Host not responding for future booking

[Jordan595]

I had booked a trip for May of 2020, but due to COVID shut downs and travel restrictions, my host would only allow me to postpone to this May but would not allow refunds. That's fine. So, I'm trying to plan my trip now but wanted to check-in first since I haven't talked to the host in over a year. I looked at the property details and it says it's only open to non-vacation booking (i'm going on vacation) plus it hasn't been reviewed since September 2020. I tried contacting the host 3 times over 5 days but he is not responding. I tried contacting Airbnb through messaging and they have not responded in 3 days. I don't know what to do! I don't want to buy train tickets, museum reservations, etc. without knowing where we will be staying. What a mess. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

@Jordan595 

Here is the official help article on what to do if you can't get in touch with your host:  https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/88/

If you've exhausted all options and still can't get a response, here are the instructions for how to force your host to take action on your booking:  https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1250/what-should-i-do-if-my-host-needs-to-cancel

To send your host a cancellation request:

1. Go to Trips and click the trip you want to cancel
2. Click Show trip details
3. Click Change or cancel
4. Click Cancel reservation
5. Under Please select a reason, choose My host needs to cancel
6. Next to Did they say they can’t host you anymore? choose Yes
7. Click Ask host to cancel

If your trip starts within a week, the host has 24 hours to respond to the request. Otherwise, they have 48 hours to respond.

If your host accepts or doesn’t respond, you’ll get a full refund. If they decline the request, your host should still be able to host your stay.

[Jordan595]

Thanks @Anonymous  I will try this if I can't get anyone from Airbnb to respond.

[Dale711]

Hi @Jordan595,

I am sorry to hear about your experience.

Did you try  ‘live chat’ with an Airbnb support help center[ not an Airbnb bot ]that is someone here to respond to you within few minutes.

As your reservation is coming soon, may the online community managers can assist you to contact the support center and get the team to direct message to you and look in to your case.

@Stephanie, @Nick, @Quincy 

Please help,

Thank you

[Jordan595]

I did not see a live chat option, only the message. It says they get back to you in 24 hours but it's been 3 days! 

[Anonymous]

@Jordan595   The live chat does eventually patch you through to a human respondent, but trying to get them to understand a very simple problem in plain English is like trying to explain quantum physics to your dog. 

If I were in your position I'd pursue the "host needs to cancel" formula first - it gives him no choice but to respond, as he'll have to consider the risk of accepting penalties himself. If he declines but does not assure you that your booking will be honored, that would be the time to deal with the horror of Airbnb's outsourced customer service. Otherwise, in 48 hours your booking will be automatically cancelled and you're free to begin re-planning your long-awaited trip.

[Jordan595]

@Anonymousso I did it and the host responded to the request that they can still host but still won't message me back! I'm so fed up. I'm never using Airbnb again.

[Linda108]

Lack of communication either by host or by guest is a red flag to me.  I do wonder, though, if you have called the host directly.  Since the host responded the reservation is good, but still has not responded to you directly, I think you should give a call.  Just let the host know that you are nervous about traveling again and would appreciate making direct contact.

[Sarah977]

@Jordan595  One non-responsive host is not representative of all Airbnb hosts. You've had a lot of helpful replies from Airbnb hosts here, so to say you'll never use Airbnb again because one host isn't responding, while that is of course your prerogative, is a bit unappreciative of the hosts who've taken the time to advise you. We don't like hearing about hosts like this, either, because just as your reaction, they can lead guests to not use Airbnb in the future.

Linda's suggestion is good- try texting or calling the host. Plenty of guests don't answer messages either, by the way.

And while a non-responsive host or guest can be a red flag, there can also be totally innocent reasons for it. We have no idea if the other party is dealing with some major personal issue, like a dying relative, if there's some platform glitch where messages aren't getting through, or like one of my guests who wasn't answering, she was at a meditation retreat where they weren't allowed to use any of their devices. You just never know, so while it's wise to be cautious, it's not always that we are just being ignored.

[Jordan595]

The host replied after awhile! Thanks to @Anonymous for the advice that worked and to others for taking the time to respond. I put a lot of time and money in the hands of one person so I am relieved that it finally worked out.

[Anonymous]

@Jordan595  So glad it all worked out! Hope you have a great trip.