The Category "Seniors" Not Included in COVID Exclusion

[William--Bill-4]

My wife and I, who live in the Upper Midwest (aka rust belt), had made a reservation for 49 winter days in Arizona. We made the reservation at the end of 2019, so long before the date after which the COVID exemption no longer applies.

Now I find that just being a senior citizen (in our case, 80 and 74) does not qualify as sufficient reason for getting an exemption. I realize that hosts need to be considered as well because of the burden placed on them when guests cancel. As it stands now, we will get a refund of about $1,000 on a bill of about $2,700. That's the amount that we would get with or without COVID in the equation.

A more fair solution, it seems to me, might be for the host and guests to split the difference, each bearing half the burden. But that isn't an option.

Does anyone know of a way to plead the case to AirBnB? If not, so be it. We'll survive--even the winter where we live. We've done it before.

[Emilia42]

@William--Bill-4 Have you talked with the host? They may come to an agreement with you. If I was your host, I would agree to your fair solution. The longer you wait the less time the host has a chance to rebook the dates.

[Ann72]

@William--Bill-4  Like @Emilia42, I was going to recommend talking to your host.  It's the host's policy, not Airbnb's, that prevails.  As an alternative to the split, you could ask if the host would refund you for any days he or she is able to re-book.

[Sarah977]

You don't say what dates this booking was for, but seeing as how you made the booking about a year ago and it's been quite obvious for a long time that it isn't safe to travel, especially if you are in a COVID high risk group, I wonder why you waited until now to cancel the reservation?

Hosts are much more likely to refund if guests cancel long enough before the check-in date that the host has an opportunity to fill those dates with another booking. As it is, your booking has blocked the host's calendar for a year, only to be cancelled at what I imagine is close to the booked dates. Not really fair to the host, you understand?

@William--Bill-4

[William--Bill-4]

Thank you for your responses. I contacted the host very early. She said there was nothing that she could do. She didn't respond to my next message. Feeling I had no other recourse, I waited until I was within the required 45 days to see about canceling the reservation due to Covid. I did not realize that being a senior citizen did not count.

[Sarah977]

I'm a senior, too, but there are lots of people of all ages who are in high risk groups for COVID who aren't seniors, and if everyone was being intelligent, no one would be travelling now. The medical personnel who have been working around the clock dealing with suffering and dying COVID patients would certainly appreciate that.

I'm sorry to hear the host didn't answer your subsequent message. Many hosts will offer to refund if they are able to rebook the cancelled dates, or offer to apply what you paid to a future booking. Other hosts really stick to their guns about the cancellation policy, which is their prerogative. Maybe in the future look for listings with more flexible cancellation policies.

Anyway, stay safe and healthy. @William--Bill-4

[William--Bill-4]

Sarah, thank you for your thoughtful comments.

I have some thoughts, mentioned below, but before I get to those comments, one participant in this discussion says, "It's the host's policy, not Airbnb's, that prevails." Should I take that to mean that there is no way that someone in my situation can state their case to Airbnb; or, if they do, expect any help? I'm guessing not, but just wanted to make sure that is the case.

Now to some other topics:

Concerning your comment about how some hosts are more flexible than others, I completely agree. In one case in particular, the host went out of her way to refund our money--much further than she was obligated to. To this day, I consider her a model of what one might call benevolent capitalism--capitalism where profit isn't everything.

I understand what you are saying about seeking more flexible cancellation policies, and I'll keep that in mind for the future. But when it comes to winter bookings in the Southwest, even when starting the search very early as I always have, other factors, such as location, type of home, etc. have to be considered as well. And for that prime location/time of the year, most hosts, unless I'm mistaken, tend to have strict cancellation policies. That limits the available candidates.

Putting myself in the host's shoes--and not able to read her mind--one possible, I say possible, explanation might--might--be that with the pandemic raising its ugly head, she might think that if she were to give us our money back, she would have trouble finding another tenant for that month and a half. Just a thought.

A final thought: compared with the plight of many if not all hosts during the next few months, until a vaccine helps out, my situation is minor. Yes, no one likes to spend money without getting something in return, but those outcomes happen. Things do balance, somewhat. The money that my wife and I received from the government during the early stimulus package offsets part of the loss.

We have used Airbnb many times, a lot of them long winter stays in the Southwest, and given the positive experiences we have had, I wouldn't hesitate to use Airbnb again. However, in a normal world, I already would have found a place for winter 2022. Not this time. Once bitten, twice shy.

Bill