Host says booking it not available and I should cancel it, but she has it listed again at a higher price.

[Cedric192]

Hi, I sent a reservation to this host yesterday, but she answered me that it is not available. She tells me it is better if I cancel it, which made me think: why does she not simply decline it?

So I went and looked again,

and sure enough, she listed it again, but maybe 20% more expensive than I got it. This feels like dishonest practice. I have not found a way to complain (I think I can't evaluate a host unless I have stayed there), so any help on how I can raise this complaint would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

[Ricardo85]

@Cedric192 

If she cancel the reservation = her calendar is blocked.

Ricardo

[Cedric192]

Understood, but then why would she have the property listed at a higher price?

[Ricardo85]

@Cedric192 

She probably thought that the daily rate was not up to date. But you made a reservation with the "outdated" amount and she has to honor the reservation with this amount. It is the host's responsibility to keep the calendar (availability / daily rates) up to date.

If a synchronization problem did occur, she should look for the one who caused the problem, which was certainly not you.

Ricardo

[Cedric192]

This was the original posting I reserved for $185/ night that she has now raised to $207

[Emilia42]

@Cedric192 On the photo above, which states $185 per night, there are no dates selected. The $185 is the host's base price. Somewhere on her calendar is the price of $185 but not for the dates you selected. For your dates, Feb 11-Feb 16, the price is $217 per night. Do you see how one of your photos have dates and the other doesn't? This is user error. 

[Cedric192]

This is the actual reservation. It just shows the total, not the price per night.

and as you can see below, the current price is about $200 more:

Not user error....

[Emilia42]

@Cedric192 If your "request" is currently blocking the host's calendar there is no possible way for yourself or another guest to search the dates. So I do not understand how you know the host raised the rate? Are you looking at the correct listing? The host has 173 of them. 

For example, this is what I see when I search the host's calendar. I cannot select the 11-16 of February because your pending request is blocking the dates:

[Emilia42]

Not to mention hosts do not have access to increase/decrease rates on their calendars when there is a pending block. 

[Cedric192]

You are right: she has 2separate  listings for the same property, at different prices.... that is how she does it. She  has asked me to wihdraw the request for the lower priced one...

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Cedric192 All you can do I am afraid is force her to cancel the booking which will also put a review against her saying 'host cancelled this reservation xx days prior to stay' which hosts rightly hate as it rightly puts many guests off.

If you cancel you may well lose the service fee and the host gets away scot free for their dreadful behaviour.

[Ricardo85]

@Cedric192 

You don't actually have to do anything. If she does not accept your reservation request within 24 hours, her calendar will be blocked.

Ricardo

[Emilia42]

@Mike-And-Jane0 This is a booking request, not a confirmed reservation. Technically the host should decline but she likely doesn't want to hurt her acceptance rate. 

[Cedric192]

Thanks, I can understand that. But what I find strange it that she says the place is not available, yet she now has it listed at a higher price than what she had.

[Helen3]

If it's a booking request why is the host asking him to cancel...she can just decline. @Cedric192  @Emilia42 

It sounds like the host may have not been keeping their pricing up to date...and that @Cedric192  booked at a lower rate, and the host realised this and increased prices for her other properties and is now saying this place is not available so she doesn't have to accept the booking at the lower rate.