Hosts not blocking unavailable dates

[Bex1]

I've been trying to book a weekend away for 6 month's time, and twice now I've had hosts say "oh, we don't know what we're doing then" and declining the booking.  Is there no way that a host can be penalized for this?  It's becoming such a waste of my time.  I'm a host, and if I don't know what I'm doing for certain dates, I block them, or limit the booking time frame to 3 months.  Surely it's pure logic to do so?

[Bex1]

I get emails about an hour after the reservation fails (just got another one that refused to pass verification, I really am seriously about to think "screw this, and screw Airbnb, I give up") with a refund for the amount on my credit card, plus another email for the voucher codes.  On each new attempt (won't be many more attempts, I've wasted 2 days on this now) the codes re-appear.  So far...  Probably because it isn't me that's doing the cancelling.

[Ana1136]

@Bex1 but what verification? And even if the host cancels you still dont get your credit back. I am guessing the reservation wasn't even made.

[Alexandra316]

@Bex1 I totally sympathize with guests who can't find a place to stay and have to deal with hosts who don't manage their listings properly. When I travelled to Europe last year, finding places to stay was a lengthy hassle: I contacted probably 30 hosts to find 5 places to stay - and I only contacted hosts who showed the dates as available and whose ads I'd read fully. I'm not sure why some hosts make it so difficult to book. I'm not sure I agree with adding penalties either, but I think all hosts should go through the process of trying to book a trip to see how frustrating it can be.

[Ana1136]

@Alexandra316 I have traveled a lot through Airbnb in Europe and we always suceed to book at first try. I believe there is something else here, it is not possible that no one will accept her reservation, even with instant booking. She mentions some verification, it might be another problem.

[Alexandra316]

@Ana1136 Glad that your experience was positive. My experience was diffent, as was the OP's, apparently.  Maybe just accept that things don't always work the same for every person and move on, rather than trying to explain that we couldn't have possibly had a bad experience because you didn't.

My account was fully verified at the time I was trying to book. I had a full profile, including pictures. I wasn't travelling with pets or kids.

[Ana1136]

@Alexandra316 I am sorry if you misunderstood me, i don't think everything is wonderful in the world. Just as I acccept bad experiences can happen you can accept good ones happen too. I am trying to help to find out the reason why she isn't able to find a single place, you obviously found 5 so there must be some place she can book. It is easy to say Airbnb is terrible and hosts are terrible but I am sure even you have refused guests, why shouldn't others be able. There must be some reason why she can't instant book and we all know you don't need an approval for that. Maybe try and help her instead of attacking me or you can move on too.

[Alexandra316]

@Ana1136 I never said Airbnb is terrible or that other hosts are terrible. I said that it can be difficult for people to book due to improperly manged listings, as was clearly the case with the OP and myself. I wouldn't be here on the board, or be a host or regular traveller, if I didn't see the good in the system.  As it happens, I decline guests rarely, and have never declined someone due to mismanagement of my listing.

I didn't comment on your post: you commented on mine. I was responding to the OP's original experience and their difficulty finding accomodation.

[Ana1136]

@Alexandra316 I answered because this is a public forum an everyone can answer to anyone. And I was answering to you because even if you had dificulties you still managed to find a place, and she can't find a sigle one and even can't book with instant booking so there must be some other reason other tha the europian hosts lack of knowlege. There is no reason for heated comments, we neither own Airbnb and we for sure don't get anything by stating our experiences. There are good and bad sides to everything, just people would rather give the bad experiences and she is already discouraged enough, she should hear that it isn't ussually that hard to find a place to stay.

[Olivier291]

@Ana1136,

I'm a fellow host, I could say I know very well most of Airbnb process but I no more use the site as a guest more than 1 times per year to spend my SH bonus. Why? Because even if I am a SH since 4 years, with a verified profile, many good reviews I barely never succeed to go through Airbnb CC verification process!!! I created a paypal account I use to book (only through a laptop because if not Airbnb will charge my paypal account in USD without any option to change it from the app)!

As a host in the past 4 years I only had to go through 1 or 2 cancellation per year. Since april I got 8, most of them related to payment failed (less upfront payment with issue with the 2nd payment, pending payment due to guests not able to go through Airbnb CC verification process, shared payment and one the guests didn't succeed to pay).

Airbnb CC verification process is designed to prevent frauds based on the US CC rules. European ones (at least french ones) are stricter: many bank oblige you to pay through internet with a virtual CC for a precise amount.

My personal credit card has an additional integrated chip which generates a new cryptocode each 45min while Airbnb full CC verification process is 24h long...

[Ana1136]

@Olivier291 that is my point. Obviously there is some other reason she isn't able to book other than host not liking her. There are issues with the payment or some verification, hosts are not making it dificult to book as Alexandra said. She isn't able to pay and I am trying to help figure out what is the problem, I know guests get rejected all the time but this is something else.

[Bex1]

You'd always be welcome here!

[Ned-And-Laura0]

It does seem odd that @Bex1 can't book anywhere, even with instant book.  Did you receive a reason your verification wasn't valid?  Perhaps you're missing a step?  Some hosts have very strict verification protocol for instant book like a minimum number of reviews Or email verification, every host is different when it comes to instant booking.  Maybe in the past somebody chose not to recommend you to other hosts, that wouldn't show up in your profile.  Or maybe there is a glitch in the verification system?  Did you try calling customer support?  If so, what did they say?  

As for the first host, it's their home and their choice.  If they want to leave the dates open yet not accept your booking for whatever reason then that is the way it is and you should move on.  I for one block dates if I think maybe I won't be able to accept a booking and then unblock if later I can, but maybe they don't realize they can do this or maybe its just a passive aggressive excuse because they don't think you're a good fit for their space and they don't want to say so.  Either way, it doesn't matter, it's their decision to do this.

[Lisa723]

@Bex1 @Ned-And-Laura0 @Ana1136 @Olivier291 @Alexandra316

This does sound incredibly frustrating. Of course hosts should make sure dates they are not ready to book are blocked. Airbnb could further help by posting on each listing the percentage of booking requests the host has accepted, and their average response time.

[Bex1]

So, last night I did give up, and I tried "Airbnb Contact Us". They phoned, we talked, they sorted, this afternoon I successfully booked.  Hooray.  To the people who didn't like the colour of my money, you should update your calendars to stop stressing people out!  To the 2 places I have managed to book, thank you.  Hope to have a good time!

[Alexandra316]

@Bex1 Nice that you had a happy ending to your story!