Strict cancellation policy

[Zoe-and-Fabio0]

Hello everyone, 

I couldn't find any previous threads on this topic, so I thought I put this forward to the community.

In a nutshell:

We have a strict cancellation policy. 

Someone booked in January for a weekend in February.

The day before her arrival the reservation was cancelled. 

This is what the guest said:

Hi, due to circumstances out of my control I am unfortunately going to have to cancel our trip.

Paul - our youngest traveller has contracted Strep A and is currently being kept in isolation in a Children's Hospital. Her hum and grandmother (both due to be on the trip) are also under observation due to the level of contagion. 

Unfortunately the little ones blood infection means he's had to be referred to Public Health England who will advise anyone (including me and my mum) who has come into contact with her to be tested. .... we can't possibly come.

Then underneath (Reservation cancelled by admin) 

Then the payout (as it was a large group quite a large sum of money) got issued. Today I received the following message from AirBnB (1 1/2 weeks after the weekend)

.... The guest was able to provide sufficient documentation of an extenuating circumstance and refunded your guest in full. As such, we will not be able to provide a payout for this reservation. 

As you have already been paid out for this reservation, we have applied an adjustment to your account of the amount paid out to you. This amount will be deducted from your next payout. (...)

Isn't this the reason why I have a strict cancellation policy in place, so I am covered in case one of my guests is having an unexpected issue? I wouldn't book a place with a strict cancellation policy if I didn't have a travel insurance in place that covers me in case I have to cancel. Shouldn't she make a claim with her travel insurer? The weekend she booked remained unbooked so I am out of pocket. I am deeply sorry about the trouble they are going through with their little one but someone's problem now turns into my problem which feels pretty unfair. 

Is there anything I can do and how much energy is involved in doing so?

Any help would be hugely appreciated. 

Warm regards,

Fabio and Zoe. 

[Susan17]

@Zoe-and-Fabio0 

They didn't used to check, but most - if not all - travel insurance providers have now cottoned on to the fact that they too can pass the buck so the host is forced to pick up the tab for their clients' travel mishaps. 

[Paul-Crispin-George0]

The Extenuating Policy...... it needs to be balanced, which currently it is not. If government travel restrictions are put in place as a result of the coronavirus, thousands of hosts will receive ZERO income. 

My argument is that the Extenuating Policy should consider the position of both guest and host, not solely the guest. Book a hotel, cancel the trip due to “extenuating circumstances” and the guest’s insurance policy pays the hotel. Hosts have no protection from total loss of earnings. 

Be more reasonable, Airbnb. Both guests AND hosts are your clients.

[Denice0]

Check out the thread "No strict cancellation policy".  Send feedback to Airbnb to honor hosts strict cancellation policy.

[Tara82]

I just had a guest cancel yesterday citing Coronavirus circumstances, I won't go into details but my issue is they booked for a week supposed to arrive in 7 days and its spring break for us.  I have sent Airbnb 2 separate emails to address the issue as they noted "no penalties on either side", they have still yet to contact me.  I would like to discuss in case this issue arises again and for clarification.  I guess I will have to make a phone call to them. 

[Paul-Crispin-George0]

Sorry to hear. Good luck. PLEASE keep us informed of progress - unfortunately, yours isn’t going to be the only example of the failure of the Airbnb Extenuating Circumstances Policy.

[Paul-Crispin-George0]

I am pondering the situation, as sci-fi as you deem it to be, where there is mass travel restrictions, and thousands of Airbnb hosts realize that they will have zero income for as long as the restrictions are in place. 

Disregarding the scenario above, I would really like to have a response from Airbnb executive regarding the free insurance policy offered to guests regarding cancellation; referred to as the Extenuating Circumstances Policy.  https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/2701/coronavirus-information-and-extenuating-circumstances-policy

This policy protects the payment made by a guest. The guest suffers no financial cost, great.

This policy offers zero protection of contracted payment to the host. The host, and the team behind the host, lose their income, sometimes the sole source of income. In effect, they all lose their jobs. - not so great.

I fail to see any equality going on here. In fact, it is essentially unreasonable. If Airbnb are offering the guests, their paying clients, an insurance policy against loss, why isn’t Airbnb also offering the hosts, also their paying clients, ( and furthermore, without whose property Airbnb would not exist ), a similar insurance from loss of earnings?  

Or or is it simply down to the hosts to sort their insurance dilemas themselves?

Not sure!! Can you advise, please? 

[Paul-Crispin-George0]

Emilia42 in

Orono, ME

Level 10

Tuesday

@Zoe-and-Fabio0 In a nutshell  . . . There are no concrete cancelation policies on Airbnb. If a guest is savvy enough to provide documentation then anything is refundable. A simple doctor's note citing a cold will do. 

———————————————————..………………

Precisely because of the fact that a guest can falsify accepted documentation with ease, the current terms of the Extenuation Circumstances Policy are absolutely detrimental to hosts.

[Paul-Crispin-George0]

@Zoe-and-Fabio0 In a nutshell  . . . There are no concrete cancelation policies on Airbnb. If a guest is savvy enough to provide documentation then anything is refundable. A simple doctor's note citing a cold will do. 

———————————————————..………………

[Magda14]

When it all started guests were more careful to follow rules.  Lately they already know of lock box so they book 4 and show up 5 or 6. They extend their check out time up to the limit. Don follow silent rules and when you house them out because of building security complaint, then airbnb refunds, just cancel their reservation and when you try to collect back for broken stuff or lost keys, it takes you for ever if ever to collect.  Airbnb has not enough muscle to protect properties or moneys from host.  Guests invent any excuse, cancels the same day just because they wanted to be two streets down, they get refunded and we the host ends with vacant nights.  Just saying.  I am starting to feel frustrated after 4 years doing hosting and co-hosting six properties, things are changing to our disadvantage.  Magda from Puerto Rico.   

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Zoe-and-Fabio0 @Magda14 @Paul-Crispin-George0 @Tara82 @Susan17 sticking my neck out here but delay is likely to time taken to get a doctor's note from the GP.

Doctors here don't routinely hand them out and you'd struggle to get a fake one.

It will have cost the guest to get it, as well as being a slow process.

[Susan17]

@Mike-And-Helen0 

According to the guest, the child was "currently being kept in isolation in a children's hospital"

They could have gotten a doctor's note straight away from the medical staff at the hospital. I was mistaken about the fake doctor's note though - you don't even have to pay £25 for them anymore, they can be downloaded for free now in about 10 seconds! :((

[Cindy78]

I've just had 1 guest cancel d/t coronavirus and I expect to have more!  I'm screwed, this is my "high season" and this is my livelihood, it's not just a hobby!