How is it possible for a company to treat its members so poorly

[Marie-L249]

I have been trying to resolve a problem that I presented to Airbnb customer service for nearly a month. The first customer service I spoke with sent me a message saying that she will be gone for several days and will return to my case when she comes back. After she didn't get back to me I called again, just to be told that they would reach out to her. They also said that they would escalate the case. No got back to me for weeks. She never did. Then I get a message from the same customer service agent that just says that she will be gone again for 19 days. How is this possible? Someone told me that when Airbnb customer service don't know what to do with a problem they ghost you! Is that a thing? I have a hard time believing that this company treats their host so poorly. I get an attitude every time I call, as if I am disturbing their peace or something. What can I do?

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0   ??? It isn't a myth that hosts are charged 3%, it's a fact. What guests are charged in total and how much they can afford to spend on a booking doesn't change that fact. Hosts receive the nightly rate minus 3%, not minus 20%.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah977 It all depends on your logic. If I followed your logic then Airbnb is way cheaper for hosts than booking.com and yet in reality they are the much same price.

@Elaine701 I suspect my 17% includes 20% vat so its probably 14%+tax = 16.8%.

I am not sure if you are registered for VAT but do be aware that if you go to the host only payment then the gross rentals might take you above the VAT threshold and force you to register in which case VAT would be charged on your whole nightly rate not just the Airbnb fees.

[Elaine701]

@Mike-And-Jane0 @Sarah977 

I don't understand where the confusion lies here. 

If I go on the Airbnb web site, find my listing, enter any available dates, the price given is my rate + 15% Airbnb commission (+ tourist tax). That's the rate presented to the guest, and what they pay. 

From that number, Airbnb keeps 15% commission from the guest, plus 3% from my asking price (total 18%). I receive 3% less than my asking price in the payment. Tourist tax is listed separately and may be paid directly to local authorities in some cases. In our case, it's paid to us. It's all spelled out pretty clearly when you view the transaction history. 

That's the way it is, and the way it's always been. It might be different in other parts of the world, I don't know. But that's how it is for us.

So, I'm unclear why there would be any confusion. 

[Elaine701]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

It's 15% guest, 3% host (for us anyway) 18% in total. I don't know if that's some legacy thing or not (we've been with Airbnb for over a decade). 

I'm considering moving to the other model of 17% host, 0% guest. Just to be consistent with other platforms, mainly to simplify accounting. Maybe we can deduct it too, not sure.

It's all the same, really. I'd just raise prices to compensate. The guest would still pay the same. 

But if they raised it to 20%, then I'd really have to seriously consider far more emphasis on other platforms (which, by the way, aren't really any bettter, and in some ways, far worse). Especially considering Airbnb's dismal support, seemingly random suspensions, inexplicable guest reimbursements, and so on. 

Other platforms have equally dismal support, but yes, Airbnb brings bookings, and so I'd be pretty stupid to cut that leg off.

Maybe raise prices on Airbnb and keep lower prices on other platforms, to give them a chance to establish some good ratings, which should attract more bookings. Then I could minimise dependence on Airbnb. 

Sorry.. Just thinking out loud... 

[Jillian115]

@Colleen253 @Fred13 @Sarah977 If a problem does arise thats going to be an Airbnb PR nightmare, it seems Airbnb has a "secret safety team" to cover it up. This article is actually several very sad stories. But it also shows that even the secret safety security team was also effected by the layoffs. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9690477/Secret-Airbnb-team-paid-Australian-woman-raped-New-...

They need to spend more time on protection from the start sadly it looks like they are moving in the opposite direction. 

[Jillian115]

Sorry I just saw that @Colleen253  posted the same article.

[Paige12]

We have had multiple bad experiences with Airbnb customer service as a host. It's very obvious to us that they set up their business model to take very good care of the guests because they have the money but ignore the host because the host has little option but to list their space on all venues possible regardless. It's extremely unprofessional and solely based on financial gain for the people in charge/ ownership.

[Marie-L249]

This is exactly how I see it. It's extremely frustrating because with our places, they would have no business. 

[Fred13]

I love waking you guys up, this forum is way too quiet at times. LoL

[Marie-L249]

So, this says that the issue is resolve. I would like to tell all of you that no one ever got back to me about the issue after the last customer service agents told me that they were going on vacation. The review from the guest who HERSELF WROTE on an airbnb review that she came to my place and DELIBERATELY chose to break the rules is still the issue and is still pending. I just got tired of trying to get Airbnb to help me with it.

[Sumana5]

Hi everyone, @Marie-L249  @Jilian115 @Fred13 @Paige12 @colleen253

I am from France and somehow my profile page is right now in english, no problem, because i totally agree with you, myself so frustrated about airbnb's policies with hosts. They get money from the guests, we receive it, and airbnb makes profits on our back, so in the power game we hosts are the most vulnerable. 

I am new on airbnb, this summer in Brittany (Bretagne) i have received several guests who kept my toilets and the room (i share apartment) dirty, i had to ask them to flush !! They were feisty, agressive, and some of them sexual predators, alone in my flat i felt unsafe, and after these bewildering acts these guests left horrible defamatory comments. 

No action from airbnb or rather total bias support to hosts; after their so-called investigation, after all the proofs i sent through pics, airbnb "trusted" the guests and closed my cases. Even the sexual harassment case has no importance for them. They just don't believe us, support us, protect us, respect us. 

A mass action as hosts is what they deserve. 

Reading your messages gave me some satisfaction, thanks for that.