Inquiries and Instant Book

[Emiel1]

I do not use Instant Book, but the HELP file (see below, last paragraph: "How inquiries or pre-approvals affect availability") seems to tell me a pre-approval is acting differently when it comes to blocking (reserving) dates when Instant Book is activated ?

I read it several times, but still don't get it.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/447/how-do-i-make-dates-available-or-blocked-on-my-calendar

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Emiel1 The two paragraphs tell me that if you pre-approve an inquiry and use IB then you have a choice of reserving the dates for the inquirer. If you pre-approve and don't use IB then the dates are automatically reserved for the inquirer. 

As a user of IB when I once pre-approved an inquiry I can confirm I was given the choice of reserving the dates or not.

[Emiel1]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

Ok, thank you for clarifying the pre-approval when IB  is activated !

But when not on IB you read from the help-file:

"If you pre-approve and don't use IB then the dates are automatically reserved for the inquirer. "

This is what i read too, but IMO the HELP-info is not correct and in contradiction with this:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/237/preapproving-guests

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Emiel1 I guess contradictions are nothing new in Airbnb land.

[Emilia42]

@Emiel1 I use instant book. An Inquiry has never, ever blocked any date on my calendar. But then again I would never pre-approve an inquiry. I suppose the moral of the story here is don't pre-approve inquiries. 

[Sarah977]

@Emiel1  I don't use IB and have never had a pre-approval  (I've pre-approved quite a few) block my calendar. But maybe something has changed recently?

[Emiel1]

@Emilia42 @Sarah977 

I only answer inquiries and never use pre-approve or decline on them, but it seems the information in the HELP file(s) is very confusing about " blocking dates" when IB is not activated. IMO the information in the first URL i posted is not correct and the information in the second URL is correct (Pre-approve does never block dates when not on IB).

[Sarah977]

@Emiel1  As Mike and Jane pointed out, it wouldn't be the first time that their articles gave conflicting info.

And they are notorious for making platform changes without updating the Help articles which pertain to them.