COVID-19 Airbnb cancellation please help

[Melissa1434]

Dear fellow Airbnb guests,

I am new to the community. I am advocating on behalf of my elderly parents. They booked a stay to New Orleans and cancelled within the 45 day period. We were supposed to be refunded 50% of the approximate $1,000 trip but only received $32 after canceling with Airbnb. We do not understand how to dispute this as our emails from Airbnb just come back unresolved. Can someone please help us? Thank you sincerely. 

[Debra300]

@Melissa1434,

I wouldn't continue flitting around with Airbnb on this matter, and instead now reach out to your mother's credit card issuer.  Inform them of the cancellation date, provide them a copy of the cancellation email and Airbnb's COVID-19 Extenuating Circumstances cancellation policy: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320/extenuating-circumstances-policy, and also point to any official lockdown notification, if there was one.  Explain that your parents canceled due to EC, and that they've been trying to get Airbnb to correct their error in regards to the reason for the cancellation.  

When disputing the charge, keep it simple.  Don't mention the strict cancellation policy, or that you spoke with the owner about a refund (that's not relevant, because hosts only get paid after a guest arrives, and have no direct ability to issue a refund before then; Airbnb has your mother's money). 

"Your mother has been trying for six months to get a refund from Airbnb for a canceled reservation.  It was made on January 8 was canceled on March 27 due to COVID-19 restrictions.  Per Airbnb's COVID-19 Extenuating Circumstances cancellation policy (offer to send the link to them), mom should have received a 100% refund of $456.72, but was only issued $32 on May XX date.  Your mother is requesting AmEx's assistance with this matter since Airbnb has stopped responding to her."  Please note that your mother will need to be with you when you contact AmEx, because you will need permission to speak with them on her behalf.  Good luck.

[Melissa1434]

@Debra300  You need to be an advocate. You actually helped me so much just now you brought tears to my eyes, great ideas! Thank you! I will try. They (and I) are so frustrated and this shouldn’t be happening to them. Thank you sincerely.

[Melissa1434]

@Debra300 , @Marit-Anne0  , @Colleen253 , @Lisa723 @Emiel1 

Thank you all for your help. I logged in using my moms user name and permission - my semantics , @Debra300 ‘s format & not for AmEx after all but applied it to Airbnb, since they are holding the money. Thanks to this help I have been issued a full 100% refund for EC (not 50%)....

[Debra300]

@Melissa1434,

That's great news.  I hope things are better, and your family retry to celebrate your father's 80th for a second time. 

[Melissa1434]

@Debra300  We will. All 3 of us included. We’re considering my bloodline’s homeland of Norway, but my mom insists it’s too cold ... Saint Lucia sure does look gorgeous!! 

[Melissa1434]

She paid 50% on Jan 08 of 456.72 and had a price breakdown of $94 x 7 nights (658.00) Cleaning fee (80.00) Service fee (95.20) Occupancy taxes and fees (80.24) = $913.44  Payment of 50% taken Jan 08, 2020. Canceled March 27, 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. We’d like the full refund as promised since the trip was never taken.

[Lisa723]

@Melissa1434 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...

[Melissa1434]

@Lisa723  Thank you sincerely!! We’ve followed protocol on this exact covid cancellation policy 100% and should thereby receive 100% refund during our timeframe. We’ve  reached out to Airbnb but emails come back returned to my mom in a strange manner. It’s like working in circles with Airbnb.  She is asleep now or I could give you exactly what the email said. I’ll do so in the morning.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Melissa1434 I think failing to pay the second instalment and  that again triggered an automatic cancellation may be the reason for the issue. If you had contacted airbnb and claimed extenuating circumstances due to Covid19, they would have refunded in full.

The host cashing in on the 50%, then doing a runner is not decent behaviour from a host, but if the check-in date has passed, airbnb will have paid the host according to the cancellation policy @Debra300