Faster access to customer service

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

I hope you are having a good day.

We know from conversations here in the CC that reaching customer service can be challenging. Therefore, I am happy to let you know that we have made two updates to our app to make it easier to get support.

During an active trip when you’re faced with urgent situations (48 hours before a reservation, during a reservation, and 48 hours after guests check out) you will now be able to access contact information quickly—just open the app, go to “Profile”, tap “Help & Support”, and then tap “Contact Us”.

The second update gives you easy access to our Customer Experience Team, but this update can be used at any time, not just during an active trip. This feature allows you to send a message to an Airbnb Customer Experience team member directly in the app, just like you do to guests, and you can receive real-time push notifications when there’s a response, instead of having to call or send an email. This feature is currently available for English language beta testers, with plans to expand access to customers across all languages in the near future.

To find out more, take a look at our blog article.

What do you think about these updates? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Jason109]

Thanks for sharing this new feature Lizzie,  this is going to be very welcomed by the community I am sure. Customer service is never easy and it's always a matter of continually improving where you can.  

Question: When a host communicates through this new feature in the app, will the support team automatically receive all of the information on the booking/listing the host is seeking help with when you start a conversation?  Or is it more of a generic instant messenger and do you need to send your listing information and account details at the start of the conversation with the Airbnb customer experience team?

[Pete26]

If this works as stated it is long ovedue, I'm surprised it took so long for this basic courtesy. We will see. 

[Pete26]

Figures. I tried the new suggestions, doesn't work. Nice going $150 billion dollar company, can't even get your web  stuff working right.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Pete26,

Nice to meet you. 

At the moment, as mentioned above, this feature is currently available for English language beta testers, with plans to expand access to customers across all languages in the near future.

This is a heads-up and I hope it will be rolled out to you soon.

Thanks,

Lizzie 

[Brigitte223]

Hi we booked an apartment in New York and paid in full on the 1st August 2017.  Since that day we have heard not a word from the host despite trying to phone, email and message him. We do not know the apartment number, how to get keys etc. We are now getting very anxious as availability of other apartments seem to be getting less for our dates, but our money is stuck with this host. He does not even answer to cancel the reservation. We have written to airbnb several times but they are not getting back to us. We need the money released back into our account so that we can book something else urgently

[Sandi21]

Great idea!

[James-F0]

Airbnb has refused to book my place because I would not take a cut of my rate! My last booker said that my booking rate was very fair! However, Airbnb want me to cut my rate by at least 10%! I refused to take a cut...Airbnb. Refuses to book my place!!! My customers say that I offer a. Very reasonable fee!  Read my feedback!!

I spent a lot of money fixing up. My place & more money keeping it clean!! II will not reduce my rates!!! I will have to rent my place if I don't get a booker soon!!!!

James Lewis

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@James-F0 - Airbnb has nothing to do with booking your space.  They are a listing service and website - you choose your price and they list your room at that price. Bookings come from the guests. 

[Christine1]

@James-F0

 Hi James, I think there is a misunderstanding on your part. Pricing suggestions are automated messages generated as part of marketing by Airbnb, you can ignore them if you don't agree with the suggestions.

Read the Help Centre guidelines very regularly and you will learn lots of different things to help you manage your listing. 

Also be sure to check the feedback and reviews from your guests, take particular notice of detailed information about facilities and cleaning issues, and look at the star ratings your guests give in different aspects of their experience. eg. cleaning comments and the corresponding cleaning star ratings. Then make your own judgement about the validity or otherwise of the guest feedback and decide how you might adjust what you are doing to refine your service or listing details.

Weigh things up, one comment on an issue can be very valid, even though noone else has said a thing. Be open minded and patient, be slow to take offence. It's all helpful in the long run.

Nonetheless; if you were to recieve consistently low feedback and star ratings, Airbnb would intervene. They will also give you advice about the area of concern, and usually an adequate opportunity to rectify things.

Regards pricing they do not take action to prevent people booking.

I hope my reply is helpful to you.

Have fun hosting.

It's a learning experience. 

Best Regards, Christine.

[Chef-Glenn0]

Great to hearabout  this after our disastrous guests in our last hosting..they were alcoholics and breaking rules. It was impossible to get ahold of anyone in AirBnB...

we are new to AirBnB this spring and had a few nice guests...we never expected these kind of people to take advantage of someones private home.

We have halted all bookings until we felt a safer way to offer our home to strangers.

i am still awaiting to hear from someone at AirBnB about this last visit. I did register my issue at the time...

AirBnB sounds all rosy and happy ...but it was impossible to communicate a problem like we faced...

...unfortunate but reality is there are people who take advantage of this system.

and you cant add comments after thier stay...as they were very intimidating people...

please take heed and take care...

thank you 

Glenn

[JoAnn34]

Sorry you had this experience. I'm a fellow host, new this year also and had two less than positive experiences recently soundly similar to yours. Felt totally taken advantage of. For example one had 20-25 people when they told me they had 10 guests (my listed limit). They were up on my roof partying and rode a two seater ATV vehicle with five on board they did not have permission for. The keys were not left in it either, they had to "find" them in the garage! contacted customer service and they responded right away. I sent them the additional information they requested and am waiting for a follow up response. Good luck with your issue.

[Dave163]

Thanks. Making calls to Customer Service in the past has been a time consuming experence. This method will be a great help. 

Dave R

[Christopher234]

I have sent my foto ID of my driver's license 10 times and each time you say "you can't make out the picture of your ID".

I had a reservation cancelled and am ready to drop out of airbnb altogether because this is maddening.

Can I photocopy my ID and mail it in?  Talk to someone?  

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kaia0]

My guest cancelled their reservation AFTER check-in (without adequate explanation) and requested a full-refund.  I explained my strict cancellation policy and offered to give them partial refund ($50).  This communication with guest happened over the phone.

My listing now states that I CANCELLED the reservation, which is NOT TRUE.  I did not delineate or request this cancellation in the system.  How did this occur??  I want to be paid for this late cancellation.  My guest is unresponsive to my communications (both voicemail and message left on my listing site).  I need to resolve this issue on a number of levels.  Can someone from Airbnb customer service PLEASE contact me asap?  I'm not finding answers in the help center, nor with my guest.  Thank you!!  [Personal information hidden]

[Catherine547]

I have always found it incredibly arrogant of AirBnB to make it really difficult for your Hosts to contact you.  Your business model wouldn't get off the ground without us.  So, I am pleased that you have listened, but disappointed that it took so long.  

I don't see the enhancements on the desktop website yet.  Will you make it available on there too?  I do a lot of my AirBnB business from my home desktop and not always on my mobile devices.  

Catherine