I am in support Hell!

[Tom229]

I sent this letter to Airbnb Support:

Hello-

I would like to address the issue with canceled reservation **

I’ve been an Airbnb Superhost for nearly 6 years. I have a consistent record of 5-star ratings. I host 4 units (currently 2 are snoozed) all located at the same property. I recently renovated my late father’s vintage barbershop. This unit is listed as a suite as it does not have a shower, just a 1/2 bath. My intention was rent this unit in conjunction with my Large Efficiency unit which connect through an internal hallway and a shared Laundry room (as spelled out both in the Listing Description and in my Welcome Guide). 

12/23/20:

I was very excited when I listed the new 2 unit configuration (2 Units Combined! A Great Airbnb Experience!) in early December. They were immediately reserved by the Blank family for 10 days. The communication for the reservation was solely between me Kristen Blank, and was good all through out the process up to their arrival on Wednesday, December 23rd. She and I did a distanced walk-through, and she gave no indication that she had any problems with the place, in fact it was quite the contrary. She was very complimentary. I explained to her that the Laundry room is shared (again, this is spelled out both in the Listing Description and in my Welcome Guide) and that at some point I’d need to do laundry as I am staying in another unit on the property as well. I said I would give her plenty of advanced notice and wait until they were gone. Her response was “No problem, we’re hardly going to be here anyway. In fact, there’s 3 days that we won’t even be in town”. I then told her I would let them get settled in and to text me if there were any questions, problems or if there was anything they needed.

About an hour later I received this notification from the Guest via Airbnb messages:

“We had to check out after learning of the shared space we felt very uncomfortable with our children being in the other room. I hope you have a happy holiday”

I immediately went to see if I could talk to them, but she and her family had already left. I then reached out to her via Airbnb messaging to see if there was anything I could do. She did not respond.

12/23-24/20:

Later that evening I received an email from Michelle at Airbnb Community Support. She stated that an incident had been reported by the Guest and that she would like to speak with me at 5 pm on Dec. 24th (Christmas Eve) to discuss the matter. In the mean time my account access would be limited until the investigation was finalized. I waited until 5:20 on the 24th for a phone call. It wasn’t until I prompted Michelle with an email asking her if she was ever going to call me did she then call. I explained that it now wasn’t a convenient time for me as I had holiday plans. She told me we could continue through email and I told her that would be fine.

12/25/20:

On Christmas Day I received an email from Michelle with questions of which I responded to point by point. I directed her to my listing descriptions as well as my attached Welcome Guides… because once again, several things are spelled out there. I also attached a floor plan highlighting the Guest areas, the Shared areas and the areas that were locked off. I also offered to send a walk-through video to further illustrate the set-up. I never heard back from Michelle. 

12/29/20:

On Tuesday 12/29 I received an email from Alejandra of Airbnb Community Support. She stating that my Guest Kristen did not feel safe at my place and was looking for a refund and what did I think?… I responded by telling Alejandra that all of my Units have been suspended and that I would call Airbnb to talk to a live person the next day as this was not okay.

Later that evening I called Support and talked to Luis. I explained to him that:

• My Units have been suspended for nearly a week

• I have never in almost 6 years of hosting ever had a privacy violation with any of my reservations

• I have painstakingly tried to spell everything out in the descriptions of my listings and in my Welcome Guides so that things like this would never happen… and up until now, they never have

• When I created this listing, I duplicated another one of my listings. I have NEVER had a Flexible Cancellation Policy. I have always done Moderate or Strict… so it was to my surprise to find out when the Guest cancelled that this listing was booked with the Flexible policy… so to add insult to injury, I lost out on a lot of income

Luis was very nice and understanding and told me that my matter would be “escalated” to the Safety Team and that I will be hearing from someone within 24 hours. It’s been over 24 hrs and I’ve heard nothing.

In almost 6 years this is only one of 3 bad experiences I’ve had as a host. I take my role very seriously. I have restored a legacy property into 4 unique units including my Dad’s old barbershop. I take great pride in that. I get rave reviews, have repeat guests and have made friends with many. I worked very hard to get this unit ready for the Blank family and to make sure they had a cozy Christmas Airbnb experience. I even stuffed the stockings full of goodies for their 2 little boys.

Airbnb is my main source of income right now. While my property isn’t exactly an over the water villa in the Maldives, it is a crucial time for bookings. Rockford, IL has several visiting nurses and medical students looking for accommodations. New rotations and semesters start soon. Everyday my listings are suspended are days that I am losing potential reservations.

12/30/20:

It has now been 1 week that my listings have been locked. I am very dismayed at the total lack of support with my case. I still do not know what the security violation is that I allegedly committed. It’s a very different Airbnb than when I started. In the beginning you did a very good job with educating both the Host and the Traveller on what it means to build trust. I felt you were very inclusive, and I really felt like I was part of a community. Now I feel like I am just part of a bottom line.

12/31/20:

After no response from Support from the above message which I emailed, I contacted Support Chat. Maryjane P said that a “Support Ambassador” was on it and that I should be getting a response as soon as possible. She said she was merging this communication in to the ticket and then closed the chat.

Happy Holidays

**[Sensitive information removed in line with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Tom229]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0 I totally agree. As I stated in my letter to Airbnb , I feel like they used to do a very good job with educating both the Host and the Traveller on expectations-- these are not hotels, they are people opening up their homes... and on what it means to build trust.

[Lisa723]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0 your stance doesn't make sense to me. @Tom229 has made clear that he uses the laundry area only if/when convenient for and arranged with the guest. If this is the case, it is accurate to list the space as an entire place with one potentially shared amenity.

[Tom229]

Since my listings are down (8 days now), I am attaching photos and a floor plan that will hopefully illustrate the flow between the 2 units.. Sorry, there is no option to rotate the photos.Exterior entrance to Efficiency Unit 2 (garland over the door)Inside view the of entrance doorEntrance door to bathroom hallwaybathroom hallway and door to laundry roomlaundry room door from bathroom halllaundry room to barbershop suite/hallway to unit 3 (host's)lockable panel door (from back side) restricting access to remainder of hallway leading to unit 3curtain drawn across the lockable panel doorother side of panel door- hallway and locked solid fire door to unit 3 (host's)hallway into Barbershop Suite and 1/2 bathBarbershop SuiteInside entry/exit door to Barbershop SuiteOutside entry/exit door to Barbershop SuiteFloor plan- Guest access highlighted in pink

[Nathalie-Et-Gilles0]

@Lisa723 

If I understand how it is done, the children bedroom is separated from the parents bedroom by a shared room (laundry).

So children are locked out and if let’s say, dressed in night goons or with just a towel after a shower, they can meet the host in the laundry when going to the parents bedroom.

It is not a shared laundry in the basement but in the middle of guest place.

[Lisa723]

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0 No, the laundry is separated from the host’s unit by a door. The host will not enter without guest permission. This is not materially different from any other separate unit; any guest must assume that a host is capable of entering the space anytime and they must trust that they will not do so without permission. I agree that the configuration is unusual and the host must make it very clear in the listing and communications but it is still an entire place.

[Sarah977]

No, the guests and their children can't "meet the host in the laundry" unexpectedly, because the host has made it clear that he would only use the laundry with advance notice and at the guests' convenience.

Guests who are that paranoid about their children sleeping in another room in a home where the host also lives shouldn't be booking a place where the host makes it clear that he lives on the premises and needs to use the laundry room sometimes.

@Nathalie-Et-Gilles0

[Tom229]

@Sarah977 and @Nathalie-Et-Gilles0  ...just to reiterate, the guest said very nonchalantly "I'll just sleep in one room with one child and my husband in the other room with another." So another head scratcher when the guest's complaint stated "...we felt very uncomfortable with our children being in the other room"...unless they were planning on leaving them unattended?

I do appreciate everyones feedback and I am going to spell things out to the T once this issue is resolved. I thought we were close last night... support finally got back to me on the phone.  When the guest cancelled and filed her complaint, it blocked all of my calendars off. Apparently I needed to manually go back in and unblock all my dates and redo all of my pricing on all of my listings... Something that was unbeknownst to me and sounds like a glitch in the system... at least Airbnb is talking about compensating me for this mess. However, nothing will allow me to edit anything and everything is still blocked. So alas, I've notified support and day 9 of the saga continues. 

[Emilia42]

@Tom229 I would bet that the wife nonchalantly said and thought that. BUT THEN she goes back to the car to get her husband and the story changes. The husband doesn't want to spend his vacation with those sleeping arrangements. The wife starts to reconsider the distance away from her children and so many deadbolted doors and common ways. I agree with those above that say the guest should be responsible for reading the listing and making a choice that best fits their family. But I can totally see parents being uncomfortable with this arrangement. Does this mean Airbnb should pause all of your listings? Absolutely not and I am angry for you. But with this new information you've shared, I don't think it is too much of a mystery as to why they left. 

[Tom229]

 @Emilia42 those are my thoughts too... and the fact that with the Flexible Cancellation Policy they could possibly get a refund for the first night in addition to the entire 9 days nights they were already getting if they lodged a complaint and said I was in violation of something. I did tell the guest she that could leave the dead bolted doors open between the Laundry room and the 2 units... a distance of 9 ft. for what it's worth. This is all over $255. These were novice Airbnb travelers... only 1 trip before in 2019 to a beach house in SC. I think they thought that they could  easily get out of this and go to the Hilton Garden Inn and get a hermetically sealed room with 2 queen beds a small kitchenette, breakfast every morning and a pool for the kids to splash around in for around the same price... I think that is also what I am up against here.

[Tom229]

So this is a funny chain of events so far with Airbnb today... Someone claims they are finally going to get me to someone in the right department where they will promptly respond to me... I have not heard from anyone yet (but I'm supposed to call the police if I feel my safety is threatened). My accounts are all still suspended. But I just got an email that I made Superhost again!!! YAY ME!

[Lisa723]

@Tom229 good grief.

[Sarah977]

A Superhost without a listing! Way to go, Tom! Don't you feel so special and appreciated? 

@Tom229

[Tom229]

It's day 14. No responses from my "Support Ambassador". No resolutions. Account still suspended. I don't know if theses will be readable,

but these are my reviews (they are all 5 star):

**[Sensitive information removed in line with - Community Center Guidelines]

[Tom229]

1 Month, 4 Days and counting:

Here are updates to letter I had sent on 1/15… This will be Tweeted, posted to FaceBook, posted on the Community Center Message Board and once again sent to Help and Feedback

Hello-

RE: Support Ticket #: 2020001857797

It’s now been 24 days that I’ve been dealing with Airbnb over this… Here are my main issues:

1. My Airbnb listings for were frozen for 2 weeks and hidden on the platform. I lost major exposure (and potential income) during a critical time when traveling nurses and medical students were looking for housing — the bulk of my guests.

2. I still do not know what the “safety/security incident” claim at my unit was, and the guest’s allegations against me  -  I can only assume the complaint was filed in order to get money back for the first night’s stay.

3. I created a new listing for another unit on my property using the option of duplicating of a current listing. I have never had a “Flexible” cancellation policy, only “Strict” or “Moderate”. It wasn’t until this guest cancelled did I realize the new listing was set to the “Flexible” policy. A big surprise when I learned I had just lost nearly $900.

4. There has been no attempt at accountability from Airbnb, just dismal communication and lack of support.

I have exhaustively documented this story from the beginning so one can go back to the beginning of my Support message thread if need be.


Here’s a recap of the latest round:

My listings were finally unlocked a few days ago, but I feel like there is still no real resolve with Airbnb. After being shuffled between Support Ambassadors, Escalated and Prioritized, being told how much my patience is appreciated, another 2 or 3 days would go by without any responses. Countless message threads, emails and calls between me and Support all ended up with the same mantra: “We are inundated with Help inquiries right now. We appreciate your patience. Please be assured we are on it.”. The last phone support person I dealt with actually said to me “YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY HOST THAT NEEDS HELP RIGHT NOW!”. Which brings me to today… In my latest communication with my 5th Support Ambassador, she informed me that she’d be out of the office for a couple of days and would get back to me as soon as she returned. I asked if we could please have a phone conversation instead of going back and forth. I had requested that she call me call me at a reasonable hour of  8 pm my local time on Wednesday 1/13 after she got back. Instead she called at 10 pm on Tuesday 1/12. I was in bed and missed the call. At 3:30 am I was sent a Support message saying that ‘she attempted to call, tried to leave a voicemail and that she was closing the message thread. We could continue through email.’

I reiterate: There’s still no resolution on this and I have lost some major income. I’ve been an Airbnb Superhost for 6 years. I have a consistently kept up my record of 5-star ratings. I was really proud to be an Airbnb host and took pride in explaining to people that “this is what I do”. At this point, I really have no high hopes of recouping anything given how drawn out this episode has been (even though at one point I was told compensation would be discussed, but could not be guaranteed or promised).

I don’t know exactly what has happened to the culture at Airbnb (although I have a few ideas), but it’s very a different animal from when I started Hosting. In the beginning they did a very good job with educating both the Host and the Traveller on what it means to build trust. They were very inclusive with Hosts and made us feel like we were part of a community. Now it feels like we (hosts and guests alike) are getting thrown under the bus — and are just cogs in the wheel of a bottom line.

My advice to Airbnb is to return to what made you great. Get in some real Support and embrace your Hosts (and travelers alike) again. Make them feel part of the Community they once loved. There is no secret Airbnb is losing its luster. There’s a lot of bad press out there. Like myself, I know many are feeling like their relationship with Airbnb is evolving in to one that is merely transactional. People will start turning to other platforms…and not putting all of their eggs in to the Airbnb basket.

Thank you

UPDATE: 1/27/21

It’s been 1 month and 4 days since this episode began. I feel it’s important to keep a running log of my communications with Airbnb to document my experience… eventhough my hopes are dim as to ever getting any closure with this. 

1/16/21: My Support person Krista from the Safety Team informs me she’s out on vacation and will respond as soon as she returns

1/19/21: I receive an email from Krista saying she has returned and if I would rather email or have a phone call. I opted for a phone call and asked what hours she was in the office.

1/22/21: Krista responds with with her hours. I propose a day/time and ask her to confirm.

1/24/21: Krista emails with a confirmation of the day/time of the call.

1/25/21: I waited 3 hours (8 pm - 11 pm CST) from the confirmed time until I finally gave up. Sitting at my computer with the phone on the entire time.

1/26/21:

Hi Tom,

This is Krista, I called you today but there was no response. Unfortunately we can't keep the case in pending status for that long.

May I request to corespond through email
Krista

-----------------------------------------------------------

Krista- 

I received no calls from you at 21:00 EST or 8 PM CST last evening Monday January 25th. We discussed this time and you confirmed it via email. I waited 3 hours. There are no calls in my call log from you.

I don’t want to give up on this, even though I am doubtful my cause will ever see any resolve. Do you have a superior? Is there anyone left in the States that deals with support? I’m not meaning to sound discriminatory… I just feel culturally things get lost and certainly time zones wouldn’t be such an issue.

Thank You

[Nick]

Hi @Tom229 and sorry to see you are experiencing this. I took the liberty of sending the information you provided over to Customer Service on your behalf and got a reply from them that your case is now assigned to a new Support Ambassador. Your ticket has also been updated with the information you provided, and they should get back to you soon. 

Hope this helps.