States with Level 2 Coronavirus warning and maximum money withheld

[Monica1621]

Our "host" is withholding a refund in FL which is now designated as Level 2. We are going to lose several hundred dollars to avoid exposure for a trip with our child to Disneyworld.  At the very least, can't AirBNB limit the amount of money withheld, especially since we are trying to cancel several weeks in advance? It is unconscionable that hosts would not be compassionate enough to take public safety into account. 

Please don't simply refer us to a list of guidelines.  AirBNB needs to set a maximum fee if nothing else.

[Sarah977]

@Monica1621 These are extraordinary times for everyone, and no one bears responsibility for the cautions and decisions not to travel at this time. If you got a 50% refund according to the cancellation policy, you have lost money and so has the host. It isn't simply  a matter of the host not having yet incurred any expenses for your booking- they have already spent time dealing with you and your booking, for one thing, and hosts know how much money they can expect to earn normally on their bookings, they are counting on it. If your workplace decided to shut down for a month to lessen the chance of anyone being exposed to the virus, yet refused to pay its employees anything for that month, how do you think that would go over? You may not be aware, but many hosts only have Airbnb as their sole source of income. They depend on the income to pay their mortgage and feed their families, they aren't giant property management companies racking in the bucks for scores of listings. 

As neither hosts nor guests are responsible for the current state of affairs, it seems to me fair for both the host and the guest to bear some financial loss over cancelled bookings. If a host decides to cancel because of the virus, the guest gets their entire payment refunded. Yet you think if the guest decides to cancel, the host should receive nothing?

[Michelle53]

I just had an event in another city cancelled, due to Covid-19.  I was planning to take the bus out, and the train back. The bus ticket I bought was non-refundable, and I elected not to purchase the trip protection. The train ticket was refundable. 

The bottom line is that the bus company is sticking by its policy, and not refunding me, or allowing a reschedule. The train company refunded me right away. 

I got a little more than half the total trip cost back, with the event ticket being reusable at another time.

I can be upset at the bus company, or be happy I'm not totally out of pocket. I'm choosing the latter.

Next time, I'll get the trip protection. 

[Monica1621]

Imagine working at a place where you cannot collect any money before services are rendered.  Imagine helping people with illness and waiting 30 days to receive partial payment if at all.  This is what health care providers do every day.  If you had to pay 50% for a surgery up front and then cancel because the virus was in your area and the governor was telling people to avoid large crowds or people with illness, do you think it would be fair for the hospital to keep that 50%?  Every day healthcare providers do their job knowing that they may or may not get paid either by the insurance company or the patient.  None of them would dream of taking money from patients without providing services, especially if they cancel several weeks out.   You can all be thankful that you don't have to make a living in healthcare where there is often no guarantee of payment.   Treat your guests the way you would want your nurses and doctors to treat you.

[Lisa723]

@Monica1621 FWIW, Airbnb hosts are never paid before check-in date and sometimes have to wait a long time to be paid, are not paid at all, or involuntarily provide huge refunds after services are rendered, forced by Airbnb's arbitrary decisions. Strangers come and stay in our spaces, and we greet them and/or clean after them-- in some cases, share living spaces with them-- knowing little or nothing about their state of health or contagiousness.

Also FWIW, when I make an appointment with my physician or dentist (or hairdresser or nail salon), if I do not cancel within their cancellation policy guidelines and do not show up I still have to pay, regardless of the reason. But none of this is really the point. Nobody could reasonably equate hosting with providing direct medical care; you are not your host's patient.

An Airbnb host is not a hospital or large organization; they're an individual just like you. For some hosts, their Airbnb income pays their mortgage and buys their groceries. As has been pointed out repeatedly, you agreed to the host's cancellation policy when you booked, and this was completely your choice. Apparently you also did not buy trip insurance, and this was also completely your choice. Now you are trying to hold everyone but yourself responsible for your own choices.

[Monica1621]

Lisa, let's hope the doctors don't treat you, like you are treating us.  Doctors and nurses need to make money, too and we are not talking about cancelling within 24 hours or paying for services up front.  If you are not paid before check in date then how can you keep someone's money?

[Lisa723]

@Monica1621 To answer your question, Airbnb holds all payments until after the date of check-in-- and sometimes beyond. So your host is not "keeping your money." Your host is declining to depart from the standard Airbnb cancellation policy that you agreed to when booking, and declining to give you their money.

It would be nice if Airbnb provided guests the option of purchasing trip insurance, but they don't, so guests who want it should buy it elsewhere.

I'm not treating you in any particular way. You are not one of my guests (thank goodness) and as I've said, I have had the luxury of being able to offer my upcoming guests penalty-free cancellations, because Airbnb is not my sole source of income-- and so far none has wanted one. However, if a guest exhibited the kind of attitude you are exhibiting, my inclination might change.

Your mind is clearly made up, so there's probably no point in continuing this exchange.

[Christine1722]

Monica doesn't want to hear the truth or consider the other side.. she just wants to be the victim and vent and blame. 

[Monica1621]

No.  I hear the truth loud and clear.  None of you are willing to do the right thing in a public health emergency.

[Sarah977]

@Monica1621 "The right thing" being that you lose zero money for something out of everyone's control and the hosts lose everything. We hear your truth loud and clear, as well.

[Maia29]

@Monica1621  I'm a host and I have flexible cancellation policies.

Bottom line is you chose a host that has strict cancellations policies (I personally wouldn't book an Airbnb with strict cancellation policies). Probably most hosts in that area have strict cancellation policies.

There are a bunch of hosts on private host social media groups that extremely upset with all of the cancellations going on. I don't agree with them demanding full payment without a stay, but then again I don't have multiple properties; just the one I live in-so I'm not doing Airbnb on a huge commercial level with multiple mortgages.

[Monica1621]

If you had actually provided goods or services, you should be paid for them.  If you are just trying to make money off of people by forcing them to either risk their health and welfare in a state of emergency or hand over their hard-earned cash, then you should be ashamed of yourselves.

[Susan17]

Perhaps it's you who should be ashamed of yourself for travelling with kids, but failing to have the responsibility, accountability or foresight to purchase comprehensive travel insurance to cover your own arse for your own family's travel mishaps, and demanding that complete strangers foot fhe bill for you instead. 

Your host did provide the service of blocking the dates on their calendar for your booking, thereby turning away business from other potential guests who may also have wanted to book for those dates - and who may very well have been sensible and responsible enough to have purchased their own travel insurance to cover their own travel disruptions. 

It's always someone else's fault, with some people. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Monica1621 

It beggars belief that you cannot see the looses being carried by the hosts. There is a significant cost (mortgage, insurance, base heating etc) that has to be borne even if the property is empty. If you take your loss and multiply it by 30 (60% 0ccupancy for a year)  then take off the variable costs such as cleaning , laundry etc you will see why many hosts just cannot afford to refund all travellers. 

I have sympathy for your situation but also for the hosts who have to cover their costs and could easily lose their homes if they do not.

[Monica1621]

You schedule knee surgery 6 weeks out.  The doctor tells you it will cost you $8000 out of pocket and the hospital collects $4000 up front.  The governor declares a state of emergency due to coronavirus and recommends that people do not go to hospitals for elective surgery.  You try to cancel surgery and the hospital tells you that if cancel your surgery even 4 weeks out, you will not be able to recoup the $4000.  Is the doctor or hospital being unfair by expecting you to either expose yourself to the virus or lose $4000?  After all, they are losing money for a surgery they could have booked for someone else and they have a strict cancellation policy.  (Same rationale many of you are using here). 

People aren't canceling reservations for frivolous reasons.  They are canceling for safety reasons.  No hospital would do that to someone.  Healthcare providers are exposing themselves constantly to save lives.  They see people every day and, more often than you may realize, they don't collect payment from either the insurance company or the patient.

[Sarah977]

@Monica1621  Hospitals and surgeons aren't going to lose their homes because they can't pay the mortgage if you cancel a knee surgery.