Guest is able to book blocked days. Airbnb says hosts have to cancel now?

[Laura2592]

We had some snow and a weekend cancellation. After a few other attempts at booking by new guests we could not guarantee that we could do our cleaning turnover due to the weather so we refused the booking and blocked the calendar for this weekend. Lo and behold my plumber who has been totally slammed offered to come on Friday and do some pretty disruptive repairs that would mean its best for our place to be empty over the weekend and into next week. Perfect. We have been trying to get him forever so this was great timing. Calendar was blocked accordingly yesterday-- AND the weekend was blocked because we refused a reservation.

Except that an hour ago a guest booked blocked dates. Puzzled I apologized and explained. Guest asked if I could change my plans to accommodate her and I explained that we would possibly not have hot water when she stayed and didn't want to risk it. I asked her to cancel. She is refusing on the grounds that it "dings her account" and she would not get  her money back. She sent me a screen shot that appears below and basically says the host has to cancel. Uh, okay. News to me.

So I call Airbnb and ask for help/has anything changed/how was this guest able to book? We have a flexible policy so she should get all her money back. The rep confirms that there is no penalty for the guest. Has anyone heard of this? What is going on? Are they trying to force people to lose SH status as a new thing?

[Sarah977]

I think that message the guest received is probably some standard message that is sent out if a host tells a guest to cancel. Which shouldn't have applied in this case. And maybe the wording of the message is what made the guest assume she'd be penalized or not get a full refund. As per usual, Airbnb manages to make things as clear as mud. @Laura2592

[Anonymous]

@Laura2592   I have to dig up that list of Top 10 Reasons Instant Book Sucks, but I think "blocked calendar dates mysteriously opening up" is pretty high up there.

[Ute42]

.

@Laura2592 @Anonymous @Sarah977 @Kelly149 @Mark116 @Emilia42 @Debra300 @Emiel1 

I'm having the problem all the time that the airbnb-Software unblocks dates I had blocked. This started in nov. 2019 and the problem still exists.

There's a 12 page thread on this issue on the german Community Center.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Gastgeber-unter-sich/Airbnb-schaltet-ohne-mein-Zutun-Buchungszeitraeume-frei/m-p/1050488#M13245

I am pretty creative as Germans generally are and came up with this solution:

Whenever I want to block dates I increase the nightly rate from $100 to $500.

Noone ever books such nights.

[Kelly149]

@Laura2592 @Lawrene0 

@Ute42 's $500 blocked/non-block is fabulous!!!

[Nina1093]

I had this happen twice this year - Airbnb told me “sorry about that - take it up with the guest and solve it yourselves”