I can't find anyone at Airbnb Uk to email or talk to? Why?

[Matt3688]

Why can't you discuss or email Airbnb Uk with an issue? Host is greedy and inflexible and is hiding behind Airbnb policy which doesn't suit or fit our situation.

[Super47]

@Matt3688

When did you book this trip? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Super47 Whilst it would be easier to cancel if booked before March 14th the change in UK law means that the contract is now frustrated and a free of charge cancellation should be allowed under English (and Welsh) consumer law

[Super47]

@Mike-And-Jane0

Once again..

"But it's important to note that CMA guidance isn't a definitive interpretation of the law, and this is a new scenario which hasn't been tested – so while you can point your holiday accommodation provider to the guidance, complain to the CMA or even pursue legal action, there are no guarantees as to what the outcome would be and whether you'd get a refund.

This situation is made more difficult by the fact that in some cases it could be possible for some consumers to make use of the bookings, for example, if six of the planned guests went on the trip.

Another option would be to try your travel insurer if you can't get a refund directly from your accommodation provider, but this will likely depend on your policy"

There are several companies offering low-cost Staycation Insurance with coronavirus cover. If a guest has made a booking since the pandemic has been a known event, then they should take responsibility for purchasing staycation insurance rather than expecting hosts whose incomes have already been decimated for most of this year, to foot the bill - yet again - for the risks the guests knowingly and willingly took. 

And yes, it would be good for hosts to offer to move the booking to future dates - but sadly, a great many hosts probably aren't going to survive that long, particularly with this latest hammer blow. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Super47 I very much doubt these insurances will pay out as their is a fundamental condition of insurance that the policy holder must mitigate any claims to the fullest extent possible. As consumer law covering the UK is very likely to cause a full refund to be given by the host then the insurance will expect this to happen.

You are right this particular issue has not been to court but any host who forces the issue is likely to lose their legal fees as well as the accommodation costs so they would really be daft to do so. I am sure Airbnb is doing the right thing and cancelling contracts as the CMA will come down hard on them if they don't.

[Super47]

@Mike-And-Jane0

Every comment you post is littered with speculative phrases such as "I very much doubt..", "is likely to", "I am sure...", "should be allowed", "almost certainly", etc etc - yet you go on to give the impression that you consider yourself to be the ultimate authority on this issue, and that your opinions are somehow fact. The reality is, there are just too many variables in these instances for anyone to be able to predict a definitive outcome at this point in time. 

The consumer experts are stating that this is uncharted territory, and even if complaints are made to the CMA or legal action is pursued, there are no guarantees whatsoever that refunds will be granted. So rather than speaking in absolutes, let's wait and see how this pans out before we go jumping to dire conclusions. 

[Cormac0]

@Matt3688 

You should really have some sympathy for the host as this cancelation will take hours or even days to in act, and remember the host is going to get nothing for it at the end of the day, do you wish the host and yourself would just break the law?

As usual, Airbnb are at the root of this problem, guests and hosts alike get penalised by Airbnb for booking cancelations, additionally Airbnb are attempting to run their business as if its business as usual, which it patently is not.

Airbnb Customer Service (CS) was never up to spec, but now its absolutely abysmal.

Under the circumstances of course you should get a full refund of the money you've already committed, but Airbnb have create labyrinthine system for cancelations more a kin to an obstacle course that only the gullible or bewildered should embark upon.

[Super47]

 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Super47 Interesting policy and totally useless for the 'rule of 6'

See below

We will not pay for claims arising directly or indirectly from:

2. Losses arising from prohibitive regulations by the government of any country and/or

mandatory government closure

ALSO- Per my earlier point on mitigation:

Irrecoverable means where you are entitled to claim for irrecoverable costs only, this means that we will only cover costs which you have not already recovered or which you are not entitled to recover from another third party.

Oh and they don't cover for bankruptcy of a provider:

1. Any claim arising directly or indirectly because of the financial failure of any entity

   associated with your accommodation or the booking of your trip.

[Super47]

@Mike-And-Jane0

I posted that pic only to illustrate that Staycation cover does exist, but I didn't take the time to trawl through the T&Cs to check what is and isn't covered by that particular company. My bad.

However, it would appear that there are some policies out there that would cover most evantualities, otherwise the consumer experts wouldn't be directing travellers to check their policies. 

[Anonymous]

@Mike-And-Jane0 I don't see a good case here for the host being the party to take action on this booking. One of two things could happen:  a) she pushes through a host cancellation and accepts financial penalties, or b)  she invests a lot of unpaid time and effort in obtaining someone else's full refund.  The idea of rescheduling is a red herring, as we can't possibly know when this particular kind of event will be possible again, and no host would want to be beholden to a commitment to someone who regards her as a greedy monster when she's trying to obey the law.

If the UK law allows for a full refund in this case, by all means it's a problem that Airbnb has left its customer care operation too bare-bones to handle it. But I don't really understand the argument that it's simply not possible for the guest to reduce his group size, since everyone in this group will be aware that a congregation of their measure is now illegal. Boo-hoo, you have to make some compromises in your party life to pull through a global pandemic, cry me a river.