The mysteries of Airbnb programming

[Robin4]

Ade and I have just spent three weeks away on the East Coast with our family of girls, I deliberately don't take email access away with me for personal reasons but, I do keep track of my Airbnb business via the phone app.

On the 7th May I logged in via my mobile app to my Airbnb account, and on checking my transaction history noted a mysterious payout that day into my bank account from Payoneer Austral (the official Airbnb payout provider) an amount of $736.52 for a reservation I did not have any record of, either past or upcoming!

I asked my daughter to access my emails and forward to me (via my wife's tablet) any that related to Airbnb. 

Here was the first......

On checking my bank account, sure enough, there it was. Next I received a reservation confirmation which (in part only) related to this transfer.

 

So, there you go, I have received $736,52 for a one night booking in six months time for my listing which has a nightly listing amount of $95 + a $15 cleaning fee.

Wow, I have struck the jackpot here......Keep it up Airbnb, if you are handing it out, I am happy for you to keep finding me a bit more business like this one!

Fairly obviously something is wrong here, and the next day this email comes to me.....

"Doesn't appear to be legitimate".....well taking the clients money obviously appeared to be legitimate! There has been a gross stuff-up, but true to form, Airbnb need to cover their backsides so, next thing I get this......

What do I take from this?

1/.....How was a potential guest who has never had a reservation with me able to send me money through Airbnb? 

2/....How did the Airbnb system allow the transfer of money for an upcoming reservation, confirmed or not?

3/.....I wish my regular payouts would come that quickly!

The one thing I have always had confidence in is the Airbnb payout process but I have to tell you, this has put the fear of God in me, I now truly do believe in glitches in the system!!

Cheers........Rob

[Robin129]

Perhaps it was that Nigerian Prince that used to email me back in the early 2000's? He seemed to have a lot of money to deposit if I would send a little back.  😉  Take care ... 

[Ted307]

Wow is all I can say, @Robin4 !

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

hm... suspicious...

[Robin4]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  @Robin129 

I don't know that 'suspicious' is the right word Branka, everything happened through legitimate Airbnb windows. 

I got onto support to ask them for an explanation as to how this might have happened and if there had been any other reported instances of a similar nature. As usual they were about as much good as a hip pocket in a pair of undies! They did however establish that my account had not been compromised and my feedback would be passed to the relevant department, did I need any help with anything else.....you know, the usual, 'thanks but move on, stop wasting our time'  attitude!

Like I said, I have always felt pretty confident about Airbnb's money handling procedure, it has always worked well for me. I felt I could trust Airbnb with my money. But this has well and truly thrown the fox into the chook-house......I am going to have to follow closely every transaction from now on.

On a side note on returning home I find I am faced with new TOS which at this point via the phone app have locked me out of my Airbnb account until I accept or reject! It appears if I just blanket accept, everything instantly returns to normal, if I don't accept some aspect of change until I can compare or get clarification, my access to Airbnb will be terminated!

Isn't that rather heavy handed?

Cheers.......Rob