My guest cancelled their booking, but airbnb has dropped my commitment rate to 95%.

[Louise120]

My guests booked my apartment before realising that they couldn't afford ski passes in the area. They apologised and I sent them a message telling them that I understood and hoped that they were able to find somewhere suitable. There was mention that I could do something to help them cancel online, but the airbnb site was unavailable for 48 hours. This may have been because I was trying to access it via the mobile site in France.

I have received a message today that my commitment rate has dropped to 95% for this cancellation and a 'warning' has been placed on my dashboard.

How can I be penalised for a cancellation by guests and how can this be rectified ? Is this a computer error and has anyone any experience of this ?

Thanks, Louise.

[Louise120]

I have just noticed that airbnb have also blocked these dates from being booked as a 'punishment' ! Is such Orwellian practice normal ? I have never had an issue with airbnb before.

Please could someone advise as to how I get these dates unblocked. It is very frustrating to lose the booking in the first place, but to be further penalised for something out of my control is galling.

Louise

[Jeet0]

Hi @Louise120,

This is a bot unclear for me, "

There was mention that I could do something to help them cancel online, but the airbnb site was unavailable for 48 hours. This may have been because I was trying to access it via the mobile site in France."

If the Guests have cancelled the booking from their end, you shouldn't be penalized. Did you get a cancellation email? What does that say?

If you haven't cancelled yourself, get in touch with Airbnb now and explain them what happened and get your dates unlocked and the rating improved.

To recah out to Airbnb, find the toll free number on the itinenary of the reservation.

Hope this helps,

Jeet

[Louise120]

Thanks Jeet

I have contacted airbnb via twitter so hopefully they will be able to sort things out. I couldn't find any direct airbnb number, but maybe that is because I am in the UK.

I was wondering if guests can cancel and state 'cancelled by host' as their reason even if this isn't true. My guest stated in his email that I was able to reduce his airbnb service fee if I logged on.  I'm not sure if that is true, but I was unable to log on in any case since the mobile site was down.

I also had two messages from airbnb telling me that the cancellation would proceed in 48 hours if I did nothing. These messages are not on my account under messages and the guest had already cancelled so I am unsure what this meant - I obviously couldn't force the guest to continue with his booking !

Louise

[Andrea9]

@Louise120

If you got an email from Airbnb about the guest cancellation asking if you accept it, then if you do click 'Yes' the cancellation is bounced back to you as cancelling. Nefarious, but guests are apparently even prompted by the system to do this to spare them the cancellation costs.

The host should better tick off 'No, I am willing to go through with the booking' (or whatever the text currently is).

Not sure about this, but I thought I've read quite a while back that if you don't react within a certain time period that it will be regarded as you agreeing to the cancellation, thus taking the brunt of host penalties upon you.

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/keep-an-eye-out-for-CANCELLATION-REQUEST-from-guests/...

https://travel.hostfully.com/airbnb-contact-numbers-805ba9e004d7#.c58byq6ox

[Louise120]

Thanks Andrea

This must be what happened. I didn't have the option to decline the cancellation because airbnb was off-line - I was presented by the bouncing man avatar holding a screwdriver !

I am hoping that airbnb will get back to me via twitter (they asked me to DM them with the name and message from the guest, but I have yet to receive a reply) and sort this out so that someone else can book these dates. It really is a very underhand way to placate guests and penalise hosts.

Does anyone have a direct number to contact airbnb from the UK ? I have searched the site but it appears that they have hidden any contact details very well.

Louise

[Helen3]

Hi Louise

You can find it by looking at the 1st post under the Community Help  forum here - called CONTACT BNB.

[Andrea9]

@Louise120

check my 2nd link for contact no.

[Louise120]

Oops. Thanks, I missed the second link.

[Ancrum0]

Its not fair that you get penalised for this.. same has happend to me. I've only just notified Airbnb about this & am yet to receive a response. Did you ever hear back from them?

[Robin4]

@Ancrum0 @Louise120

Ancrum, from the look of your listing you have been 'credited' with a host cancellation. There are a number of ways this can come about and some of them are downright sneaky on Airbnb's part! 

Airbnb are actively telling guests if they cannot proceed with a booking the only way than can have all their funds returned is to get the host to initiate the cancellation.

You will reveive an email like this......

This email gives you the impression that you don't have to do anything...Airbnb are being the good guys here and sorting it all out for you.....problem solvered!!!!

NOT SO! by doing nothing you are agreeing to Airbnb cancelling the booking 'on your behalf' so you will be penalised in the following way......

You must never, under any circumstance accept responsibility for a guest initiated reservation cancellation.

After all, you were prepared to host, you have not created the problem here, the guest has. You must in every instance instruct Airbnb that you were, and are, prepared to go through with the hosting and will not accept, or aggree to a cancellation on your behalf. What will happen then Airbnb will get back to the guest and inform them that if the reservation cannot be honoured they will have to cancel. Airbnb do not like doing this because it makes them look bad! They would far rather refund all the guests money and shaft the host for it.

In a way I am sorry to have laboured a point here but this is a pivotal part of the platform and a wrong move by a host here can affect their business for years to come.

Cheers.....Rob

[Louise120]

I was unable to get a response via twitter, but when I called they were very helpful and reversed all the penalties.

They looked at the message from my guest which clearly stated his intention to cancel. I think my case was helped by the fact that the airbnb France site was down and I was therefore unable to 'agree' to the cancellation - which I probably would have done, not knowing that this was a sneaky way to get me to agree to the penalty !

This forum was very helpful.

Louise

[Marcus33]

Dont DM them on twitter.  They act a lot faster if its a public message.  You can guess why!

[Helene69]

Agreed Louise ! I had a similar issue and processed the cancellation on behalf of my guests since they did not want to loose their fees. The cancellation was processed 3 weeks prior to arrival after negociations and the booking was for only 2 nights. 

I received a penalty as well some warning that I may be taken out of the listings! Commitment rate dropped by 10 % for helping out the guests for a booking of 2 nights only! I cant apply for super host either of course.

I have scored perfectly with every other guest and in every other aspect. I also emailed AirBnB explaing the circumstances and providing all relevant details. 

This seems a little ridiculous and it is quite frustrating! We stive to provide the best service possible and very personal care / attention to our clients, why doesn t AirBnB do the same for us as hosts???

Helene, Bangkok

[Andrea9]

@Helene69

I got dinged in my commitment rate like that too when I had an Instant Book  reservation annulled because the guy was going against my house rules. I'd just tried it out to see if it would fit me and my listing, and he was the proof it didn't. So long story short - no other penalties, but only noticed a day or so later that I had taken a hit after all. I contacted Airbnb again to explain again that it wasn't my fault and to have it removed, and this 2nd time I got a much more experienced person who said that it was not my fault and who had my previous 100% record restored. 

Try calling again. Maybe it won't work, but maybe it will.