Beta: Make guest stays non refundable for 10% discount

[Shou-Kee0]

Just noticed on my host admin page today a new beta test by Airbnb - 

They have added a new Flexible vs Non refundable policy for guest bookings.

- If they choose the former, your current cancellation policy applies.

- But if they choose the later their booking becomes non refundable but they get 10% off the listed price.

Just to pick your brains what do all of you hosts think of this?

Many thanks!!

[Scotia0]

This came up on the listing I don't currently have active but not available on my active listing ?

[Ria16]

I have this also with the 10% so I quickly turned if off. It may well suit longer term bookings but not a good fit for me as I have shorter stays. I think I’ve only had one cancellation where I wasn’t able to get it rebooked. So roughly over a year I would lose quite a lot of money, 

Id like to see how the guest views it and if they are given the option to choose with a non refundable booking, 

[Helen427]

@Ria16count your blessings, I had 3 Guests in the space of a week recently change there travel plans so cancelled which stuffed up my booking availablity and left me in the lurch.

Airbnb did kindly sort one out and the others know they are welcome to pop in next time they are in Auckland, they've also shared my listing around with others in there circles

[Helen427]

@Shou-Kee0@Nung0@Ria16@Jeff158@Scotia0@Lizzie@Pete@Jeff@Mark@Cor and others

Does anyone know if this new feature is included with an email out to potential Guests?

if so, how is it explained to them?

I'm listed as Flexible cancellation but with this new added feature it now comes up on my listing as "Flexible and Non Refundable" which must confuse potential Guests as it is open toi been interpreted as been Flexible but no refund with Flexible booking..as it has myself!

[Susan17]

 ...and yet again, the $38 billion global corporation stealthily introduces an opaque, exploitative and easily-abused policy that can - and will - be cunningly manipulated and finessed by the company, in order to elicit for itself optimum levels of goodwill, brand loyalty and revenue from guests - as always, at the sole expense of its "valued host community"

And we're seriously still asking whether or not Airbnb's intentions are honourable here? It's not like they ain't got form, is it?? This lot get more Machiavellian by the day. 

[Basil6]

Hi, I turned it ON just to try, however it's difficult to turn it OFF. 

In order to turn it OFF, first you have to CHANGE the Policy with it OFF, SAVE, then go back to your normal Policy with it OFF, then SAVE again.  Actually, not even sure if this works to turn it OFF!!

THANKS!!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

I looked at Alice & Jeffs listing.

First it showes they have NON REFUNDABLE POLICY

then, when I clicked on " Book" button it shows they have MODERATE - FREE CANCELLATION policy

So, what policy do they have ???

NOWHERE and at ANY MOMENT I wasn't offered to choose from those two policies.

NOWHERE and at ANY MOMENT I wasn't informed I can get 10% discount if I choose non refundable policy!

???

[James566]

I am concerned that some guests will get confused. For example I have a strict cancellation policy which may mean even if they chose the premium option, rather than the no cancellation option then they may not be entitled to a refund regardless that they paid the higher price.

Just concerned guests will think paying the premium price entitles them to be able to cancel and  the discount option no cancelling.

So I won't be using it as I don't want guests thinking they have an entitlement to cancel by selecting the higher price alternative.

James

[Tony134]

Confusing and useless as usual.

Dealing with Airbnb leaves me perplexed, it's like they want everything to have maximum potential to blow up in everyone's face.

Airbnb you rocket scientists, try this:

Flexible: Cancel anytime with full refund

(Airbnb gets no fee either, grow up, you use less resources in a cancellation than any other involved party, basically an infinitesimally small amount of bandwidth.

Moderate: Cancel anytime with 50% refund.

(Airbnb gets 50% service fees, what good for the goose good for the gander)

Strict: Cancel anytime, zero refund.

Never call hosts and ask them to refund despite the chosen policy. Every time you do this it's in bad faith and damages your relationship with host community, just stop. If you really think an exception merits a special exception refund, do it out of your own billion dollar wallet.

EZPZ as we say IRL. If guest still wants to call in and complain, offer them that $200 arbitration option and gently remind them that the bare minimum from a "good guest" is to read listing terms. Save about 90% of your CS costs and end the number one source of host frustration, instantly improving the quality of all bookings for pretty much nothing.

Airbnb, if you don't understand that host patience is a finite resource, you have learned zero about your market.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

It shouldn't surprise me in the least that Airbnb has f*d this up in implementing.  So I just did a search for my own property and THIS is what a guest sees regarding cancellation: 

There is NOTHING about a choice in policy and the price they are are showing does NOT reflect a 10% discount.  What a major F*UP!  No wonder I haven't gotten a single request in days. 

AND..... I got this great note about how they were going to promote Superhosts for all the wonderful work they do.... what properties are ahead of mine on the list of results?  A "new" listing that undercuts my price by $20/night and 2 Superhosts that do not have IB turned on.  After almost 4 years, I'm now 4th on the search results. 

@Lizzie - I'm turning off the beta now until they can get it fixed and provide us with at least ONE OF THE ANSWERS TO OUR MULTITUDE OF QUESTIONS!!!!!! Can anyone there explain to me why this is the ONLY option that a guest sees on my profile? And where does the 10% come into play at all?  This is so FUBAR!!

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

AND I CANNOT TURN IT OFF UNLESS I CHANGE MY CANCELLATION POLICY TO STRICT OR FLEXIBLE!!!!!!!!

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

..... okay,  I had to turn on a different policy and reload.  At that time the system offered me the choice of THAT policy's Beta option. Once I was offered the new Beta option, I switched back to Moderate where the Beta option was now unchecked. 

In this case I chose Strict  and the Beta test offered me the "Flexible" option of charging the guest an additional 7% to get the option of cancelling  for a full refund up to 24 hours before booking - WTF?!  - what are they smoking in CA to think that THIS would be the preferred method for any host?! - greedy, greedy, greedy Airbnb just wants that additional 7% for the time between booking and cancellation with no thought as to the impact on the hosts. The hosts who choose Strict do not want a 24 hour full-refund option or else they would CHOOSE it.  I'm so perplexed by this that I cannot even begin to understand the logic and I am very logical by nature.  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Alice-and-Jeff0have you seen my comment from yesterday? I looked at your listing and I wasn't offered any discount or option to choose between 2 policies and at first I've seen you have non refundable policy but when I clicked "book" button then I've seen you have moderate-free cancellation . Great, ha? 🙂

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0- I did see and spent a considerable amount of time working with the "product department" trying to resolve why my profile was showing 2 different options and why the guests were not being given an option, but only being shown the "no-refund" option.  What I've realized, is that the customer service department are as clueless as we are and the product team were perplexed as to why this was happening.  So after several hours yesterday, I  gave up and haven't heard anything from them today.  However - they DID reboot my profile in some way that the actual booking process looked like it was offering 2 options.  I have not yet retested today.   Take a look - are you getting something else? 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Alice-and-Jeff0

I see you have moderate cancellation policy. No options to choose from, nothing about 10% discount