System glitch when the same guest enquires about multiple properties with the same host.

[Nik5]

Hi,

I have a number of properties that I manage.  What I am describing has happened to me three times and Airbnb doesn't seem to get this or they do not wish to fix this.  I have been (and still am) a non-stop superhost for the last 6 years.  

User case:
- Let's say that a potential guest enquires about a property that I manage i.e. property 1 for 500 euros (enquiry 1).

- After 3 mins the same guest, enquires about another property that I also manage, i.e. property 2 for 300 euros (enquiry 2).

- In my email inbox I will receive two different enquiries as email notifications from Airbnb for two different properties.

- In my Airbnb host message inbox, both of the enquiries are unified into ONE thread, you can see both messages (enquiry 1 and enquiry 2), but you can only reply back on the 2nd enquiry which is related to the 2nd property for less money.  There is no way whatsoever that you can reply back on the 1st one although you can see it as a guest message in the unified thread.  You see both messages but on the right-hand side where it shows the reservation details (property/booking/guest details etc.), it shows only property 2, nothing whatsoever about property 1.

- In my email inbox, I see both email notifications about both enquiries but when I click either of them, I am being transferred to the same unified thread in my Airbnb inbox where I can only reply back on the 2nd enquiry (the latter).

- Same glitch both on desktop PC and mobile app.

This means that I am losing money because I cannot reply back on the 1st one which is for more money, and it also affects my response time as a host as I can never reply back again to the 1st enquiry.  This also confuses the potential guest.  It has happened all three times.

I have reported this twice to Airbnb customer support by calling them first and then continuing the communication via messages.  All three occurrences happened about three weeks to one month from one another.

- The first time it happened I didn't pay attention because I thought it was a one-off thing.  
- The second time it happened and I sent screenshots etc after a few days customer support locked the relevant thread saying that the tech team would look into this without updating me at all.  They simply closed the relevant message thread.
- The third time (the latest occurrence of this glitch was on 27/04/2022), I have received the following messages from customer support (Ticket number is 2020039631226):

28/04/2022

Hello Nik,

Once again I’m really sorry you are experiencing this issue! Situations like these are rare, so I’d like to thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Upon further checking I can confirm that this is a technical error on our platform. We apologize for the inconvenience. I will be more than happy to report this to our technical team for you. They will be investigating the cause of the problem and will be working to resolve it as soon as possible.

We assure you that our technical team are working round the clock so they can take care of each and every request and will get this issue resolved in due course. I will update you once I get an update from the technical team.

I appreciate your patience and understanding on this matter. Please don't hesitate to get in touch as I would be more than happy to help in whatever way I can.

So, reading this message, Airbnb acknowledges that this is a system glitch.

And upon receiving the last update about 30 minutes ago:

03/05/2022

Hi Nik,

My apologies for the inconvenience and I hope that this message finds you well. We know that you've been waiting to hear from us, and the technical team already sent updates on this issue. If the guest is inquiring for multiple properties, there will only be one message thread if properties are under the same host. That's the reason why you only have one option to accept the inquiry because it goes to one message thread. Also, please be mindful of your response rate and response time

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/430/what-are-response-rate-and-response-time-and-how-are-they-ca...

Thank you for the patience and understanding on this matter. Please feel free to let me know if you need further assistance.

They are practically saying that this is normal.


NO, IT IS NOT NORMAL.  This is a system glitch and must be rectified because it is causing problems for both the hosts and the guests. 

Is there anyone in here who can actually take this to the tech team and do something about it?  This is ridiculous.

Thank you Airbnb for (ΝΟΤ) taking care of your superhosts.

Since COVID started your customer support hit rock bottom.  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Nik5 if these are inquiries rather than requests then there is no need to accept/decline them. Just provide one answer to both inquiries and all should be fine.

[Nik5]

Not both enquiries are the same. And if the guest agrees I cannot proceed with the 1st one which is for more money.

This is not practical by any means. 

[Sybe]

Hi @Nik5 , thank you so much for the detailed explanation and I'm sorry to hear this is happening!

I've sent this over to the team now asking them if this is supposed to happen and to look into it. I've asked them as well if not responding to the first inquiry because it's all on the same message thread will in any way affect your response rate. As soon as I have an update I'll let you know!

[Nik5]

Thank you Sybe but the issue here is not just the response rate.

The guest, when he enquires something about 2 different properties, his enquiry is not always the same. He has different questions depending on the property.

In addition, if I want to send him a pre-approved booking request for property 1 which is for more money I simply can't. The unified thread in my message inbox doesn't allow me to do so.

I can do whatever action I want related to the 2nd property/enquiry only.

[Sybe]

@Nik5 That makes sense, guests might want to enter different dates for the different listings.

I received an update from the team now and as you mentioned before, this is expected behaviour as there's only one messaging thread between the Host and the guest. That means this isn't a bug so the best way to let Airbnb know you want to have this changed/improved is to fill out the Feedback Form. 

In regards to the response rate, once the second inquiry is sent and the first hasn't been replied to yet, the system will mark the first as either "responded" or "no longer possible". Either way, it shouldn't affect your response rate.

The details of the first inquiry should still be visible in the email notification so you can still find them there. As for the pre-approved booking, the guest would have to send a second inquiry or what you could do is send a Special offer and change the listing in the Special Offer options.

I know this isn't the ideal solution but I hope that this will at least make things a bit easier in the meantime. If I forgot to address any of the points please let me know! 🙂

[Nik5]

One thing I would like to clarify with regards to your following comment:

"The details of the first inquiry should still be visible in the email notification so you can still find them there. As for the pre-approved booking, the guest would have to send a second inquiry or what you could do is send a Special offer and change the listing in the Special Offer options."

Yes, I can see the details of the first inquiry in the email notification, but there is no way to reply back to this particular inquiry even if I press reply to the relevant email notification.  It will still take me to the unified thread where I can only reply/accept etc only to the 2nd inquiry.  The 1st inquiry in essence is non-existent as I cannot act upon it in any way.

**[Sensitive information removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Emiel1]

@Nik5 

A guest does not need to make a second inquiry, as there is already a message thread opened, so the guest can simply ask the host his questions about another property. (Also a second inquiry will make another hold on his/her creditcard).

Although i recognise the inconvenience, the "special offer" is the best work around to be used in such case (as the special offer form gives the option to select the desired property).