Trying to help a customer cancel

[Stephen285]

Okay, I guess this is customer service now. Hi!

Guest attempted to cancel a reservation a couple of weeks in advance. We have a flexible policy. The guest got a message that the operation was not possible and to contact customer service. When they reported their customer service experience to me, I contacted customer service to help. As a super host, I’ve always had good response from them. This is not the case presently.

 

We have tried a few tips, including having her try to cancel from her computer rather than a mobile device, and attempting to cancel after first altering the reservation dates. She got a message saying 

“You have reached your AirBnB access quota. Please contact AirBnB support if you continue to receive this error.”

AirBnB access quota? What? Can anyone help me help my guest cancel her reservation? I’d also like to have AirBnB refund her whatever fee they might have collected for our inconvenience.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Stephen285 From memory I think guests can only cancel up to 3 times per year under the flexible policy.  Could this be your guests issue?

[Stephen285]

Would be logical explanation, and a simple thing for AirBnB to communicate to the guest and I if true.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Stephen285 I suggest you ask the guest how many times they have cancelled. Airbnb for data protection reasons is not allowed to tell you this. If they are over the Quota then they will have to cancel and lose the Airbnb service fee I am afraid

[Stephen285]

Thank you for the tip! 

[Colleen253]

The 3 rule is for receiving the service fee back.

"Guests won’t get a refund of the Airbnb service fee if they’ve received 3 service fee refunds in the last 12 months or if the cancelled reservation overlaps with an existing reservation".

Guest should still be able to cancel. System error/glitch maybe?

@Stephen285 

[Helen3]

I would advise that the guests calls Airbnb/contacts them on their social media @Stephen285 

[Stephen285]

Calling AirBnB has been attempted by both of us. The guest was told she would hear back from someone several days ago, but no one has been in touch. I was told to have the guest contact support, and not to cancel the guest myself, as it would affect my superhost status. That they couldn’t actually do something to help is bewildering to me. Seems like such a simple request. 

We hadn’t thought of social media, so we shall explore options there. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Sarah977]

@Stephen285  Cancelling a reservation yourself, unless your plumbing burst a leak and you can get Airbnb to cancel under the Extenuating Circumstances policy, does far more than lose you your Superhost status. The dates of the cancellation will be blocked by Airbnb so you can't rebook them to anyone else, you'll get a $50 fine, and you'll get "Host cancelled this reservation XX days before check-in" on your review page, which would make guests wary of booking with you.

[Stephen285]

I understand this and find it absurd.

it would be so simple for me to cancel the guest, but I cannot without penalty, even though the guest and I are in agreement that the cancellation is okay.

the guest has attempted cancellation but receives system errors.

AirBnB has not helped and will not say why.

this is not good business.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Stephen285 @Helen3 @Mike-And-Jane0  

Then again, AirBnb might JUST NOT WANT any cancellations to happen because it might affect their financial figures for their IPO.

Smoke and mirrors...

Like, Hosts needing to PAY cancellation funds to AirBnb from their due payouts... 

And what did @@Catherine-Powell state in her video... “We’re sorry, we know we are slow at repaying service fees on cancellations “?... That won’t be one or two cancellations.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Stephen285 

You and your guest have exhausted every avenue of AirBnb support.

Tell your guest that since you have an agreement regarding cancellation and AirBnb are frustrating that, then she needs claim a refund back from her credit card explaining the impossible situation she has been put in.

[Stephen285]

This sounds like a good last resort plan. Thank you for weighing in.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 I really don't think Airbnb need to worry about their financial figures with respect to they IPO.

They have never made a profit and any valuation will be based entirely on a combination of future outlook and the madness of tech stocks.

Their only need is to move quickly before the tech stock bubble bursts!

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

Buying a house without a survey is a risk. Buying a car without an engineer looking at it is a risk too. I've bought a house with dry rot and a car with a knackered engine. Never again.

Airbnb financials are being scrutinised currently to search out the rot and find things which are not working, also the current market situation with pending court cases and arbitrations will be being watched like hawks. These don't happen every year and so can't be reported historically. The numbers of hosts being reduced due to their treatment over Covid cancellations by switching to other platforms and guests holding travel voucher values will all  need financing and both will be an influence. The finance guys will be seeking affirmation of those numbers, and not just be thinking the sun has started shining from another direction.

If Airbnb lose out to Apple in their court case over their 30% claim in revenue for each and every experience - each being an online (inline) purchase and subject to contractual charges of which all the "Online Experiences"may be subjected to, then THAT future doesn't look so rosy, does it??

Maintaining a transparent trading position, and explaining the logical reasons why a host with a cancellation NEEDS to pay for the privilege of having income taken away, or why guests requiring customer services are being delayed attention until 14 days before check-in, (and more customer service staff will not be on hand until after the next quarterly figures) or where the money will be coming from to  pay out on all those travel vouchers issued will all be questions the financial specialists will want to know answers to. 

Judging by @Stephen285 's experience and his guests' experience - whatever the reason - Airbnb are doing a grand job at making nobody happy currently.

Those financial investors won't want to be investing in a rot ridden infrastructure or an engine without legs. They're not that naive. I know them, I've worked with them. Just being a 'Tech' stock is not that attractive if it just doesn't make profit.