I was scammed in Airbnb by a Host

[Carolina-Alejandra3]

 I have been robbed $1,040 dollars via Airbnb platform. I booked a place in Hadera Israel ( Host) on March 5th, 2022 at 8 pm. I had an urgent situation so I was forced to book.
*host name* shared his phone details and he started contacting me via Whatssapp. I had no idea this is not allowed.
Later I found a better place, and I cancelled the booking on March 6th noon, meaning I booked the place for less than 20 hours.
I tried contacting the Host, requesting a refund. He didn't reply to me in a week.
I did contact your customer service, to try to sort out the situation, and chatted with someone. The representative said that*host name* is the only one that can process the refund as you have some policies that won't allow Airbnb. He tried to contact *host name* with no response. The representative offered me a discount.
I contacted my credit card company if there was anything I could do. They mentioned I needed to do it through Airbnb.
As actually*host name* started a conversation via WhatsApp on March 5th, I was forced to contact him yesterday via WhatsApp and phone. He actually replied and said we would do all the communication via the Airbnb chat. We did discuss the situation and*host name* insisted his hands are tided because of Airbnb policy. The representative said*host name* could refund if he wanted and*host name* says that Airbnb policies won't allow him to refund.*host name* also offered me a discount.
I later requested the representative to give me the opportunity to add a review, as Yoni simply cheated me and I want to add the review and the representative wrote it is not possible.
Some policies are in place, but the reality is that I was scammed . I want to talk to someone, do something about this as*host name* and Airbnb have been simply minimizing the problem here.
 I feel robbed and cheated and Airbnb supports this behavior with some policies set in place that make no sense.
Thanks in advance!

Carolina

*identifying personal information hidden*

[Sandra856]

@Carolina-Alejandra3 @You are not suppose to ask for any refund at all.  If you choose to cancel the system will automatically refund you according to the cancellation policy you agreed to when you booked. Neither the host  nor Airbnb are involved in the process. It all happens automatically if you choose to cancel.

[Helen3]

I'm sorry you made a booking and later decided to cancel because you got a better deal @Carolina-Alejandra3 

airbnb clearly show a hosts cancellation policy when you book and make it clear if there are going to be cancellation charges if you cancel . 

you haven't 'been robbed' the host is simply upholding the cancellation policy you booked under. 

you also haven't been scammed. Whether you book accommodation, airline seats or event tickets there is often a cancellation charge if you cancel after booking. 

yes the host can voluntarily choose to refund you( so the host isn't being completely honest here) but is under no obligation to do so.

my advice would be don't make a booking where you know there will be cancellation charges if you cancel unless you are 100% sure you want the booking. 

[Carolina-Alejandra3]

Hi Helen,

Thanks for your reply.

I was actually scammed as I was charged the full amount, not a regular cancellation fee that happily I would pay. 

Also,  the penalty charge you are talking about  would start  March 7th, 3:00 pm. I cancelled March 6th, noon. 

And you are right, the Host is not being honest with me. He insists that Airbnb won't allow him to refund me.

[Helen3]

Some bookings will charge 100% when you cancel from the moment you book.  Which cancellation policy did you book under exactly and when is your booking?  Again you are not being scammed. @Carolina-Alejandra3 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/475/cancellation-policies-for-your-listing 

I can't comment on when the cancellation penalty would be enacted as you haven't said what the cancellation policy was that you booked under.

The host can choose to voluntarily refund you the part of the fee that is the host fee, but he is certainly not scamming you because he upholds the conditions you booked under.

It is your responsibility to not book somewhere if you are not certain you want to stay with a host.  Whether you would lose the full amount when you cancelled or 50 per cent would have been made clear to you when you booked. I am not sure why you are blaming the host for your own error in choosing to stay somewhere else without first double checking what cancellation charge you would be liable for should they cancel.

Also some hosts like some guests aren't that familiar with how Airbnb's cancellation policies work.

[Mark116]

@Carolina-Alejandra3   Airbnb does not have any 'cancellation fee' that you are talking about, which, again, if you had paid attention to the cancellation rules for the place you booked, you would have known that.

Yes, it is true the host is not being honest and that he could refund you if he wanted to, but he is within his rights to make you stick to what you agreed to and that is no refund if you cancel based on the policy.

What you want is an exception to be made for you, and that is fine.  Many hosts do offer refunds, but they are not obligated to do it.  It is not a scam when the host makes you stick to your part of the agreement.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Carolina-Alejandra3 If the booking starts within 14 days then the 48hr free cancellation period does not apply. As @Helen3 says this is all made clear when you book.

[Carolina-Alejandra3]

Hi @Mike-And-Jane0 and Helen3,

Thanks for your reply.

I am willing to pay a cancellation fee. But the problem is that the Host- (***) charged me the full amount. The Host can refund. He simply doesn't want. Just use your logics. It is not ok to do this. Actually mine is not the only case where the Host stays with all the money- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeKWk4_XV-w

Bottom line and this my point. Policies should be evaluated as scammers take advantage of the policies. I am discovering there are several cases that by several reason people needed to refund and they were scammed.

**[Name hidden due to privacy concerns - Community Center Guidelines]

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Carolina-Alejandra3 Did you read the information presented to you when you made the contract to book?

As a host I would have sympathy except you are only changing your booking because you found a better place. How is that fair to the first host?

[Carolina-Alejandra3]

Hi Mike-And-Jane0,

I did read the information. I was at that moment in a emergency housing situation.

A better place means that I was able to solve the housing emergency.

That's why I wanted some help from the Host. My intention was never to break the contract.

But the host was careless, unresponsive, he lied telling me he cannot refund because Airbnb prevents him  and he was not compassionate.

That' s why did escalated.

[Sarah977]

@Carolina-Alejandra3  "My intention was never to break the contract."

Of course it was. You booked, cancelled, and expected a full refund contrary to the cancellation policy. 

That is most certainly intending to break the contract.

Whether you were willing to pay a "cancellation fee" (no such thing exists on Airbnb) is immaterial. You can't just make up some terms which don't exist. 

A host doesn't owe you a refund just because of your personal circumstances.

That the host was rude in not answering you for a week and told you he couldn't refund does not mean you were scammed. It just means he was lax in answering and didn't tell you the truth about being able to refund. But that has nothing to do with him upholding his cancellation policy and not  refunding you. That is the host's prerogative.

[Sandra856]

@Carolina-Alejandra3 Just to explain; The host didn’t charge you anything when you booked - Airbnb did. Airbnb charged you according to the specific booking/cancellation policy you agreed to. That way Airbnb is covered/able to pay the host whatever the legally binding agreement says. The host is not paid until the day after a check in. Same with cancelled bookings. 

[Tom2718]

I find the 100% fee more than a little harsh. Our cancellation fee is zero which I now realise is too lenient - two weekends in a row cancelled after blocking those dates for several weeks - so some cancellation fee is probably justified. But 100% is ouch.

[Mark116]

@Tom2718   It is harsh, but for some types of listings, such as an island vacation destination, they can't allow last minute cancellations because it would be almost impossible to rebook, since those types of trips are usually planned for many weeks if not months.  I'm sure there are other reasons why some hosts choose the strict policy.

We have the moderate policy, of a full refund if cancelled 5 days before the trip date.  I would prefer if it was 7 days, but due to our location, NYC area, a lot of people do make last minute trips and so rebooking usually works okay.

I can't imagine that hosts would tolerate having something like a hotel policy where guests can get fully refunded cancelling 1 day before their trip, because in almost no cases then, would the host be able to rebook.

[Sarah977]

@Mark116  You have a moderate policy, not flexible, if it's a full refund if cancelled 5 days prior.

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  You're right.  I guess I should stop lecturing anyone, LOL.