This review is about requesting a refund. I am writing this without any intention of ruining someone’s reputation. I just want to inform everyone and hopefully this would not happen to anyone in the future. I booked this airbnb on March 26th, 2021. This reservation was for April 13-15 at Whistler for my parents wedding anniversary. I am fully aware of the host’s rules that I would get a full refund if I cancel within 48 hours after I booked it. I would only get 50 percent after that, which I understood and the reason I gave it a chance. Unfortunately on March 29th 2021, three days after I booked this trip, BC’s public health officer announced stricter rules including Whistler Blackcomb being closed. We are a family of four and were looking forward to this trip. Even though it was really sad, I had to cancel because this was a situation that is out of my control.
Same day that new restrictions has been announced, I messaged the hosts through the airbnb app right away, hoping I could get a full refund. I told him about my situation. He responded very quickly and felt sorry for what happened, which I highly appreciated. He also mentions that he would talk to the owner and see what he could do about my situation, but for the meantime, he advised me to cancel the reservation through the app. This way, I would be guaranteed of the 50% refund, which I did receive back. He also informed me that he would get back to me as soon as he talks with the owners. I was very patient. I waited a week to follow up my request. I messaged him on April 5th for an update and yet no response. That is why I decided to contact airbnb directly. Again, the agent that I talked with was apologetic for my situation and said that he would talk to the hosts and see what he could do.
Today on April 12th, 2021, one week after I spoke with the airbnb agent, I received a call from him. The agent passed the message to me that the owners said they could not give me a full refund. The agent said that he tried everything to persuade the owners but nothing worked out. I’m writing this to express my disappointment to the host because it has been two weeks and I still haven’t gotten a word from him personally but when the airbnb agent contacted him, he responded quickly. In my opinion, that is very unprofessional. As well, I am very disappointed that airbnb could not do anything to protect their customers from this kind of situation.
I thought they could make an exemption to their rules because of these rare circumstances, a situation that is totally out of my control. Although I am pretty sure that people who have stayed at this place had good experiences, which is evident from the reviews and photos, providing a good customer service is not only about that. It is also about having compassion and understanding people’s situation especially during these challenging times.
