How to Start Fixing Airbnb CS and Many Common Issues

[Tony134]

Since the Airbnb customer service team is too busy virtue signaling to do any real work or solve any problems, I thought I would spend some time today doing what I believe is the ultimate form of trolling:  doing their job for them, and doing it better.  The following is a list of things that would make everyone’s lives involved with Airbnb better and would probably save them money when they didn’t have to take one angry cs call and BBB complaint after the other.  I think it has become obvious to most of the long term hosts that Airbnb’s cs policies are written by greedy sociopaths with no clue.  Also, everything here could be instituted in less than a week, so…

I.  I like to think I speak for all experienced hosts when I say: the Cancellation Policies and everything tied to them are savage bad. Keep it honest by keeping it simple. Policies should be:

1. Flexible – Cancel any time, receive full refund (including Airbnb service fees)
2. Moderate – Cancel any time, receive half refund (including Airbnb service fees)
3. Strict – Cancel any time, receive no refund, no exceptions

This ties into the next problem that has become rampant, unaddressed poor guest behavior.

II.  The majority of guests are great, but some just aren’t, and some are plain terrible.  In its race to fill a vault of gold the size of scrooge McDuck, they hope to take literally every single guest that tests out the platform.  This isn’t naïve, it’s predatory.  Not everyone in the entire world treats everyone else with respect, not even *gasp* under perfect circumstances.  Guest are called ‘guests’ because they are staying in people’s homes!  Any human with a basic modicum of common sense would read a host’s house rules and respect basics like cleaning up after themselves, or not turning house into a party. Guests that have not yet learned these basics of life, it is not hosts’ responsibility to nurture them to full personhood. I got five stars on every one of my over 20 guest journeys, it wasn’t hard! Airbnb, if you want to parent the whole world offer a free class, not my home!

With bad guests, this is how typical stay goes:

1. Ask guest to clean up their dishes or remind them they don’t have extra guests registered.
2. 50/50 maybe guest complies, maybe they totally ignore me.
3. Guest leaves me bad review for asking them to follow house rules (retaliation).
4. Some of these guests then ask for refund, and actually get them after admitting breaking house rules!
5. Guest knows how system works and wants cancellation, so they just start becoming 100% more obnoxious trying to push a cancellation from my end (OMG these are the worst)
6. In off season when prices are low, you get more less-than-stellar guests, then this situation snowballs out of control. One guest sees a dirty plate in sink, starts leaving their own dirty dishes, stops cleaning stove, etc.  I often then get left in some cases with house full of people who make me their servant for a month, then *best part* still leave me a review that says place wasn’t clean or I called them out asking them to clean.  Hilarious!
7. Some of these guests even sabotage your home, still get refunds. A man this week turned a tube in my toilet upside down, it ran water constantly all night until someone caught it.  Airbnb gave him full refund…
8. Worst possible scenario: guest does something downright icky, you tell them it’s a no-go. You leave them less than stellar review, then read they left you a great review because they didn’t actually hold it against you for wanting your home respected.  This guest actually improves behavior, but still gets left with bad review, hate this one the most because then I actually feel bad.

How do you fix this you ask?  You put more some more power back in host hands, where it belongs.  The review system just brings out the worst in human nature sometimes, I will say confidently after experience, it’s not good.  Guests already use it as leverage, and hosts get tired of playing judge, jury, and executioner.  You see all the time in forums host doesn’t know how to review guest.  Replace it with Endorsement system, you are already half way there and it would be easy.  Endorsement would go like this:

Prompt guest at end of stay: “Did you enjoy your stay? If so give the host a thumbs up!” On both listing and host page, have number of endorsements with all the shiny faces lined up like it is now in a stack, and the number of total stays right next to it.  You can calculate it into % if you like, I know Airbnb another company obsessed with metrics.

 

When a guest breaks host house rules, they shouldn’t be able to slander you in review in return.  This solves that issue by putting the appropriate amount of weight on one stay.  It also solves problem of host having to be executioner, there is a difference between having to disapprove of someone and just not giving them approval.  Guest accounts in the same way would show number of badges vs number of stays. 

Any cancellations would increase stay count without increasing badge count (picture included for example).  This way hosts can see that guests have cancelled or at least not perfect track record, information they should be entitled to, but still, Airbnb should love this, nobody has to act in any negative fashion. Require hosts to choose yes or no to issuing the Endorsement/badge.  If a guest fails to choose yes or no on first trip, prompt when they try to book second time and remind them the hosts that run these listings are people who work very hard to provide them with a nice place to stay.  So many problems solved with zero money investment and zero negativity. (Let me put Endorsements on autopilot also, please and thank you.)

To wrap up cancellations, give hosts a button that says “This guest is not following my house rules.”  Pressing this button would have airbnb team follow up.  Call up the guest after first strike, remind them of this policy, ask them nicely to clean their dishes.  Remind them again that hosts are hard-working normal people and *Airbnb always supports them*. At this point button turns into ‘Cancel this reservation with no penalty.”  It is not fair to support abuse, it is enabling. When a guest is abusing host in obvious way and asked to stop, if host can provide *proof or pictures that behavior continues, the reservation should be cancelled without a refund.* Abusing my home is not an excuse to break the payment arrangement, the days have still been blocked so no one else can book them.

In that same vein: Stop. Asking. Hosts. To. Issue. Refunds. Against. Cancellation. Policy.  Stop, just stop.  You do this as your general policy to save money by relocating guest to another airbnb, at the expense of the kind hosts here and there that are inclined to say yes to be ‘agreeable’ but then are left with empty calendar. It is obviously in bad faith to do this as a general policy when the cancellation policies lead hosts to believe otherwise.  I’ll say it again loud and clear: THIS IS OBVIOUS BAD LEGAL FAITH.  If you had ever had a job where liability is measured in decision making, I think it’s absurd you’ve ran with this policy so long, it’s so obviously illegal, unethical, and an albatross hanging around your neck.  Stop.

III.  Finally, I’ve been ranting about this for two whole years with zero result, fix the messaging system.  When a guest books through the website instead of the app, messages do not populate in real time.  The guest must refresh the browser window to see if they have a new message.  I doubt most guests realize this as it is so archaic (we have had this feature since Aol Instant messenger and IRC, the tech sooooo old).  Again, hint for computer sciences team, Ajax and javascript can accomplish this ezpz.  This way if guest wants to ask a question before or during booking, or mentions something that means listing may not be the best fit, we can respond immediately!  Them checking their email days later or never at all means they just don’t even get some of the messages they are sent. Please just fix the messaging, you would have less complaints because communication would be improved. Do the fancy one where the bubbles pop us as someone starts typing on other end.

Require government ID for all hosts and guests.  This is required for car rental and of course should be required for home rentals. When guests are reported to airbnb for house rule violation, inform them they will be required to put down a basic $100 deposit to book in future.  This will discourage people that have no intent of being responsible without weeding out the responsible ones who made a small or tiny mistake.  If said house guests violates somewhere else, gasp, give $100 to the two hosts, split it, you love fairness.

Another easy way to cut down on cs calls and unhappy hosts/guests. Use the cleaning fee.  Make it a prompt they approve during booking, use color, it would go something like this:

Private Room $0 - $20, Whole House $50 - $100 – “This listing has a Low Cost cleaning fee.  You are expected to wash your dishes, clean up after yourself in the kitchen, and put your belongings away.  Guests who do not clean up at these reservations can be cancelled without refund*.”

Private Room >$20, Whole House > $100 – “This listing has a Full Service cleaning fee.  All cleaning will be taken care of by the host.  Please do not abuse host homes thanks!”

You could even allow hosts to offer both and let the guest choose one.  This would be key, *the guest making a choice and the host making a choice.* The overwhelming majority of hosts and guests WILL choose option one, and everyone will be better informed of their responsibilities.  Also potential upsells!  Also, again, problem fixed with zero negativity and practically zero cost.

While these are not All the Things, it is the probably the most important things that should happen.  The overwhelming majority of Airbnb problems come from Airbnb ignoring the concept of Consent.  It is what is missing in all their cs decisions and policies, and what is available in all these solutions.  This has already gone so far over the top, halfway measures are not agreeable or appreciated.  The thing with cancellations and guests just starting to run rampant over hosts with no recourse has gotten insane, and the number of posts in the forums about it should be telling to the Airbnb overlords, so I really just don’t get it.  Each of these hosts is your front facing customer service team, you want them all to be happy and appreciated, not filled with resentment!  How can you possibly expect that to work out in long run?

Airbnb, stop being fake, do these things.  Looking at you Laura, new CS team lead, do something honest for your hosts, a "Celebration of Superhosts Week" isn't it.  You could do all this in a week, it would cost little to nothing, and all your hosts would be happy again(mostly).

[Tony134]

You mentioned customer disservice in your post above. I believe the exact word your looking for is Apologist, or Apologism.  That's what most modern CS agents are trained in now. Most big corporations hire the same "experts" to train their staff, and often adopt similar policies. They all end up doing the same bad things.

You can't go through a customer service call without them apologizing, and often saying or implying they *are sorry for the way you feel.* This is to attempt build an exploitable empathy bridge with you, where they count on your humanity and their *genuine apology* to guide you in the direction most convenient for them.

They also aren't apologizing for anything other than the way you feel, they rarely follow those apologies with appropriate action like they have any responsibility in these matters.

Apologist is the word, they are mostly there to pat everyone on the head and run them through the funnel.

[Coldo0]

@Tony134

after 2 days trying to remove a retaliatory review i gave up.

Airbnb don't care about us hosts and the BAD guests get rewarded .

They enable this kind of behavior.

[Coldo0]

[Elizabeth10]

Like this (shortened version of my separate post today)? :  

Airbnb Support 2:18 PM

I do sincerely apologize for the troubles caused by the guests. Generally, we as Airbnb always reserve the right to make the final decision when we are involved. In these particular cases since the reservation was not going to work out due to the guests breaking your house rules, we would alter the reservation to have them check out immediately and refund them for the nights not spent. This was the decision that the previous agent took and one that we will uphold per our Terms of Service.

Elizabeth 2:43 PM

Where in the terms of service does it refer to always refunding guests who break the rules-no matter what?

Airbnb Support 2:44 PM

The Terms allow us to make that decision. There would be nothing that states that specific scenario.

Elizabeth 2:46 PM

Ok, but what section(s) of the terms did you refer to "one that we will uphold per our Terms of Service."

Airbnb Support 3:01 PM

I'm saying we're upholding the decision as that is reserved right per our ToS.

I also added this:  

• to·tal·i·tar·i·an·ism noun - a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.

[Elizabeth10]

I meant to reply to Sarah re: reps, sorry for messing up the order.  

[Tony134]

Works fine as a reply to me, as you can see, they are always apologising, but never fixing. You know who apologizes but never makes things right? Criminals, that's who.

[Sarah977]

@Tony134 Yes, thank you, apologist is the perfect term "I feel your pain (not) but unfortunately I really can't (won't) help you.

 There are some companies with good CS. As a Canadian, I can say that my CS experiences with Westjet have been great. Friendly, helpful, they go higher up right away if they don't know the answer, and they return calls when they say they will. One of the reasons for this is that Westjet employees are given shares in the company, it's in their best interests to maintain a good public profile.

Air Canada, on the other hand, has a terrible rep and I've personally experienced it.

Someone told me a great joke- Guy walks up to the bar of his hotel, sits down, orders, and notices an attractive woman sitting 2 empty stools away. He strikes up a conversation-

"Hi, are you a guest at the hotel?"

"Yes." (not looking at him)

"Are you here as a tourist?"

"No, I'm a flight attendant." (continuing to wish he'd leave her alone)

" Oh, what airline? No, wait, let me guess. 'Fly the friendly skies?' (no response) Okay, how about 'We go the extra mile?' No. Okay, how about 'On time, everywhere?' "

She continues to ignore him, he persists in reeling off airline slogans. Finally she turns to him and says 

"Look mister, what the f**k do you want ?"

"AIR CANADA!"

[Andrew1014]

Thanks for all the time and effort you put into that @Tony134.

[Tony134]

I just wanted to say: Merry Fake Christmas to Laura at CS team, Brian Chesky, and all the other fakes at airbnb just hoovering up everone's money like that super sucker from Spaceballs!  Got a message from CS team THIS MORNING, on Christmas, doing their classic "we are closing this case while we hope you are not looking" shtick.

8:15 am, so not even 9am yet, not even normal business hours, and on Christmas, I get one of these bull messages from them, and it's referencing a reservation cancelled over a week ago now.

Laura CS Team Lead: point blank, you have not done anything to help us at all, your team is dishonest and underhanded, and you are responsible.  Again, the problem you have is the same as all criminal's problems: you have no respect for the concept of consent.

When you ask for something, and I say 'no,' and you take it anyway, that's called Theft.

When you want to get in someone's pants and they say 'no,' and you take their pants off and do them anyway, that's called rape. (Waiting until they are sleeping to try and slide it in, that's still RAPE)

When you sneak in and take something behind someone's back, without permission, it's called Burglary.

When you end someone's life who wanted to go on living, it's called murder.

I know those are HUUUUUGE stretches away from what you think is going on at Airbnb CS, but that's because you STILL don't understand why all these things are EVIL.  It's because they are all done without CONSENT.  

Airbnb constantly issues these refunds, makes these changes affecting your life, income, and savings, without any type of CONSENT.  They no this is wrong, that is why they always "Ask" first, but as soon as you say 'no' they do it anyway.  This is THE mark of a sociopath, and it seems like Airbnb doesn't hire someone to lead a team unless they possess these qualities.  Even on Christmas morning, they are trying to 'slide it in' while I'm sleeping, becuase they have zero class or ethics.

Edit:  I mean, just look at this.  The new team lead, Laura, messages me about having a direct conversations, but never in a way where we can actually have a conversation!  Each time she messages me I say: I am available every day all the time, I am always on call for your company.  The moment you send me a message through your customer service thread on the app, it will ring and I will be immediately available to speak or make an appointment.  Each time?  She ignores everything I typed, and continues supposedly trying to make an appointment through the forum messaging.  So I should be constantly checking emails, phone, app, and now forum messages to communicate with Airbnb.  What a joke.  High performing professional leader of a cs team at international billion dollar company, can't figure out how to make an appointment for a phone call.

[Robbie54]

You do realise it's far too easy for them, don't you? AirBnB want problems, they want hosts to be screwed by guests, they want a **bleep**ty review system that's not fair, they want you to be frustrated there's no complaints department, they want you to be pulling your hair out because customer service representatives know everything about nothing. It's all a game to them my friend, all a game...

[Tony134]

I think/hope common folk are going to start having a lot less patience with Bad Faith from companies like Airbnb, because that it what this all boils down to. Also, reading some more horror stories today from forums, I'm starting to wonder if Airbnb is in gross negligence not having some kind of insurance system in place already to handle these issues. These things obviously do happen regularly over a service with millions of bookings, isn't ignoring all of that entirely at the customer's expense gross negligence ?

[Sarah977]

@Robbie54  I don't agree with your assessment at all. I don't think it's intentional to frustrate hosts and guests- that would serve no purpose. It's just lack of training, lack of experience (it seems most of these CS reps are very young, therefore have little understanding re effective human communication and dealing with conflicts), lack of organization (as when numerous hosts here are reporting the same glitch, yet every host is told "it's not a known problem", instead of them having a computer system which would instantly tally up the same glitch reports which CS could see at a glance), growing too fast without proper safeguards and policies in place (like a sleepy fishing village that becomes a major tourist town, without an infrastructure that can handle that many people) and the very common customer service attitude of many large companies these days that they make it difficult to lodge a complaint (hard to find phone numbers, or ways to send a message) in order to save themselves having to deal with them. They hope you'll give up and leave them alone.

[Robbie54]

I was being sarcastic, apologies if it didn't come through that way :-). The point is when one speaks to them with an important issue the response is always generic (lots of apologies)and unhelpful answers. The front of line staff never sing from the same hymn sheet, so it's near impossible to get some sort straight answer. All in all they can be a nightmare to deal with, ironically worse than some guests themselves. Now this has been going on for years,  plenty of time for them to sort it out, but it never happens.  No wonder many hosts are totally  fed up with it. 

[Sarah977]

@Robbie54  Sorry I missed it as being sarcastic- unusual for me, as I have a strong sarcastic bent myself. Then yes, I totally agree with all you say above. I've usually managed to work through what I needed from CS, but with an unnecessary amount of back and forth and clarifying the issue. It's surprising we have any hair left on our heads at all, what with all the hair-pulling.

[Robbie54]

Im English, its what we do 😉