I can't actually believe this

[Robin4]

@Lizzie.....I cannot actually believe that Airbnb would totally alienate a huge section of their hosting community!

This is an excerpt I just came across from another post purportedly from a member of Airbnb staff!

Customer Support:  "I have reached out to my colleague who is working with this system change to get more information. It sounds like we are working to phase out this method of notification, which is why this change has been coming about. For now, it sounds like it should be able to be switched back on through the app on your phone. You can do this by going to Settings > Notifications and turning on the Text Message Notifications. You may need to switch it off and then back on again".....

Tell me their kidding!!

My situation requires me to transact business from my PC, but I depend on sms contact in order to do that!

What if we don't use the apps and depend on that sms for first guest contact?

What happens when we haven't ready access to the internet?

How could they, for a moment, consider doing something like this!

How do other hosts feel about this....Cheers.....Rob

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

@Robin4 Whether your phone dings because of an SMS, or it dings because of an e-mail, does it really make a huge difference? If you're out in the middle of nowhere, with no coverage, you're not going to get either. At least with e-mail, you have a chance of finding a wifi hotspot. With SMS, you're out of luck if there is no cellular coverage.

[Robin4]

@Ed-and-Hugh0 Hi Guys,  There is method in all our madness! Both my wife and I are both on minimal mobile phone plans because our home phone is a VoIP service which means, it is totally cost free. There is no line rental charge or call charge so we can talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week anywhere in the world and it does not cost us a cent. For that reason we do not use our mobile phones for internet roaming and don't have data enabled on them. Soooo many people here have been stung by mobile providers with massive data charges because they have inadverantly accessed something they perhaps should no have, what with the proliferation of apps and providers, so I choose not to put myself at risk. And I am in an ever growing number of people doing just this.

I do carry a tablet with a portable Wifi but, not in my pocket...and this is still a cellular service! And I do depend on that sms as a first alert, not just for Airbnb, but many other things as well.

I understand entirely what you are saying but, once again you possibly do not appreciate the circumstance here. Cellular has vastly more coverage than the internet, and even if you should be outside of cellular coverage you will automatically receive the sms alert as soon as some sort of coverage resumes. You can get mobile coverage when you are hours away from a Wifi hotspot! And Edd & Hugh there is a significant number of hosts who are in a similar situation for one reason or another.

Please do not actively promote disadvantaging us, just because it may not affect you!!!

'Different strokes for different folks'

[Anonymous]

@Ed-and-Hugh0, YES it makes a huge difference. As I said in Europe, normal phone coverage is up to 99% but internet mobile is to be 60%! And without Internet Mobile coverage my IPhone don't ring for any email. And when I receive a SMS notification in a 'white area' (without internet coverage) I know I have to look for a place with WIFI or move to get access. This is in West Europe, when you are in south America it's worse, I use to go Uruguay and Argentina, out of Montevideo, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires it's very difficult to have a simply internet access, they still have few Cybercafe and I would never come in my airbnb account in one of those. Without SMS notification I will have to snooze my listings or will surely loose my SH status (which is maybee a good thing).

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

@Anonymous @Fiona1 Yes, but this situation can easily be handled with e-mail to SMS gateway. Hosts who still want to use this can certainly do so with or without Airbnb being involved. The problem is when hosts or guests are forced to use unreliable SMS. We had a case where a guest broke down in tears because she was only receiving a portion of our messages, even after several attempts at repeating the information. Had she used e-mail or the app, she would not have had this problem.

People are making a big deal out of this, but they can continue to use SMS if they want. If their carrier can support it, can even use MMS to avoid the problem of longer messages not completely coming through. It really is not the end of the world. If yout want notifications to go to you via SMS, just put your SMS gateway e-mail address into Airbnb, or forward your e-mail to your phone's SMS e-mail address.

[Anonymous]

@Ed-and-Hugh0, thanks I didn't know about e-mail to SMS gateway. But be carefull, it's not always free. I contact my internet provider and for Orange in France it's 0.17€/SMS (160 caracter), and you can choose to send SMS only for one precise mail adress or for any mail which contain (airbnb). If not my provider made me a simulation and it would cost me 200€/month! So don't forget to specify you just want SMS from Airbnb. You can also create a specific adress for your airbnb account with SMS gateway and it's OK.

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for including me in this discussion. There has been quite a bit of uncertainty around this, I don't have any information on this, so I am just trying to find out more from Airbnb side and will let you know. 

[Robin4]

@Lizzie @Anonymous @Fiona1  Well, it has actually happened I was just about to turn in for the day and I went on my dashboard and there was a pre-approval request which has simply sat there since 9.15am this morning (15 hours ago) I have now responded but have possibly lost this potential guest because I simply did not know the request was there.

Airbnb are to be absolutely dammed for doing this too me and others....What in the hell are they thinking!!!! Do they seriously think this is a step in the right direction...God almighty, I am cross..... I am now going to seriously re-think my situation where Airbnb is concerned....they are not the only hosting site and I will simply not put up with this....no cheers this time, I am seriously upset...Rob

[Anonymous]

@Robin4, @Lizzie, @Fiona1, @Ed-and-Hugh0. It could be worse than only SMS phasing out, it seems to be EVERY notification phasing out. I just notice many complains about NO MORE MAIL NOTIFICATION and NO MORE PUSH NOTIFICATION ON THE APP! (on @AirbnbHelp, private Airbnb FB Groups and CC). Hope it's just a bug or a bad joke (@AirbnbHelp is actualy tweeting how to get in touch with guests through notifications...)To be investigated. 

[Maxine0]

@Robin, @Lizzie, @Fiona, @Ed & Hugh. @Anonymous

I'm re-posting my earlier reponse to Oliver's comment here as it posted but then disappeared.

I said to Oliver you are kidding me. Surely ABB wouldn't remove all forms of notification from text, SMS to even email of inquiries and bookings to hosts?

Do they expect hosts to login to their accounts every day several times a day just on the off chance a email is their - and likewise I presume for guests to check responses? 

I would be aghast if that were true.

Another host following the same discussion in another group has just confirmed she's missed 3 inquiries due to having no idea that text notifications had been withdrawn without notice - and she only uses her phone for text and calls - not email as she is retired. she'd get a text and respond and or login to respond

Thanks ABB

[Anonymous]

@Maxine0, I'm not kidding you! And please have the courtesy to ask before naming someone and copying posts out of this thread...

I'm trying to have an official alert for hosts from Airnb about this particular glitsh to keep an eye on their PC while it's not solved.

[Maxine0]

@Anonymous - HUMPF ........ it was in the same subject thread that you are participating in anyway!! And a public forum. So I suggest you state in any post if you do not wish to be quoted verbatim. Be assured, I won't mention you again, at all, ever. No need to respond.

[Anonymous]

@Maxine0, I just don't want to be named in other forum and other threads where I don't participate in, read the differents posts on Anecdotes & Stories groups thread and say me where on this thread I post something except the answer I gave you. But don't worry, I don't want to make a fuss with this, the only main part is to have this problem solved and the hosts notified.  

[Maxine0]

@Anonymous - yes, resolving the issue is paramount, that we agree upon.

As I said, I won't mention you again, at all, ever. Thus I accepted your request.

ABB always deny there is any problem reported by other hosts - hence alerting hosts to the issue and hearing their thoughts at least confirms whether it is a problem for a few or many.

The CC is very quiet as many hosts are still using Groups until they close on Feb 25th. And 000's more don't participate in groups regularly nor the CC - so after Feb 25th, it's going to be very difficult to share much information anyway.

ABB can make any changes they like without notification to hosts or due consideration - so many of us will start making alternative arrangements anyway when we get so fed up and feel under valued by Airbnb and the lack of community results in hosts starting to move away.

I was a big ABB fan and moving off to other sites wasn't something I wanted the hassle of doing but it's getting so bad now that i can't justify not investigating other options now.

[Robin4]

@Maxine0 @Anonymous @Lizzie  Well, it's happened guys I have lost my first booking through this 'minor alteration' to the booking process.....A minor alteration Airbnb....$156.00 to me!! Nobody 'Reached out' to me!

You know, I sung the praises of this company....if I could plug for them, I did....that's finished. I have put up another post...Where to form here! That explains how I feel...Cheers guys.....Rob

[Miraï0]

@Robin4@Maxine0@Anonymous

Hi everyone! 

I'm mad too: I lost a 600 US $ worth booking because of NO SMS NOTIFICATION... I was on vacation and could not get on the net every day to check my mails...

I contacted ABB twice, answer: 

"Mise à jour par : ..................., 25 févr. 

Chère Miraï,

De nouveau .......... du site internet Airbnb. Avant toute chose, je vous remercie de votre patience et je m'excuse pour le temps que j'ai mis à revenir vers vous.

Je suis sincèrement désolée du soucis rencontré avec les notifications SMS non reçues qui a fait chuter votre taux de réponse.

J'ai regardé consciencieusement votre compte et me suis rapprochée de mon équipe spécialisée afin de vous offrir une solution. Malheureusement, dans la mesure où vous avez tout de même reçu les notifications par e-mail, nous ne sommes pas en mesure de modifier votre taux de réponse, j'en suis sincèrement désolée.

Je vous garantis qu'une investigation est en cours pour bien comprendre ce qu'il s'est passé avec l'envoi des SMS, et travaillons activement afin que ce souci technique ne se reproduise plus.

Je suis tout à fait consciente de la deception que cette réponse représente. Je suis certaine que vous pourrez rapidement faire remonter votre taux de réponse en répondant à toutes vous nouvelles demande. Dans le doute, vérifiez bien chaque jour votre boite e-mail pour ne manquer aucune demande.

Nous vous remercions de votre patience et de votre collaboration face à cette situation.

Passez une excellente journée.

Bien à vous,

www.airbnb.com/help"

In other words, it means that as I got a mail, they will not do anything for me... I'm really pi**ed!

I will probably lose my SUPERHOST status I suppose... 

Is there anyone in the same case as me?

Miraï