

Kathy899
Level 4
Hawaii, United States

Yes, I like this idea very much:  the host gets paid now for a rebooked reservation, because simply allowing them to rebook without penalty grants them the opportunity to cancel the new dates without penalty.   I can't see Airbnb giving them a credit on top of releasing our payout, so the guest would need to rebook with the same host, but with a "credit" equal to what we received from the amended booking.

 Many Hosts are losing their homes because their income is gone, Pooff overnight.  It should be 50/50 between the guests and the host .  A traveler can take a hit on a single vacation , a host cannot take multiply hits for several months straight. Airbnb will lose many superhosts when this is over... and the new comers who think it's easy, will come around with crappy conditions, no extras, poor hospitality, bad decor.. you name it... and travelers will take note and seek out other short term rental platforms.   

 

WE are the ones that busted our assess with unique marketing plans ; including building stays with individualized style decor, from log cabins to Tipi's... cleaning for 5 star sparkling reviews, extras like wine and chocolates... EXPERT superhosts who were loyal to airbnb AND BUILT this brand. 

 

50/ 50 : that is the true definition of a partnership , btw. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

@Ashley678 I agree with most of your post but it's 2 weeks or less, at least here in the Boston area,  into this crisis and I don't know how anyone would be losing their home. The mortgage companies are saying they will suspend interest and penalties, no one will be evicted, loans payments  due now will be extended and be added on to the loan. 

 

I agree it's concerning and some people eventually will have difficulties paying the mortgage and let's encourage  the Air B and B powers to listen to the difficulties of Hosts if they try to extend their blanket policy beyond  the Apr 14  deadline, that is the main concern. 

I don't agree what they did, it should have been a 50% split of hurt, just like you said. At the moment we all have lost incomes from  bookings for 1 month which was terrible but 1 month should not send anyone to the brink.

 

Going forward what the policy will be is the main concern, I have emailed Air B and B to highlight that they cannot put that policy in place for many reasons... we all should be telling them from Apr 14 on its 50% for Hosts and guests.

@Ashley678 ...Two weeks or less took away 3 months of income I cannot cover.  Please don't belittle peoples' situations because yours is fortunate enough to be tolerable...

 

i have nothing but empathy for the hosts, im suffering too.  My airbnb rental pay for two horse rescues... im not even sure why you think i said anything negative about hosts.  hell no !!! 

 

 

Spot on. Airbnb love to promote the fact that were supposed to be one big happy family, but we all know that's bs. And you're right, hosts take multiple hits, guests do not.

@Bobbi27  Please stop posting false information.