Hi all. I am Sonja from Salt Rock, KwaZulu Natal, South Afri...
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Hi all. I am Sonja from Salt Rock, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. I love opening my home to others and try to assist with provi...
Latest reply
Hello my name is João Fonseca and I am Host from Portugal,
My experience All Inclusive: The Natural Adventure was abruptly suspended without any previous warning and later the whole account removed without even an explanation as to why.
All I was told is a guest from a recent reservation reported an incident where they felt uncomfortable and then after an investigation Airbnb Safety Team decided to remove my account and said the Safety Section of the Community Standards was not complied with.
And that really puzzles me, because:
1- No one got injured, 2- No one even told me personally they were uncomfortable in any way, 3- Did not have any bad reviews recently.
So there was no incident of any kind happening. There has to be a misunderstanding, I just don’t know what motivated this reaction, but it will have devastating consequences for me and my family.
It is the very first time I had anyone make a report and I have been fully dedicated to this experience since the very Launch of Portugal Airbnb experiences 5 years ago, more than 3000 people, +1200 reviews of almost constant 5 stars, diligently promoting Airbnb and assuring the highest quality and safety standards.
This Experience is my only source of revenue, I just became a father and have a beautiful 1 year old daughter and now I am left with no job, no means to provide for my family, with all the effort I put into this experience and all the recognition erased without a trace.
I value safety above all and the experience was made to include everyone and be accessible to people of all ages, so I am very rigorous with safety measures. I provide a lot of gear to be the safest it can be, kayaks and life-jackets, wetsuits, water socks and shoes, gloves and helmets.
Since I started this Experience, it is meant to be the most amazing day of adventure for every single person. I have lived in The Arrábida Natural Park where the experience takes place all my life and I give all my effort to showing it in the best possible way, it is and always will be my dream.
I would like to add that I read the Terms of Service that I agreed with when I started as an Airbnb Host and in section 24th paragraph C (Termination for Breach, Suspension and Other Measures): “In the event of violations of a non-substantial nature and as appropriate, you will be notified of any action by Airbnb and given the opportunity to resolve the issue in a reasonably satisfactory manner.”
As such, it is my understanding this is an incident of a non substantial nature and so please tell me which steps I should take to resolve this situation.
Wish you all the best and sorry to bother you but I hope you can help me recover me and my family's future, I have no one else to reach out to.
@Catherine-Powell
Sincerely,
João Fonseca
Just curious, why does your community ID say Veronica if your name is João?
@Debra300
Well my account was completely banned and I could not even access to ask for help with my situation.
I created another and ended up putting my wife Veronica name, however I don't know how to change the name, ahah
Alright So please hear me out,
It is Airbnb policy that we cannot cancel reservations with only 1 guest, and so I never did. However if that guest decides by whatever reason to make a complaint, then it is the word of the guest against the word of the Host.
And so how can Hosts protect themselves from such a situation if the statistics and reviews of countless other guests don't count to prove the word?
@Veronica1005 "And so how can Hosts protect themselves from such a situation if the statistics and reviews of countless other guests don't count to prove the word? "
Unfortunately you can't. Airbnb operates like a dictatorship. No explanations, no weighing your history with them, just a "Sorry, you're delisted".
I find what you say is more and more true as time passes, but that is so sad. So where is the support of the local community and providing opportunities for locals?
I am finding in the most anxious and depressing way that all my life's work is just easily discardable and all the insurmountable effort I put into Airbnb and my experience has absolutely no meaning.
How can I accept this fate where 1 person ruined my dream with a complaint where they felt uncomfortable? I decided to look into it myself and realized who the complainant would be.
I even have photos and videos of this guest having fun (since I provide as extra so guests have memories of this experience). When I tried reaching out to this person to try understand what happened, the only reply I received was "DO NOT contact me again or I will involve law enforcement"
Are we at the mercy of any malcontent or vindictive person?
@Veronica1005 Sadlly you will need to find another route to market. Could you perhaps agree with local hotels to stock flyers for your experience or perhaps tourist information booths?