@Andrea5365 They may be a host who is unwilling to be accommodating, and problematic for guests in other ways, but no, as we have tried to explain to you over and over again, and you still appear unwilling to understand, the host did not abuse policy.
A guest must be willing to abide by the cancellation policy under which they booked, it's a contract.
I can assure you that most guests think they have a valid reason for getting refunded in full when they cancel, whether it's that they made a mistake, like you did, that someone who planned to come with them jammed out and they can't afford the trip on their own, that they lost their job and need the money, etc, etc. If hosts refunded guests in full every time they wanted to cancel, hosting would not be a viable business. Cancellation policies exist for a reason.
When you were asked if you had had prior communication with the host, what was meant by that was if you had asked a ton of questions when you first booked, or asked the host to make some exceptions to their rules for you (like bringing a dog to a no pets listing), or asked for a discount. Because those are things that can make a host annoyed with a guest and therefore not be understanding or accommodating. But this just seems to be a case of a host who wasn't willing to overturn their own cancellation policy, which is fairly normal.
There is a difference between behaving in a way that you or I might consider to be nice, and ethical, and what is actually allowed according to policy. It's like getting stopped for speeding- you might be lucky enough to get a cop who just lets you off with a warning when you explain that your friend just had an accident, you're really upset, and you are on your way to the hospital to see her, or you might get a ticket. The cop has every right to give you a ticket, you were speeding. That he wasn't understanding and accommodating has nothing to do with the law.
You made a mistake that a lot of newbie guests do, which has nothing to do with the mistaken cancellation. When you want to book a place, you should never just look at the photos and the price. It's very important for guests to read thoroughly through all the information given on the listing, including the cancellation policy, the house rules, the list of amenities provided and the reviews.
Guests who fail to do that can book a listing with bad reviews, they can make assumptions that have no basis in reality ("What? There's no washing machine?" Well, if the guest had read through the amenities list, they would be well aware that a washing machine isn't offered).
And it is also important for guests to communicate with hosts when they book. You should always send a message with your request, telling the host a bit about yourself and why you are booking, and indicating that you have have read all the info provided. Depending on the response you get from the host, that can alert you to red flags. Either the host doesn't respond at all, or they respond in a way that makes you uncomfortable, or they respond nicely. If you have a bad feeling, you have 48 hrs to cancel for a full refund.
And if you have any questions or need clarification about what was written in the listing info, send the host an Inquiry message (the Contact Host button) before committing to a booking.
