Former guest upset about being asked to donate to me!

[Laura2592]

I am late to the party on this "smile card" or well wish/donate to your host thing Airbnb has going on. We are in the middle of a move and its been all we can do to keep up with check ins  and unpack a sea of boxes in our new place. So part of this is on me for not noticing what was happening.

Last night around 10pm I got a text from a former guest who we had hosted a few times, detailing how she lost her job/financial and health issues and resented that we were "asking for a donation" from Airbnb, calling us "tacky" and saying that we must be "doing well" to own such a nice second home and that it was in poor taste to ask others to fund it/that she will not be coming back. Having no idea what this was about I got online and figured out this was happening. I am SHOCKED. It's one thing for guests to send hosts a nice thought, another thing entirely to ask for funds when so many people are struggling. 

We ARE lucky to have such a charming second home and we in no way want anyone to pay us anything, other than their fee for their stay. We lost a ton of reservations and potential income like many others, but it is ALL potential income until its in the bank and stays are complete. I can't believe this is happening. Figuring out how to opt out. 

Anyone have any thoughts on how to respond to this guest (if at all)? We have had a good rapport up until now. 

[Anonymous]

@Laura2592   Here's a thread from a few months back where Airbnb announced this horrible idea (along with instructions for how to opt-out of the begging for money), along with the overwhelming majority of Community contributors protesting against it, and Airbnb ignoring all of us and proceeding ahead anyway, followed by inevitably being trashed in the press and ridiculed on social media.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/A-new-way-for-guests-to-show-you-appreciation-and-encour...

If your guest was indignant enough about this to write to you, please explain to her that @Airbnb  made this request on your behalf without your consent. You can even send her that link, if it helps to back up the fact that this decision was made against the will of hosts. 

[Laura2592]

Thanks @Anonymous  I just opted out.  I am trying to craft a thoughtful response to this guest who said she was "pinged to donate"(to me) so I am wondering if there were some mass emails going out from Airbnb central? I feel silly for not realizing this was happening, but at the same time, I honestly don't have time to follow every single harebrained idea that comes up on this platform-- Just. Too. Many.  

I can't believe that anyone thought this would fly.....

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 

Airbnb is sending out mass e-mails. I got a "kindness card" from a guest last week. Luckily, I had opted out of the donation. I received this e-mail a few days ago asking me to send a card to the previous host's I had stayed with:

[Colleen253]

@Laura2592  You shouldn't feel silly at all, as Airbnb should have done the right thing and notified hosts before launching this ill conceived idea, and required each host to opt in on their own. 

When it comes to @Airbnb , paying close attention is unfortunately required. 

[Helen350]

How embarrassing for you @Laura2592 ! 😞  - This is exactly what many of us feared would happen!

- I opted out, having read how to here on the CC (- Account - Payments & Payouts - Guest Contributions), but then I STILL received a card (no money) from my last guest before lockdown! I messaged him to say Thanks, but we hosts are embarrassed by it all, & was he asked for money, or not as I'd opted out.... He has not replied. Understandable, easy to hit the 'send' button when cards popped up, I can understand why a young budget conscious lad could not be bothered to respond to my pm.... 

@Lizzie  @Nick @Liv  @Quincy @Katie  - PLEASE feedback to the powers that be, the NEGATIVE outcome of this daft, & ill thought out initiative!

[Laura2592]

@Helen350  cards and well wishes are a lovely idea. I don't think anyone would take umbrage at that. But begging for funds? It takes a whole lotta nerve from a platform that has bungled the cancellation policy to then bother former guests (many of whom stayed long before COVID was even a thought) to donate funds. Geez Louise, I need to pay more attention. I don't like my name associated with this. Damage done now I suppose. 

[Katie]

Hi @Helen350, thanks for the tag. 

Not to worry, I've already noted this thread in reference to the Kindness Cards initiative, so we'll pass this on 👍

[Pat271]

There is nothing in the “kindness card” email above that implies that the host is responsible for sending it out. Airbnb is making it clear that they themselves are the instigators.  Also, they are not directly “begging for money” - they are simply presenting ways that the guest, if they wish, can “show appreciation and encouragement”, with a donation offhandedly presented as one of the options.  I think the guest is being vicious in attacking you personally for this boiler-plate sendout from Airbnb.  Calling you “tacky”?  Really?  And the misguided assumption that you must be “doing well”, when in reality you may be struggling to pay the mortgage like many of the rest us?  This is not a well-intentioned, thoughtful guest.

Airbnb originally decided to send these cards out as a response to requests from guests asking how to help hosts during this unprecedented time.  Obviously, it would be awkward for a host to accept such an offer during direct communication, even if they might really need and appreciate the help.  We can debate whether Airbnb should be sending out these emails (I personally have opted out), but this guest is not harmless in her cruel and overreactive response.

I do think that Airbnb should send out occasional emails to hosts reminding them how to opt out of having their guests receive this notification.  That way, fewer hosts will be caught off-guard as @Laura2592 was.  

[Laura2592]

If the email provided by Emilia is what is going out, there is nothing to indicate that the host is not pushing some button for this message to be sent with Airbnb wording. I can totally understand why a guest may be irked at the request for a card or "contribution." Its just gross in my opinion. 

How about Airbnb sends a  "kindness card" to the nurses in my area? As a host I get that I have been impacted, but there are a lot of people who have been impacted more and worse. This is absurd IMHO and a way for Airbnb to deflect responsibility for their policies back onto its users. If Airbnb wants to send me a "contribution" in the form of the money lost due to their handling of cancellations, I will happily donate it to appropriate charities. But don't ask my guests to pony up if they have already stayed and paid their fee to do so. 

[Debra300]

@Pat271,

You are correct that there isn't anything written on the kindness card invitation that implies that it comes for the host, but there also isn't anything in the card that clearly states that Airbnb is solely responsible for sending the message, and the host was not involved in the initiative.

I opted-out of the contribution.  I have not received a kindness card, nor an invitation to send one to any of my former hosts.

[Pat271]

@Debra300  “Today, we are introducing a new way to connect to your favorite hosts”.  I doubt Laura was involved in that initiative.

[Debra300]

@Pat271,

Many people are very literal, some are not highly educated, and there are those that do not have strong inference deciphering or critical thinking skills.  These invitations need to clearly  state that they are not at the request of the hosts.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Pat271 

they are not directly “begging for money” - they are simply presenting ways that the guest, if they wish, can “show appreciation and encouragement”, with a donation offhandedly presented as one of the options

Please. What other 'off handed' way are Airbnb offering that a guest can show "appreciation and encouragement” ?

This is nothing more than an implemented way for Airbnb to collect money. Brian Chesky stated such in his May 30th video address. It is one of his "pillars of support".:

The 4 pillars of the rescue package that were supposed to save us all from the poorhouse. were listed..

1. The $250 million relief fund.

2. The Superhost Fund.

3. Financial contributions from guests to hosts

4. Airbnb asking for Govt bailouts for US hosts

This is basically, an attempt to garner favour with Hosts for the way they trashed their cancellation policies under the guise of guest safety and changed the wording of their Terms to satisfy their intent.

The kindness cards are nothing but a Trojan Horse for charitable donations.

[Pat271]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  “Please. What other 'off handed' way are Airbnb offering that a guest can show "appreciation and encouragement” ?”

With “personalized kindness cards” is what it says.