Guests booked without my approval

[Rachel221]

Hello

I joined airbnb in December and have not yet hosted. I have however had several people book and cancel. I did not approve their bookings and was suprised that they had paid. The last guest who did that, I told him that I was wary of fraud here in South Africa and would firstly report the occurrences of the booking/cancellation/refund trend before I would refund him. 

He seemed fine with it and has not asked since then. It was a one night stay booked 21 days ago by a [name hidden]. I have pasted the discussion below.

I have allowed the process to go through and authorised my details for payment but have tried to observe any irregularity in the process.

Please help?

Thank you very much, Rachel. I understand. Regards, [name hidden] Cell: (PHONE NUMBER HIDDEN)

Feb 1, 2017

Dear Hendrik Thank you for cancelling. I am very worried about this apparent confirmation and then cancellation of bookings that is done by someone else. Therefore before I refund you, I will report this occurrence to the authorities as it's not the first time this has happened. I hope you do not mind I will only do the refund once I get a response from the air bnb people. I'm so sorry to inconvenience you but I have alarm bells in my head, and this is South Africa after all, full of fraudsters. But your refund will come ASAP, I will press the matter as urgent to the airbnb authorities. Kind regards

Jan 31, 2017

CANCELLED 01/31/2017

I have received your message and made alternative arrangements. However, payment has been processed. When can I expect a refund?

Jan 31, 2017

Thank you. I have made other arrangements. However, the payment has already been processed. When can I expect my refund? Regards , [name hidden]

Jan 31, 2017

Dear Hendrik I do not take guests for less than 5 nights, I am not sure how or why the Air bnb confirmed a booking. I did NOT confirm. Please find alternative accommodation. Kind regards

Jan 31, 2017

Bringing student who will study in Pretoria this year.

Jan 30, 2017

[Kirstie]

Hi @Rachel221,

Welcome to the Community Center! 

I have just double checked and you have Instant Book enabled - this means that guests can book directly, without needing to wait for your approval. If you don't want this feature enabled, you need to turn it off asap to avoid getting bookings without your knowledge again. This Help Guide explains how to turn it off.

It can be hard to get your head around everything when you start hosting - I would recommend you have a look at these Community Help Guides and also look in the Help Center to get to grips with the basics. There's also a good thread here with Tips for New Hosts, shared by other hosts.

Just to let you know, I have moved your post here to a new thread so that it doesn't get lost in another discussion and it is easier to find. I have also removed personal details and given it a title - please let me know if you want to change it!

Kirstie

[Nombulelo0]

Thats why I took out instant booking it is a huge inconvenience and people booking on airbnb have mastered thr system. ...and they are the most demanding and problematic

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

@Rachel221  You have INSTANT BOOK ON, which means guests can instantly reserve your accommodations WITHOUT your approval.  You need to turn this OFF immediately if you want to be able to approve them before confirmation.

Read how to here:  https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1510/how-do-i-turn-instant-book-on-or-off