Cancellation policy - confusing

[Anja1072]

Hi, hope someone can explain this one to me. 

I use a STRICT cancellation policy on my listing.

• Strict cancellation policy: If guests cancel within 48 hours of booking, they can get a full refund as long as the cancellation occurs at least 14 days before check-in. After that, guests can get a 50% refund on the nightly rate for all nights as long as they cancel 7 days before check-in. After that, no refund will be given.

A Guest books a 2 night stay in January for the end of August. Canceled at the beginning of July. The guest had already paid the full amount to Airbnb. Airbnb has not refunded the guest 50%. Now I am getting messages from the guest and Airbnb to please consider refunding some or all money. 

Why would Airbnb already charged the entire amount and not just a deposit? And why will they not give her a refund for the 50%? Am I miss reading the policy? 

thanks in advance for the reply. 

[Pat271]

I’m assuming that the stay was going to start more than one week after the cancellation date. If that is the case, then you are reading it correctly. My guess is that the guest is wanting a complete refund, not just 50%, and both the guest and Airbnb are putting pressure on you to violate your own policy, which is not uncommon.

You can insist on upholding your policy, but don’t be surprised if some other tactic is used and the guest gets all his money back anyway due to some “extenuating circumstance” or other. I don’t mean to sound cynical, but this also is not uncommon.

I believe the guest has a choice to pay the whole amount at booking, or half now and half sometime closer to check-in. If the guest chose the former, it would explain why Airbnb already has the full amount.

[Anja1072]

Yes the booking she made in January was for End of August. I also have not received any money from Airbnb yet.

[Colleen253]

@Anja1072 

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/43/what-happens-if-my-guest-cancels

Cancellation payouts

If you’ve hosted before, and you're owed a payout, it will be released to you 24 hours after your guest’s scheduled check-in time. If you’ve never hosted before and this is one of your first reservations, we may hold the payout for release until 30 days after the reservation was confirmed.

"Airbnb has not refunded the guest 50%".  How do you know this? When a guest cancels, they are refunded automatically by Airbnb, according to your cancellation policy.

The messages you're getting from Airbnb aare likely asking you to consider a full refund. That's their typical MO. You can just ignore those.