Airbnb banned me for life for offering to pay cash to a host.
Low level management did not consider unique circumstances to see no rule was broken.
Even if a rule was broken, it is excusable due to once in a lifetime pandemic circumstances.
At the start of the pandemic Airbnb blocked reservations until June 1 2020. I had a ten day stay in Mexico City starting May 27. Airbnb platform would not allow me to book the full 10 days. I booked the 7 days I could.
Airbnb does not claim a right to tell any guest that they cannot stay with a host even if Airbnb refuses to book it through their platform. Since Airbnb would not allow me to book those days it should have no objection to other arrangements.
This was the best course from a health and safety standpoint. During those chaotic times there were no clear right answers. A hotel was and still is far riskier. An Airbnb would instead be sheltering in place with just one other person. Airbnb customer service was unreachable. I waited on hold over an hour. The send email button disappeared from the website, clearly related to the overwhelming chaos at the time. I was on my own to arrive at the most reasonable and safest course of action. The vast majority of your customers would agree I took the most reasonable course of action.
It would be safer for everyone … me, the general public, and my host, even Airbnb company (less Covid19 exposure), if I were to stay in the Airbnb for the full 10 days. It was more profitable for Airbnb to earn a 7 day stay instead of zero day stay.
Staying in a hotel 3 nights until the Airbnb website allowed me to make a booking would cause unnecessary Covid19 exposure. Airbnb has punished me for taking the safest course of action at time when news broadcasts showed people collapsing in the street like a Zombie Apocalypse. Airbnb continues denying me a safer course of action because of Airbnb’s monopoly on the home share market.
I did not offer cash “IN LIEU OF” an Airbnb booking. Airbnb was not offering bookings in May. I broke no rule at Airbnb. It is impossible to “circumvent” what isn’t offered in the first place.
It’s not surprising that the manager on the phone who sounded and responded as if 20 years old would mechanically apply a rule. What’s surprising is the difficulty getting real management at Airbnb to look at this. The “appeal” just re-applied the rule against cash payment again giving no thought to the circumstances. There was no appeal.
I understand that Airbnb must receive many requests for reconsideration, but this is truly a very simple case. I must persist indefinitely to every reachable manager at Airbnb until I receive an intelligent response.
Any suggestions?