Cancellations

[Andrea5365]

Question.  

Goal: Change the check in and check out date.

Guest: Communicated to the host that the transaction that ended up being canceled was an accident and really the goal was only to change the check in date and check out date.

Host: 8 Minutes later.  Sends a message to the Guest, "I received your request to cancel and have accepted it."

Guest: ??? Wondering why it was canceled when communication was sent that it was accidentally canceled and the goal was to only change the check in date and time. 

Host: Too bad it's already canceled

Guest: I didn't want to cancel the reservation only wanted to change the check in date and check out date?  How come I can't do that?  OK .  I'll send a request for a refund of the trip less the service fee.  TRIP is booked for May 14, 2022.  Sent a request for trip only.

Host: Declined Request for Refund

Guest: Why did you decline my request for refund.  I am willing to pay the service fee.  

Host: You already canceled the reservation and your cancellation policy is not eligible for a refund.

Guest:  What??? Why.  This trip is well over 2 months away, I'm sure you can find someone to stay in the remaining nights that I won't be staying or even the entire stay?  I am still willing to stay for 4 nights and you can rent out of the other 4 nights.  I don't understand why you won't give me a partial refund for the other 4 nights or allow me the trip refund and rebook a new reservation for 4 nights.

Host: Too bad you already canceled it and I accepted it.

Guest: I sent you a message 8 minutes prior to you accepting my cancellation.  You already KNEW I didn't want to cancel my trip in the first place only change the date.  You Purposely accepted my cancellation request so you could make the quick buck KNOWING your refund policy did not allow me the funds back because you could have easily declined my cancellation request and send me a message back that this was NOT the way to change the date.  Instead you processed the cancellation request KNOWING that I only wanted to change the check in and check out date.  You fradulently and deceitfully processed the cancellation for your own financial gain.

Host: No reply.  

Guest:  I intend to involve Airbnb and my credit card company to assist with a resolution because I believe you had ample time to communicate with me and you knew my goal was NOT to cancel the reservation. We have more than 2 months for you to book your space and in the very busy months of the year.  I don't see any justifiable explanation as to why you are declining my refund for 4 nights as I already still would like to keep my reservation for the 4 nights or if your rates will change due to the less days. Issue me a refund for the full trip less the service fee and I can rebook the 4 nights again.  

Host: You can involve Anybody.  Declined request for compromise on anything.

What would any of you other host do in this situation.

[Mark116]

@Andrea5365  For future reference, what you should have done is go to 'change or cancel' and then you would opt to change the dates of the reservation to what you wanted.  Then, this goes to the host who can either accept or decline the change.  There would have been no reason for this not to work since you were only shortening the reservation so it couldn't have interfered with any other existing reservation, unless I am unaware of some other restriction on how strict policies work.

ETA, you might be able to get Airbnb to refund the service fee, given the 8 minute issue, but that is maybe.  Airbnb usually plays hardball regarding its fees unless there is a really egregious issue.

[Andrea5365]

Thank you Mark. 

Yes! I did contact Airbnb and as you stated they basically said that they had no choice but to uphold the Cancellation Policy of the host but I was able to find in the host profile that they have a knack for booking days that are already supposedly booked. I didn't realize it until after looking into customer reviews and also didn't realize the same thing happened to me when I tried to change my check out date to 4 days earlier.  

On my receipt under Cancellation Policy there is a notation showing that I can get 50% refund, minus service fee is I cancel before 4:00pm on May 7.  Why wouldn't I qualify for at least this refund???

[Mark116]

@Andrea5365 What did Airbnb say about the 50% refund ?

[Andrea5365]

Airbnb did not get back to me yet on the 50% refund?  Is this something that they will process or will I need to request this?

[Gavin-and-Jo0]

Hi @Andrea5365 

Sorry to hear of your situation.

The 50% refund refers to the entire booking amount.  So if you paid in full when you booked you would receive a 50% refund upon cancellation but if you only paid half initially then you will not receive any further refund as that is the 50% you forfeit.

Regards

Jo

[Andrea5365]

Hi Jo,

Thank you for the information.  Yes I paid $652.75 for the entire booking.  $572.00 for the 8 nights and $80.75 for the service fee.  The receipt shows Cancellation Policy of the 50% if before 4:00pm on May 7.  

How do I request this?  Do I ask the Host for the refund of $286.00 or will that be automatically processed because the trip was canceled before May 7???

Please advise.

[Gavin-and-Jo0]

@Andrea5365  As you paid the entire amount upfront then the 50% refund should be automatically applied.  

[Andrea5365]

Thank you this is really the only thing I was looking to get confirmation on.  Airbnb stepped in to assist and told me that they contacted the host who decided not to issue refund BUT I pointed out my receipt in which it's printed below that I am entitled to 50% refund in canceled before 4:00PM on May 7.  

Is the refund going to be issued by Airbnb or will I need to request the 50% refund from the Host?

[Colleen253]

@Andrea5365 

“….they contacted the host who decided not to issue refund…” 

“Is the refund going to be issued by Airbnb or will I need to request the 50% refund from the Host?”

If you were seeking the entire amount back, this is what the host was refusing. They have no say when it comes to whatever you are entitled to receive back. Refunds a guest is entitled to are processed automatically by Airbnb.

[Andrea5365]

Thank you to you both for explaining on the host side of what you are allowed to see and not.  As mentioned, I only assumed the host had the option to accept a cancellation due to the comment back and some other notations that are under Cancellation Policy here on the Airbnb site.  

Again, I am really saddened that this was my first and last experience using this Airbnb site for any future travel bookings.  However, to all of you host out there that are more understanding than Anastasia, on us people who come on here one time expecting to get assistance and help from old-timers "THANK YOU".  Being from Hawaii we had to save up and use our tax return to make this trip to the mainland to visit family.  Our Vegas vacation to visit family and see the sites was cut short due to a sick Aunty in CA in which we had shortened our trip to drive to CA to visit her before returning back to Hawaii.  I even showed proof of change ticket leaving out of LAX, CA and still host was not understanding.  I do understand that they do have a policy to uphold I just assumed there would have been more help on what to do next now that I accidentally did something that could not be undone.  I even offered if I could rebook a new reservation for the same dates and she could use the same payment and she said "NO" it's your fault next time you should know what you doing before doing anything.  I get it.. this person is right.  

Oh well. Good Luck to you all.  Just have to share my experiences now on social media.

[Kia272]

@Andrea5365  The host is a jerk. I would never do this to a guest. For sure this person's karma should come back to bite them in the ass. I am shaking my head. What a crappy way to make money. 

It seems to me you made an honest mistake, and any decent human being would help you out. What a jerk. Sorry this happened to you. Kia

[Andrea5365]

Thank you for your understanding.  Yes this person was just not willing to listen to understand even after sending proof that I had to change my return flight home from LAX, CA and not Vegas and then explaining the entire situation just not willing to budge.  

As you said... this I will now leave in the hands of fate as to what happens.  I was honest 8 minutes prior to the host about what I was trying to accomplish and ended up happening.  I was not asking for a full refund only to shorten my visit and be refunded back for the days I did not need the bookings.  

After reviewing the host profile and my recollection of the multiple complaints of having problems after the 7th day of the reservation.  I was surprised to have experienced the same thing with my being able to change and select the check out date exactly 7 days from the check in.  Now I booked the place from 14th-22nd.  How I was able to select a date exactly 7 days when I tried to change the booking when I supposedly was already booked for the 8 nights up to the 22nd is what I am focusing on.  The host is purposely over booking or allowing people to do book during days that are already committed to another person?  Coincidental??? I don't think so.  If this host has a history of doing this to others than I really think Airbnb needs to be pay more attention to this person as it appears to be a routine and is deceitful and not honest.

I appreciate your understanding in my situation.

[Mark116]

@Andrea5365  It isn't possible to double book or over book within the Airbnb platform.  If a given date is 'booked' on Airbnb it cannot be booked again on Airbnb.  The only way a double booking can happen is if the host is listing the property on other booking sites, where it could be booked on VRBO for X dates and then, if the host failed to block those dates on the Airbnb calendar, it could be also booked at Airbnb for the same dates, in which case the host would have to cancel one of those bookings.  But its impossible for double bookings to occur within the Airbnb platform.

[Andrea5365]

Hi Mark,

I remember when I was trying to select specifically the 18th the only date that allowed me to click on was the 20th.  I did not adjust or do anything at this time.  If the date was already supposedly reserved for me because my original check out was not until the 22nd.  Why was there an allowance for me to select the 20th?  

More and more as I am looking into this host and how this host has treated others that is similar to what is happening to me or what I have seen done to others does not appear to be honest.  This is the only reason I am pointing this out because this person has a history within the last 3 months of doing this exact same thing to others?  It is a pattern and routine that this host is doing and is this allowed?  Does Airbnb allow host to do this?  This host should be held accountable if it's not allowed and therefore abusing the policy for financial gain because clearly they are utilizing their own cancellation/refund policy to further their agenda by doing this to guest.

[Sarah977]

@Andrea5365  The host may indeed be dishonest, but as they had no foreknowledge of you wanting to change the dates, they couldn't have messed around with dates to make it imposible for you. 

As Mark tried to explain to you elsewhere, some hosts have calendar rules set. They may only allow check ins and check outs on specific days of the week. So the 18th may have been a day when check-outs are not allowed. 

Hosts may have these calendar rules either due to their cleaner's schedule or their own. Or they may only allow minimum week-long bookings, which as Mark explained, would have made it impossible for you to alter the dates down to 4.

For instance, I have a 3 day minimum. If you tried to change a 4 day booking to a 2 day booking, it wouldn't work.