Cancellation under Extenuating Circumtaces

[Farred-Abduzzareen0]

I cancelled my trip to South Korea due to the concern of exponential increase in number of confirmed case. 

Based on my chat with Airbnb support staff, she claimed that the outbreak in South Korea now doesn't fall under Extenuating Circumtances (EC). How can that be? Under Airbnb policy, EC also covers 'Epidemic Disease or Illness that affect a region'. By the time I'm posting this, the confirmed case is 2,022  in which CDC has increase the warning rating to Level 3.

I have a few other trips in the next few months that need to be cancelled but I worried that Airbnb still won't recognize the outbreak under their EC policy.

[Anonymous]

@Farred-Abduzzareen0  Does your travel insurance provider reimburse canceled Airbnb bookings? 

[Helen3]

Have a look at Airbnb Help and search Corona Virus @Farred-Abduzzareen0  it will show you which areas are covered for you to cancel penalty free. If the areas you are travelling to are shown you can cancel penalty-free.

[Farred-Abduzzareen0]

South Korea is included in this. That mean the COVID19 situation there should be covered under EC right?

[Helen3]

Sorry typing in a hurry I meant it shows travel advice connected with those areas. If your government advises against travel to the country then Airbnb you cancel under EC @Farred-Abduzzareen0 

[Anonymous]

@Farred-Abduzzareen0    No, it does not. mean that at all. You have to scroll down to read the rest. The part that applies to you would be:

Regardless of reservation date, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations of all global hosts or guests who must change or cancel travel:

• In order to comply with disease control restrictions implemented by relevant governmental or health authorities;
• In order to perform medical or disease control duties in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak;
• As a result of flight or ground transport cancellations initiated by an airline or ground transport provider due to the COVID-19 outbreak;
• In the event that they are diagnosed or suspected of being infected with COVID-19 by a medical or health authority.

If you are voluntarily cancelling your trip as a personal precaution, rather than being required to by another authority, you are not currently eligible to override your host's cancellation policy. For this situation you should contact your travel insurance provider instead.

Your host, as it were, is not your insurance. 

[Farred-Abduzzareen0]

Following the guidance and recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), Chinese government, and other local and health authorities, Airbnb is offering impacted hosts and guests with eligible reservations the option to cancel their reservations without charges through our extenuating circumstances policy."

WHO and health authorities would only be able to provide advisory for traveller to avoid unnecessary travel to impacted location right and not ban traveller from travelling to impacted location.

Then based on the recent development of cases in S.Korea, I would say that the host and guest have the option under EC.

[Farred-Abduzzareen0]

Based on your list, all of it would simply be covered by travel insurance. Then what the point of Airbnb to update the EC policy if the counter argument is simply to get the refund from insurance provider 

[Anonymous]

@Farred-Abduzzareen0   On the same token, you did agree to your host's cancellation policy when you placed your booking. If Airbnb were going to exempt you from that policy based on EC, it would not be Airbnb losing out on the revenue, but rather the host - whose livelihood may depend on this booking and who may not have an opportunity to re-book those dates on short notice.  If your flexibility with travel is dependent upon breaching a contract and depriving a host of income, you're basically using the host as your insurance.

[Farred-Abduzzareen0]

I'm sure you have used Airbnb more than me but EC has existed way back.

EC would override the cancellation policy and I'm sure all host aware of the policy and its risk when they signed up to host under Airbnb. This is not a question of livelihood or using the host as insurance. 

If the host can guilt trip guest by saying that it affect their livelihood, then what is the point of the policy?

[Anonymous]

@Farred-Abduzzareen0   Airbnb wants to maximize their profits while making hosts carry the burden of risks. That's the likeliest "point" of the policy - one thing it does not exist for is to make guests think they can freely disregard the cancellation policies they agreed to, or choose not to get travel insurance.  The fact that people take it that way is one illustration of what a lousy, misguided policy it is and always has been.

If you preferred to book a place without flexible cancellation, you're at the mercy of a case manager who is probably fielding hundreds of panicked calls from around the world each day. But that's a risk you accepted when you booked. If your refund is refused, well, life's lessons are often expensive.

[Anonymous]

@Farred-Abduzzareen0   Airbnb has recently updated its policy with specific parameters for bookings in South Korea, I'd suggest checking to see if your reservation meets the new criteria.