Scammed by host?

[Vu25]

I had put in a request for an apartment for just one night which would've costed me $203 AUD and I was speaking with the host to get my questions answered about the place.At this point, my request to stay has not been accepted yet and as I understand, if I were to withdraw my request, there would be no repercussions and I wouldn't be charged? I told the host I was no longer interested in staying at his apartment and expressed that I would like to withdraw my request, at this point knowing I was backing out, the host ACCEPTED the request and my card was charged. He then told me he can't do anything and I would have to cancel on my end. I felt cheated but I went to the cancel screen anyway and saw that the total amount I would be able to get refunded was $0 even though the booking wasn't until 2 more weeks. I have tried contacting support on the website and twitter but they has not replied and the host keep on saying that he doesn't know why this is happening. What can I do from here?

[Sarah977]

@Vu25  Airbnb customer service is in terrible shape right now, so you will just have to be patient and persistent. I can't see why you wouldn't have been eligible for a full refund when cancelling within 48 hours of putting in the request if the dates are 2 weeks away and it was only for 1 night. If you are still within that time period, you should go ahead and cancel, and I think you'll be refunded. 

As a guest, if you have questions or things to work out with a host before committing to a booking, you need to send an Inquiry, not a Request. You send an Inquiry by clicking on the "Contact host" just below the listing description. An Inquiry doesn't obligate you in any way, even if the host pre-approves you- the guest actually has to take the next step to go on to book, rather than their card being charged.

If you send a Request, as soon as the host clicks on Accept, you'll have your card charged. And hosts are required to either Accept or Decline requests within 24 hours, so that puts pressure on the host when you may not have had all your questions answered yet, or the host have gotten answers to their questions of you.

[Vu25]

@Sarah977 This is what is showing up on the refund screen for me :(.  The sketchy part to me was when I said I no longer intend to stay at his apartment, he accepted the booking so that it charged my card and I would have to go through the refunding process

[Sarah977]

@Vu25  Yes, I agree it was very rude for the host to do that. 

[Helen3]

IF you're booking MORE than two weeks away you can cancel penalty free within the first 48 hours after you book.

If Airbnb is not allowing you to do this, then you will need to call/contact them via their social media @Vu25 

As @Sarah977  says if you had wanted to clarify issues before making a decision as to whether to book, it is best to send the host an inquiry rather than sending them a booking request.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Vu25 Your booking is less than 14 days away so you are being charged per the cancellation policy you signed up for. You should however get the cleaning fee back.