How do I contact Airbnb

[Mike55]

I know this topic already exists but I just want to show my disgust at the lack of (zero) customer service.  This lazy company want to have the community solve all their problems while they rake in the millions.  Not good enough.

I am about to be penalised bcausue i cannot decline a guest request on time.  Actually I am clicking "decline" but it is not working.  Wheres the help???

[Ephraim0]

@Andrea You're welcome. I am commenting on this absurdity. I dont feel as if I'm a prisoner. Not of airbnb, perhaps of having to earn and provide, but that is the nature of survival. I am hopeful, and I'm certain there is a solution. I'm hoping airbnb understands it. It's called capitalism and free market economy. Airbnb is not the only game in town, a good thing. I do appreciate tremendously that it has provide me a great opportunity. And I am grateful for the platform (thank you airbnb corporate moderator), But I'm paying for it, we all are, 12 or more percent. All of us. My hope is airbnb will consider us hosts. If not for anything for the bottom dollar. Just as airbnb has made it very clear that we are  responsible to our guests,  Airbnb is responsible to us. So far to my mind they are at an overall rating of 3.5 stars.

[Andrew90]

I must be minority because I have been happily satisfied wtih support provided. Yes AirBNB makes it hard to find the number and if you through thier site attempts to discourage you from calling.  But so does virtually every other major company with a call center.  Some do it by layering under pages and pages of Q&A, others incent you not to call by charging you more if you have a person process the transaction vs buying online.  Short and sweet support costs money but so they put up barriers of entry. 

Like others have said if you google "Contact Airbnb" you have no trouble locating the number.   IF you found this community and learned how to post there is the "Community Support" Section with a very extensive guide on how to "Contact AirBNB"

When I call they answer within 10min and tops was 15-20. I just waited over 45min to talk to a Verzion customer suppor.  

When I call the agents have very helpful.

When I tweeted they CALLED ME Back 

When I recently agreed to let a guest cancel after they determined they place didn't meet thier needs AirBNB paid me for the night When I was not expecting it and didn't ask because it was fair (and they fully credited the guest and helped them find other accomidations)

I'm not thrilled with having to dependent on the resolution center if I want to withhold from security and I won't be happy and might leave it they force IB but that is a policy choice not a customer service choice. 

And for all those threatening to go to VRBO, Homeaway, Booking.com or where ever.  I list on these and other sites and these companies are becomming more and like AirBNB to expect IB to be forced there shortly after AirBNB does.  

As hosts we are now the commodity and guest is the limited resources that the Hotels, Vacation Rental and Homesharing services are all fighting over so it will get more and more guest centric until we are back to place where enough people drop out of the hosting game and we as hosts become the contrained resource and they have more guests than rooms. 

This business is changing and we may not like all the changes but that does not stop the change. 

[Paul708]

Hello All: I started with AirBnB with my bnb operation and Stopped dealing with them after about 2 weeks. They are a Total Joke for the Host. They are very close to the line to be clasified as being a SCAM? Change to Booking.com. They are much better and operate more like a REAL Company however I will warn you that they are still not at the level I would expect. My rating for AirBnB from the Host side, would be a 1 out of a 10 and Booking.com about a 6.5 out of a 10. The bottom line is Get Ride of AirBnB ASAP. 1 last note from me, when I changed from AirBnB to Booking.com I got about 3 times MORE Bookings from Booking.com.

[Robin4]

@Mike55....Hi Mike, I am sure, as a relatively intelligent man, you would understand why Airbnb do not promote their contact details more prominently. With the number of hosts Airbnb has around the world the number of support personnel they would have to employ would rival the largest companies in the world!

The issue with hosting platforms in general is, it's not like learning to drive a car, become a refrigeration mechanic, an electrician, an insurance rep or just about any other profession! With hosting you don't need any qualifications to do it....you just follow the 'List your property' tab, and your in business!

It is a fact of life 95% of hosts do not familiarise themselves with the rules of a hosting platform before start hosting...and when something happens that is not what they expected, they cry out for help, or they do something that will have a negative impact on them. You just can't feasibly have a large enough support base to handle the volume of trivial questions that arise. Mike, as you said in your original post, we see the same questions over and over again to the point where we don't even bother responding to them after a while.

The Community forum, as you may know, is not Airbnb!!!....It is a instrumentality commissioned by Airbnb to take the pressure off their help desks, answer relevant questions and provide feedback to Airbnb.

Having said that Mike I find Airbnb in Australia to be one of the easiest companies to contact both by phone or via Facebook. If I have ever had an issue I have never had to wait on the end of a phone line for more than 2 minutes before I am actually speaking to a representative...and in ever instance the person I have spoken to has had a genuine desire to solve my problem to the point where I have even received a return call to make sure my issue was resolved and a 'feedback' email for me to comment on the help I had received!

You obviously solved your problem by doing a bit of research or experimenting where the 'Decline' tab is concerned!....You realised you had to do more than simply hit Decline, and precisely following the instructions on the page and check all the boxes required in order to actually decline the booking request......but Mike, you should have made sure you knew how to 'decline a booking' before you started to get stuck into Airbnb for lack of contact ability and service. It is precisely because of your situation that Airbnb do not make their contact detail more available.

I am not specifically having a go at you Mike, you are no doubt a great host, I just wish more people would do their homework. Cheers.....Rob.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

It's amazing to me how many people threaten to stop using Airbnb because it's so awful but never take down their listings.  

[Ephraim0]

@Alice-and-Jeff0 believe it or not It's not a threat, it's a question of when push comes to shove. I'm very seriously considering VRBO only new listings take time and a lot of work. And I will have to start fresh building up my reputation all over again. However if things continue like this,  I for one will be moving on. It's a free country I just havent reached a breaking point just yet. But I am getting close.

[David126]

From speaking to others who use a variety of sites there are pluses and minuses. If there is a perfect alternative I would like to know what it is.

The one thing that would worry me is having no back up, I have seen many posts which imply that the Host is very dependent on AirBnB for income, what would they do if AirBnB went down or they were kicked off?  All your eggs in one basket is never  a good idea.

[Andrea9]

@David126

The risk of having all your eggs in one basket - I felt that this year with a sudden slump in bookings.

But when renting out a room in your apartment there is hardly a viable alternative compared to Airbnb right now. Especially when having an exchange with someone beforehand is absolutely crucial because the set up is dependent upon a certain type of guest to be successful and would be a looming disaster if the wrong kind books.

If there was something comparable to Airbnb I would have diversified as soon as I felt ABB's thumb screws tightening on me, which was seriously around half a year ago.

[David126]

@Andrea9

So AirBnB or nothing?

I have had other sites mentioned, but they are not identical and most seem country specific. Suits me now, but I acknowledge the risk.

[Andrea9]

@David126

At the moment it looks like it's ABB or nothing. 

I checked all the other sites I knew and and saw mentioned on other forums. They were either exclusively for whole apartment units or Wimdu. And Wimdu doesn't allow much text, and it didn't seem possible to upload more than a few photos, and also no option to converse first before a booking request. Would probably have to decline 10 bookings for each accepted one... Not an ideal recipe.

[Robin4]

@Andrea9 @David126  Hi again Andrea...Hope you are enjoying that wondertful city of yours!! And David, not many on the forum consistently come up with good commonsense answers the way you do!

It is not for everyone but, I have spread my eggs around! After the way the SMS notifications and the host de-listing thing was handled by Airbnb last year I decided I needed a plan B.

As I said, not for everyone but, because our property is in close proximity to our local high school I home host international students for much of the year. We currently have an 18 year old Italian girl and a 16 year old Japanese student with us and have had since June.

The Government pays us reasonably well to home host and because it is through the public education system it does not attract a taxable component. This, and the use of another hosting option, is why we do not show any Airbnb activity since April this year....I have a few Airbnb bookings in the coming months but I do like the mix that I am currently using.

The only downside is, we will loose our 'Superhost' status shortly because we have not had the required number of hostings for 3 of the yearly quarters now.

But, I do agree with both of you, you do need an alternative because Airbnb are not brilliant at flagging changes to their structure, and although we don't need the income as some hosts do, it's nice to have the peace of mind that there are alternatives that are viable....you just have to find what will work for you.......Cheers.....Rob

[Lori48]

Hi how do I contact AirBNB?...as there used to be an email address but now nothing. My 3 storey townhouse in Newport Sydney Australia rents out for AUD$280-$420 per night depending upon the season. But now AirBnB is suggesting I change the rate to AUD$99 per night! (I recently rented a room in an AirBnB property for $AUD80 per night. Could someone please help me asap as this suggested pricing is ridiculous for an oceanfront property in a secluded Northern Beaches site. thanks Lori

Lori

[Personal information hidden]

[Robin4]

@Lori48...Oh Lori, I am just one of about 30 regulars on the forum and I have answered this question many hundreds of times....so much so that I know the number off by heart....I wake up at night with the number going round and round in my brain!!!

Turn off smart pricing Lori....or should I say don't turn it on!!

You have to understand Airbnb's sole aim is to make money, corner the market as it were. There are probably six hosting sites operating in Australia and Airbnb don't want to let any bookings slip through their fingers so they suggest ridiculous prices which are totally un-sustainable as far as the host is concerned but (if followed) it guarantees Airbnb the booking...and they don't give a **bleep** if you make money or loose it!!

Lori, host to a standard....not to a price, and I assure you everything else will fall into place. Forget about smart pricing and do what you do to the best of your ability....That's a big figure you are charging, so guests have the right to expect a spot on hosting, and you can't do that on a bargain basement price!

Oh, and that phone number...... the Sydney office is contactable on 02 8520 3333....there you go. I didn't even need to look it up!

Cheers......Rob

[Ephraim0]

@Lori48 my advice is ignore the airbnb pricing recommendations. Decide for yourself the minimum price point you are comfortable with and stick to your guns. I have empty nights but i wont go below my minimum, and I do ok. 

[Kash2]

Hi Mike, 

I had the same Issue when I needed help. I came across this qoura page:

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-email-Airbnb-customer-support-Does-Airbnb-deliberately-try-to-preve...