To Myra, Airbnb Support.
Thank you for contacting me. I had a horrible experience yesterday Myra. I carelessly agreed to a request to book from a couple from South Africa. They asked for a quick response. They messaged around 8.30p.m. and I responded within about 2 ½ hours I think. I then thought it through a bit more and realised I was taking risks with Covid. This couple were set to arrive hours before new Covid traveller restrictions were to be imposed by my government. The new restrictions would mean they must be tested on arrival and quarantine for ten days. But they were arriving just before that and coming to my place. I had no way to know if they would be Covid free. They didn’t say anything about it in their request to book. The South African strain of Covid has been discovered to be resistant to the Oxford vaccine that the over -70s including my wife and me have had here in England. The couple have since written to me saying they had negative tests before leaving, but even so, think about it: they would then be sitting on a plane with other travellers for 6000 miles! So, I tried then to contact them but the message option would repeatedly fail on Airbnb's webpage. I eventually called their number. They didn’t answer. By then, I was supposed to have gone to bed, it was past midnight and I was freaked about the risk I could be letting myself, my wife and my neighbours and community in for: the risk of exposure I would be facilitating. I decided to cancel. That’s when my problems escalated. The cancellation regime on Airbnb is clearly made to scare us into not cancelling. I kept repeatedly typing in my reasons for cancellation. It kept on getting rejected - orange letter words saying" too many characters". When for the third or fourth time I edited it down, each time making my comprehensive explanation less and less coherent and convincing, I got the message " too FEW characters" and then, repeatedly, I arrived at a dead end page saying I "exceeded my quota" and to contact support. I was getting tired, frustrated - and angry too, and all the while thinking the guests might be booking flights and yes, I did not want to inconvenience them - even though I had no way of knowing if they WERE evading the new rules or not. I regret the panicky and abrupt message I managed to send them after eventually making my way to my message board....But the point is I was lacking any certainty and potentially risking the safety of my community here in Oxford. I called support. I waited 5 minutes and got cut off! Then I had to call again-- waited another 5 minutes. By this time I was so agitated that when the guy told me my reasons for cancelling were not legitimate and I would be charged $100 I flipped out and swore at the poor guy. Anyway I am still annoyed with Airbnb. The website didn’t work well, the too many and too few characters is plainly bloody awkward, it seems more like deliberately set up to frustrate one's determination, and I have formed the opinion that Airbnb cancellation procedures are manipulative and bullying protocols ....ESPECIALLY egregious when the pandemic requires all corporations to modify their thirst for profit in favour of the good health and safety of the citizens who make up their revenue base. I have blanked off my calendar for the next several months. I am fed up with Airbnb. Anyhow, Thanks for contacting me. Goodnight. Paul.
