Emails Responses not Forwarded

[John-and-Terese0]

Is anyone having a problem with Airbnb not sending responses to inquiries or guest questions. I am referring to the email alias’ that Airbnb uses when you respond via email so you don’t see the real email. It has been happening to me for the last 3-6 months and is really problematic because I don’t use the Airbnb app to resond. I know the email is being delivered to the Airbnb servers or O would receive a bounce notification.

[Sarah977]

@John-and-Terese0  I don't think you can use the coded email to send guests messages on inquiries or requests, only after a confirmed booking.

I don't understand why you aren't answering them on the Airbnb messages. That is how you are supposed to respond to guests. It has nothing to do with using the phone app- I don't either, I use my computer. Is it because you are trying to add some attachment?

I always need to send confirmed guests a map to my place. I just ask them for their actual email address. I found that the coded email thing was glitchy.  Guests would get the email, but often the map attachment would be missing.

[John-and-Terese0]

I have always used email to respond to inquiries and guests msgs. It is easier to respond via email than taking the second step of going to the Airbnb app or website. I have use this method for both Airbnb and vrbo for the last three years without issue. Airbnb is glitchy from time to time and fails to forward the msgs but now they seem to have completely stopped forwarding email replies.

[Sarah977]

@John-and-Terese0  I don't understand. How do your response stats register if you don't respond to inquiries on the Airbnb messaging? 

How is it an extra step? You have to go to your Airbnb inbox to read an inquiry message from a guest, as their full message doesn't show on the email or text notifications, so you just answer there.

How do you see a guest's coded email address on an inquiry and without being on your hosting pages?

[John-and-Terese0]

The full message is shown in my email and I respond directly, that is why is is so simple. I don’t use the Airbnb app except to check guest reviews, get a guest phone number or modify a booking.

[Sarah977]

@John-and-Terese0  Sorry, I still don't understand what you are trying to explain. When I get an email alert of a guest's message, I can't respond directly to it by hitting Reply- I have to click on the link to it, which means I am then responding through my Airbnb Inbox.

If you respond to an Inquiry by using the coded email addtess, how does that register on your response rate? You didn't answer that.

And you keep mentioning the app. I don't use the app to respond to guests, I use the desktop version on my laptop.

[John-and-Terese0]

Hi Sarah, The way it previously worked is when you replied to the email inquiry directly from your email application, Airbnb would take the contents of the email and populate the information into the Airbnb message thread and send it to the guest. When I say Airbnb App, I am just using that as a general term for either the computer Airbnb website or phone application. I understand the website might have slightly different functionality than the phone but both work essentially the same.

[Sarah977]

@John-and-Terese0  Ah, okay, I think I get it now. You weren't actually emailing the guest to that coded email address, you were replying via the notification email which actually sent it as an Airbnb message. 

App refers to phone apps, not websites accessed through a browser.

[John-and-Terese0]

The email alias is what I reply to via email, Airbnb takes that and translates that to corresponding Inquiry or guest and sends it. An app is an application it could be a web application or a mobile application.

[Sarah977]

@John-and-Terese0  As I mentioned, I have sent emails to guests before using the coded email address- those emails never populated in an Airbnb message as a response to a guest. 

Thanks for the tech talk- I'm not a techie at all and didn't realize that there are web apps as well as mobile apps, although after Googling it, I'm still not that clear on the difference between a web app and a website. I gather that basically a website isn't interactive, a web app is.

[Lorna170]

@John-and-Terese0   It would be better if you went to the website, and clicked on the email alias link there.  That should open your email, and then you can conduct the conversation with the guest.

I have found that the address that appears on my phone mail or my regular inbox is further disguised and does not, in my experience, result in my response being sent to the prospective guest.

I have also found that if I try to reply to a text message on my phone without clicking on the reply link in the message that takes me to the app, that my text message goes to cyberspace and is not seen by the guest.

All in the name of "protecting" AirBnB's interest in keeping the guest and host on a money making platform.

[John-and-Terese0]

Lorna170, Thanks for your input. Yes, It appears that Airbnb wants to force all users through their web or mobile application. It is unfortunate they are no longer reliably supporting a function that previously worked well.