I am sorry this is a long post, but it is all relevant and seems to be in step with what a lot of other hosts posts here are saying!
The object of a company like Airbnb should be to put A (the guest) in touch with B (the host) and at that point let nature take it's course. Nothing is going to run smoothly every time, but I am becoming frustrated with the complicating hurdles that Airbnb are putting in our way.
My guest for last week was slightly unusual in that he booked for the working week but only wanted to spend between 9.00am and 4.00 pm here each day!
The reason for this, he lives in a suburb 70 Kms away and has a daughter starting her schooling in a local school....one of two in this state that use the Rudolph Steiner Education system. He didn't want to make two trips a day in order to drop his daughter off and pick her up, and was prepared to work his daytime job from our cottage.
I felt a bit guilty taking the money as I am geared up for night time stays but he said to me, and it made sense...."Most of your guests are here during the night, but out all day, it's still the same for me, I am still using the place, just not at your normal hours!" He was happy with the arrangement, and so was I.
Mid week he said he had forgotten to book the next week but would like to book if the cottage was available. I said I did have it blocked for the next week because, batching at the moment I wanted to catch up with friends during the evenings and didn't want to be tied to hosting, but due to his circumstance I was prepared to open the week up to him.
Well, did Airbnb put some obstacles in the way!
I wanted to send him a special offer for the next week, but in order to do so l knew this would required him to submit a new enquiry with his dates.
The system would not let him do that, it kept directing him back into the current message stream we had with each other. I tried everything I could think of to get around this problem but no matter what I did.....the system would not even let him book, and have me part refund him, let alone me send him a special offer for the dates he wanted.
The last thing I want to do is go behind Airbnb's back but I was running out of options, I had opened up the next week on my calendar for him and I was scared another booking would slide in for possibly a night or two and ruin things for this good guest , so I jumped onto support........
Not even support could get this simple request sorted out. I was feeling him for options which he just didn't seem to have. God in my time in support with the tools we had at our disposal I could have fixed this in a flash. Not only could support not help fix the issue, he took off for a few days and is unavailable to further assist.
This is just simply not good enough! If you are going to run a support arm Airbnb, at least make the program and the personnel part way competent!
The situation has resolved itself.
Current guest for last night wants to extend to tonight as well, and wants to leave early tomorrow (Monday) morning giving me an hour or so to get ready for George's arrival at 9.00 am.....but guess what, they could not extend their reservation to tonight either!!!!! I know the calendar is reasonably tight but please, let us use our options......if it is possible to host, let us do it!
The only option open to me to accommodate these two guests is to once again block my calendar and do a private deal.....I don't want to do this, I am an Airbnb host, and that is all I want to be but, the level of support that I can get in order to be that host has deteriorated to the point where, I feel Airbnb are costing me business, not making it for me!
Cheers.......Rob