Hosts, is your income depleted and are you finding it difficult to pay your bills? DONATIONS

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Then, check your dashboard for the Auto opt-in - 5% donations from your future earnings in your 'payments and payouts'. This is already set up with some hosts, but probably arriving in your dashboard pretty soon...

I saw a post this morning on another site where the host shared this information.

[Robin4]

@Dixie7 

Like most other hosts I do not like the review system. My feeling is the review program prompts the guest to find issues....to find failures. Airbnb will say that honesty gives future guests more confidence in the Airbnb platform. But in fact exactly the reverse is true! We all strive to pat each other on the back in order to.....not rock the boat! Honesty takes a back seat to self preservation and putting on a good face!

And then we all get this anomaly........

 Airbnb pings my stats, tells me I could do better. My overall takes a dip to 4.92 because I copped two of these 4 star overalls in a week .....how exactly can I do better, the guest hasn't given me any hint on what I could have done better. I am now up to 17 reviews just like this one, can't teach me a **bleep** thing, can't give me a hint on how to be a bit better! 

Dixie, I don't want to make any public comment as far as current hosting situation is concerned, I will DM you with details of how things are panning out here in the Adelaide Hills. 

You are so lucky to be in that lovely part of the country Dixie, I have never managed to get to the west and hope one day soon I might be able to make it over there!

Watch out for my DM!

Cheers......Rob

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Robin4 

Like most other hosts I do not like the review system. My feeling is the review program prompts the guest to find issues....to find failures.

I was enlightened by this thread, I don't recall you mentioned there Rob, but you will find it very interesting regarding the review system.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Review-rules-changed/td-p/969223/highlight/true

[Ann489]

@Stephanie   

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0      I also cannot seem to find this 5% "donation" anywhere on my Dashboard (or anywhere else for that matter).     Maybe this is happening only in Europe?

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Ann489 @Mike-And-Jane0 @Robin4 

The Airbnb info says this:

Hosts in the United States and a number of other countries can start donating today. We're working on making donations available in more countries over time. If you aren't currently able to donate through Airbnb Donations, please check back in the future.

@Stephanie 

The first host was American, the second was Portuguese. The CX told the Portuguese host "they could do nothing, its only 5%". They need training, or 5% deducting from their pay. Both have reported these "glitches" already, but obviously may not have listened..

If you want to follow up with anything, it might be worthwhile suggesting how amazing it is they have the time, the resources and the manpower to be setting up and working on all these new donations-focused initiatives, yet they have nobody to answer phones, locate missing payouts or fix the multitude of long-standing "glitches" that have been continually causing mayhem for both hosts and guests?

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 ,

Without the host's ID I can't check into the case with CX, nor can the QA team take a look the situation that may have caused the bug. This is the case for any glitch encountered on the platform.

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Stephanie 

I understand. They're both grown up hosts and can make their point quite well with CX themselves. The fact that CX refused to look into it initially and insisted it was only 5% was actually a bit insulting when it was not a fault of the host.

If it's happening for them, it will be happening for other hosts too, so its just best to be aware of it. If it happens to hosts on this CC they can make you aware directly rather than through a third party. CX will get plenty of experience in sorting it out if its a glitch I'm sure.

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 ,

From my side, the team is now aware of your report via your host connection so we are keeping our ears to the ground regarding further reports so we can act quickly with more information.

If and when anything emerges, I will keep this thread abreast.

Many thanks Ian!

Stephanie

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Stephanie 

Can you direct me to where I can find any published reports on monies donated to and disbursed by Airbnb's Open Homes Fund and that earlier Disaster Relief Fund over the past 7 years? I can't seem to find anything anywhere.

Thanks.

@Sarah977 @Robin4 

Do either of you know anything, how much and where to? All this donation stuff and capacity to build all these things seems very odd.

[PaddySeventeen0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0

I second that. With so much focus on donations on the platform in recent months, from both guests and hosts, it would be interesting to peruse the reports of exactly how much has been collected through Airbnb’s various donations initiatives over the years, and learn where and how those funds have been distributed. 

[Sarah977]

@Ann489  Account> Payments and payouts> Top bar says Donations, among other things. You don't see it there?

[Ann489]

@Sarah977     I just checked again, and yes, now there's a blue box that says " start donating".   That definitely wasn't there a few few days ago.   So if you click on it, you are automatically donating 5% of your payout to this "Open Homes Program"? 

[Sarah977]

@Ann489  Yes, I'd assume if you click on it, you'd be agreeing to donate 5% of your future payouts until you chose to opt out. I wasn't about to click on it to see what screens you get next 🙂

[Ann489]

@Sarah977 

exactly my thoughts!    😉

My guess is, once you click on it, it's going to be nearly impossible to opt out!

[Sarah977]

It's on mine. But there isn't an "opt-in" or "opt out" toggle- there's blue box that says "start donating" that you could click on.

It says these are donations to the Open Homes program. So what would the funds get used for? Hosts who sign up for the open homes program provide free or discounted housing. So who would get these donations, where would they go? Into Airbnb coffers? That's conveniently not addressed.

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Sarah977 ,

You can find more details about Open Homes program, about the nonprofit partners and some stories on how the funding has been used in the recent past. Here you go: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/openhomes

Let me know if you have any questions on this,

Stephanie