How do i know when a guest has paid

[Sonia130]

I have a guest booking that shows 'accepted' but haven't had confirmation from airbnb that it has been paid.

I don't want to hold the room if the person hasn't paid (I have it listed on other sites too).

I can't find anywhere where i can contact airbnb - which is frustrating 😞

thank you for any answers.

[Noeline1]

I too am finding contacting Airbnb frustrating. I had an issue resolved recently with a note to contact them at the email address anytime. This has turned out to be a dead end as has the other email address and website. 

I was wanting to find out for a guest if they had paid as I normally get a reservation acceptance stating the guest has paid X amount which I have not received this time. 

Should I receive this every time? How do I know if the guest has paid Airbnb as my transcation history is only available after the event?

Noeline

[Roger68]

I agree, Noeline. This is a major flaw at Air BnB. First time I don't get paid.....I'm outa here.

====ROGER

[Noeline1]

Thanks for your reply Roger. I would like to see a standard reply on the reservation page stating that the Guest has paid X amount to Airbnb. I am quite aware that the money is not paid to me until 24 hours after Check in. Would be comforting to know though that the money has actually been collected by Airbnb. Sometimes it's stated and sometimes it's not. This puzzles me.

Also contacting Airbnb is always difficult. I don't do Twitter!

[Kim244]

We have exactly the same question how do we know when the guest has paid?  Also when is payment transferrred to us?  As our bank details have changed and am unable to work out how to update this?? Very frustrating as we just get the same message no matter what is tried.

[Roger68]

I hear this question time and again...and one I have my self....."How do I know the guest paid?" There is no answer.....pitiful business model.

====ROGER

[Annette33]

@Roger68, before you get all riled up and condemn Airbnb, why not study the Airbnb business model and payout method a bit closer - all answers are right there!

To clarify it for you: Airbnb collects the $$ at the time the guest books - if there is a problem with the payment, the reservation will NOT go through/get confirmed. But when you get the confirmation from Airbnb that means the payment went through. Simple enough.

Usually the confirmation follows an accepted booking within seconds or minutes,  so some people may think  acceptance and confirmation are the same thing. Not so: acceptance is done by the hosts, but confirmation ( guarantee of the $$) is done by Airbnb. If there is a problem with the guest's account to collect the $$$ then the reservation will stay as a "pending reservation" or actually might get cancelled by Aibnb after 24 hours, if the guest doesn't clear up the finacial part.  All that happens at the time of booking. So you are completely protected, and you will know at that time  - not at the time of the actual stay - if the reservation is valid. Time to relax right then and there, as soon as the reservation is confirmed by Airbnb.  The $$ are then released to the host 24 hours after check in. What is so difficult to understand or doubt about all of that?

Concerning your own listing, it was a bit odd how to even get to it - but I got there, and I see you have no reviews. So indeed you are probably a newbie.  Interesting to see that apparently you have other ideas on how to collect the payment - you are trying to collect it outside of the Airbnb platform! Not cool. And then you want to blame Airbnb for not making you feel secure enough? What am I misssing here?

this is the screen shot from your listing:

[Roger68]

 A couple of things to clear up from your criticism.....if you donm't mind. First I amn a newbie on Air BNB.....but I have been a real estate investor for 35 years.....I list on 3 other web sites...including VRBO and Trip Advisor...as well as my own web site. I am a professional REALTOR for 25 years.....actually a BROKER. ....I manage over a $million in real estate....and sold millions more. So before you start calling anyone a "newbie", I would gladly compare resumes with you. I am also a professional investor in the stock market as well as a entrepreneur....that's self made...so I resent your "newbie" comment. If you were to get your head out of the "Air BNB sand" and look at how other sites are run and other professionals run their business.....you might easily see how unprofessional Air BNB truly is. 

Now let me tell you where you are wrong. First, Air BNB DOES except reservastions with out full payment....I know.....I currently have 2 that they made without my permission. Secodly, as I said before and as posted by others on this web site, the software is sorely lacking.....compared to other sites....where hosts can find the exact status of rentals, who has booked and paid in full, and a list of reservations and payments as tabs on the  owner dashboard. I also have a problem with Air BNB holding my money until the renter checks in......the only site I know that does this.....and there is no reason. So in a perfect storm.....someone books....I get no money...maybe for months......they can cancel with 7 days of arrival....I still get no money.......and I lose the rental dates as they expire......and no skin off the renter's nose, no skin off the nose of Air BNB, but in my case I can lose thousands..... and I am not the only one who has this concern...wipe off your glasses and read the concerns of others on this site. There is no "Owner control" once Air BNB takes a booking...you just hope everything goes well. Read the other posted comments...one gentleman never got paid for a stay. This is no way for a stake holder to be treated. 

None of the people who I've done business with on Air BNB as renters know what's going on either. They can't tell if they are accepted......or if the host has rejected them. Ease of use is non exsistent in this systm. Those of you who lovve this system , I would bet, love it because you have never seen a truly professional software system work. You need to see the VRBO system, or Flip Key, or Vacation Home Rental.com run their software. Then and only then can you see the tremendous flaws of this system. As much as I hate this business model......it does bring customers in spite of...not because of how it works. In case you have trouble understanding any of this.....tell mne your favorite color crayon......and I'll draw you a picture!

[Roger68]

Finally, on your criticism on using outside payment. This idea I offered beccause the renter could not figure out how to pay in the Air BNB system......and I could not tell if full payment was made....and I don't want Air BNB to hold my money for months......none of that is "cool". So you can take screen shots of my correspondence all you want. I would gladly pay the fee to Air BNB and not use their collection system which I and all the renters that I have spoken with agree....it's terrinble and confusing. And I want to state one more time...IT IS A FACT THAT AIR BNB ACCEPTED A RESERVATION WITH PARTIAL PAYMENT  FOR A STAY IN JUNE.....THE THE FINAL PAYMENT IS NOT DUE UNTIL MAY. I was not told of the partial payment plan...and did not authorize it......and if that is the business model of Air BNB....it is pro renter...and anti host.....who actually is the revenue stream for this company. Nobody is trying to pull any wool over anyone's eyes...I am willing to pay the fee.....just not the loss of control of collecting the money due or verification of a deal. And here is one thing I learned in 35 years of professional real estate selling and investing......you are a fool if you ever assume everything is going in right in a real estate deal. The old Reagan philosophy of "trust but verify" was never more true than in real estate.

[Annette33]

@Roger68, what gives???

you yourself call yourself a newbie on Airbnb in your first sentence above  - but then you get on my case when I say that you're "probably a newbie" because you have no reviews and because apparently  you don't understand yet basics of Airbnb?

Have it your way...... good day!

[Rachael26]

@Roger68

Interesting that a professional, experienced, real estate broker such as yourself would sign up for a booking service without reading, or understanding, how it all works. Ahh! Wait a minute, as a real estate agent you already know that you can make your own rules to subvert the system.... but not here with Airbnb. That's what you don't like. It is a strength of this system that the funds are handled between guest and host by Airbnb - to prevent problems and fraudulent behavior on both sides.

So spend your time doing something else besides being nasty in this discussion room - there are MILLIONS of successful transactions on Airbnb daily, proof that it works well enough.

If you can't take the heat - go cook somewhere else.

[Roger68]

Your comments are ironic and moronic at the same time. Like I said in previous posts...others also question as I have the way this company operates....and they have sent me personal messages agreeing with my post...and for your information....I do cook  in other places. a....and probably bigger kitchens than yours.... Save your lecture for the kids.

====ROGER

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Nice to meet you @Roger68, my name is Lizzie and I am the Community Manager here.

I am going to step into this discussion now as it is starting to get rather negative and personal, which is not nice to see here in the Community Center.

I understand your worry here Roger, but the way Airbnb works is when a guest books a place, they pay upfront the full amount (long-term rentals are slightly different). Therefore, as a host when you accept a booking/or receive a notification about a confirmed booking, this is confirming the payment from the guest. In terms of your payment as a host, this is released by Airbnb after 24 hours of the due check-in date of your guest and then depending upon your payment method it can take a few days to be processed and arrive with you. (You can check the status of a payment in your Transaction History). If you feel the process could be improved and have any suggestions, I would recommend sharing an 'Idea' in Host Voice, the most supported ideas by the community are then reviewed by the Product Team. 

I would also like to add on this, that payments taken outside of the Airbnb system means you are not protected by Airbnb's support and T&Cs, so I would strongly recommend not doing this. It is always advisable to contact the Support Team who will be able to help you if there are any problems with a payment. Here is a useful Community Guide (created by a host here in the CC) on the ways to reach the team.

Going back to this discussion here, I feel we have moved away from the original topic created and it is no-longer a constructive conversation. For the Community Center to work as well as it can, we have to get along and however experienced we are, we can still be open and learn things from one another - making personal references to each other certainly won't enable us to find a solution. Lets all keep it respectful. 🙂

Thank you for your time, I am going to close this thread now. 

Lizzie