Airbnb Host Seeks Fair Treatment - Part 2

[Hadrian1]

Hi everyone. This is part two of my post. The first part was closed by an Airbnb admin @Stephanie 

You may read part 1 here:

Airbnb Host Desperately Need Help

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Airbnb-Host-Desperately-Need-Help/td-p/1404383https://co...

I am a super host with over 4000 reviews, average 5-star rating. I have suffered many injustices done by Airbnb CS that are not properly trained. Airbnb CS and the Admin here like @Stephanie can decide my punishment based on their subjective opinions and not fact. 

On my post part 1, @stephanie closed the post claiming "This thread has taken a side step from OP’s topic in a major way. OP has had his concerns raised internally and I am happy to continue to discuss it via DM (though as we are not customer support we cannot action anything in this case.) "

I have messaged @Stephanie but she never replied. I told @Stephanie that she is a true example of how Airbnb reps can do whatever they want. If @stephanie disagree with other hosts opinion to my post, she can tell those hosts to stay on topic. But instead, she punished me by closing my post. She did not bother to reach out to me first before closing my post nor after. What is worst, she chose to ignore my direct message to her. I truly believe that on my first post, every host that replied was contributing positively; whether they agree or disagree with me. 

I have posted 4 examples of how Airbnb CS made mistakes, and that I have to ultimately pay for their mistakes. I have a hundred more examples. But what really made me say enough and I have to raise awareness is that I am being accused of discriminating against a transwoman.  I am part of the GLBT family, I have a rainbow flag proudly displayed on my profile picture, and this allegation without any evidence shock me to the core. I was threatened by the CS that my account would be deactivated. I was never given any fair trial. All based on what the guest who already has negative reviews, and the fact that I slip ONCE by calling her a "he." The Airbnb reps took no regard of the whole situation of why we had to call the police against this person, to begin with. I have repeatedly asked for evidence, support, and no supervisor ever reach out to me. Please read the complete story in Part 1. 

One can argue that if you don't like Airbnb then quit. Stop hosting. Sadly, I can't. I have failed for many things in life, and sadly hosting is something that I am good at. And frankly, over 15 people are tied to my listings and relied on the income. Brian Chesky has publicly issued an apology during COVID for his failure to see us as a partner. Yes, I am continuously being treated like garbage. 

For the record, I never ask for anything special. I called and I will wait over the phone just like everybody else. But with the volume of guests I hosted, I am bound to always call Airbnb for help. Sometimes I get lucky with Airbnb CS that willing to investigate, make proper notations, and solve the case. Even if the CS solve the case, not in my favor. Good CS provides backup evidence and explanation instead of an automated email that indicates their refusal to even acknowledge what you have to say.

But more often than not, I got improperly trained Airbnb CS. Sometimes I get a cocky and ignorant CS. That is the worst of all. You have to swallow your pride because your fate relies on their hand. I know when a CS is trained properly or not because sometimes I have the same situations, and the outcome of the call can vary greatly depending on who was the CS that handled the case, even though they all said it is based on the same Airbnb policy. 

If you are reading this post and you think I am lying or exaggerating, you can believe what other people say about my listing. My 4000+ reviews speak loudly for themselves.  I can not achieve that level of success without integrity. There is no trial in any democratic country where the prosecutor will also decide the punishment as the judge.  Airbnb CS  should not become the prosecutor and the judge. Where is the fairness in that? 

I am still hoping to speak to someone from Airbnb higher-ups who understands the principle of hospitality.

For other hosts who believe me, I would like to open this post for discussion. Please share what you do to prevent bad guests.

I will start by sharing some of mine because, at the end of the day, you might not have anyone else to back you up to other than yourselves.  So it is better to prevent accepting bad guests.

Tips:

1. Reviews - I read for their reviews. If they have 0 reviews, ask them if this is their first time booking with Airbnb. If they say no, I will ask them if they book from a different account previously and why is that. Often a guest who gets bad reviews just makes a new account and their bad reviews will not be reflected on their new account.

2. Instant booking - always check the box that says profile photo, government-issued ID, and recommendation by other hosts. I always also add a pre-booking message. See if their answer your message. If they don't even bother to answer your questions, more than likely they will not respect your house rules. Trust your instinct. 

3. Long-term booking - in some states if you book more than 30 days, the guest may have a tenant-right. It is best if you make them check out on the 29th day and check back in the day after.

4. Last-minute booking - do not let anyone book the entire place last minute if they have 0 or very few reviews. Last-minute entire place booking is more likely to turn into a party. Furthermore, I turn off my same-day reservation after 6 pm in some area that is close to local bars as I don't want to accept any drunk guests. 

5. Communicate on the App - guests may text you but always try to communicate on the App. If something goes wrong, you can show CS your conversation history. I have had a case where Airbnb CS accused me of photoshopping a text message (another long story). If it is on the app, the CS can see it and can not deny the conversation.

6. Provide a very clear check-in instruction. Try to not use any difficult words, because English maybe a second language to the guest.  Also do not abbreviate as it will not work on google translate. I try to keep it simple and to the point. 

7. Amenities - I try not to select any amenities that are commonly known to be available so it is not used against me. For example, at one time, I have a guest who complained that he has to run hot water for a few minutes before the water gets hot. He complained to Airbnb after his stay and got a full refund. Airbnb CS mentioned that it is my fault for listing hot water as an amenity but it is not working properly. So I uncheck that amenity moving forward on that listing. All my listings also have a space heater. I have a guest who complained that the space heater is not hot enough and get a full refund. So I uncheck that too. So for me, it is a  bonus for the guest to see that space heater, but they can not claim a refund just because if it is not functioning like a 5-star hotel.

8. Confirmation message - If you call Airbnb. Always ask the CS to send you a confirmation message of your discussion. Do not trust what they say because they can simply go back and say they never say it. It will also work well for you if you have that confirmation message because they often transfer you to different CS when they are going off their shift. That way it keeps a record of what was previously said. Also just because they said the phone call is recorded so there is no need to send a message, ask them to send you a summary of your conversation anyway. If something happens, you have no access to those phone calls recording. But with messages, you can point it out to the CS what was previously agreed. 

9. Co-host - If you have multiple cohosts like me, assign 1 person only to deal with Airbnb. In my case, it is me. I have a case where the CS blatantly lie to me claiming that my cohost approved a refund. In this case, I got lucky. After countless hours of arguing, and being transferred, the CS finally admitted his mistakes. Another agent process our rightful payout. CS always calls the primary host first, but tell your cohost to tell the CS to always contact your designated person. 

Thank you everyone for reading my post. I hope some of my tips help you.

And for Airbnb reps who read this, I am still looking for justice for all my open cases. 

[Paul1255]

Hi @Hadrian1  I hope you’re doing well.

I woke up this morning to see your new post and initially naively thought the content would be about how Airbnb had been in touch with you and resolved your open cases- I’m disappointed to find this isn’t so.

It is such a shame that your first thread ended up being closed to new comments and as a result getting lost in the weeds and forgotten about.

I understand that you posted to shine a light on your issue and get some support and a resolution from Airbnb, but that didn’t end up happening- and I really hope that when people contribute to your new post they can do so in a supportive way that keeps the thread open.

I am not going to speak to the detail of the issues with your guests or customer services and get caught up in that- it’s not going to help get your problems solved.

I think it’s easy to see you’re a professional and experienced property manager and a genuine and caring person.

I  hope that Airbnb gets in touch with you to work on resolving your open cases and give you the support you clearly need- I am

saddened to hear this hasn’t happened yet.

And I REALLY hope that those who decide to contribute to this thread do so in a way that keeps the focus on your case so it can be resolved by @Airbnb as quickly as possible.

[Nick]

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