PLEASE HELP! AirBnb Ridiculous Extenuating Circumstance Policy - Super Host Here - FRAUD!

[Eric-and-Brooke0]

Hey everyone!  We are trying to reach out to other hosts to help us with a situation we are currently dealing with.  We are Super Hosts and have a strict cancellation policy in place due to several instances in the past where guests have canceled last minute and we were not able to re-book those dates.  We are consistently 95% booked all year round, hence the strict cancellation policy.  We had a guest book $1450 worth of dates but then cancel well beyond our strict cancellation window.  The guest was refunded half of the reservation per our strict cancelation policy.  He then reached out to me asking for a full refund.  I told him that I would consider this request IF we were able to re-book those dates with other guests.  The dates that he originally booked were the only open dates over a 3 month span and we were not able to re-book due to it being a last minute cancellation. So instead of being out $1450, we were out $725.  The guest still requested we give him the remaining refund because he had to cancel this reservation because a continuous education class he was going to attend was cancelled.  I appologized to the guest, but told him that I think it is fair that we split the difference because I was unable to book these dates, and was still ultimately losing money because of his cancellation.  The guest then escalated the case to Airbnb.  

I received a phone call almost 2 months after this reservation from an Airbnb representative stating the guest is still requesting the full refund.  I stated that this was almost 2 months ago and had no idea this was even still an issue because 1.) the guest agreed that a full refund would be considered if I booked those dates, 2.) I was protected by the strict cancellation policy, and 3.) the amount of time that has passed.  The representative (Hazzle) was extremely RUDE, unprofessional, arguementative, and tried to coerce me into refunding the guest throughout the entire conversation.  She was trying to put words into my mouth the entire conversation and was using intimadation techniques stating that it is our obligation to refund the guest and repeating that a "real" super host would "do the right thing and issue the refund."  Rather than trying to understand our point of view and hear both sides of the story, she was one sided the entire conversation even though we are the SUPER HOSTS and this guest had 0 reviews.  Why would she only be concerned with making the guest happy and not a host that has been a super host for over a year?!  I thought splitting the difference 50/50 was more than fair instead of 100% in either direction.  I told her that I was willing to work with the guest even though I did not technically  have to IF we booked those dates.  She continued to put pressure on me throughout the conversation but ulitmately told me it was up to me, but that she had confidence that I would make the "right" decsision and do the "right" thing, as any other super host would. 

A couple of weeks later I get an EMAIL stating that Airbnb had ruled in the guest's favor and issued the guest a full refund.  I immediately responded asking Hazzle for an explanation, and she replied via email that the guest provided appropriate paperwork that fell into the extenuating circumstances clause (which supercedes the strict cancellation policy).  This was the same documentation that was submitted weeks ago when the orignal case was open at the same time I spoke with her over the phone, and she did not mention anything at that time about the documentation qualifying for the extenuating circumstances clasue. Furthermore, the document provided by the guest was simply a generic letter stating the employer canceled the continous classes and apologizing for any inconveninces this may have caused the employees.  The employer in this case is the Canadian government and the guest was traveling to Florida for the class.  I immediately replied to Hazzle's response asking her to please call me to discuss the situation over the phone and at least offer me an explanation of why she felt it qualified as an exenuating circumstance.  She replied that she is disengaging from this email chain and refused to call me stating that the decision was already made and was now irreversible.  I replied back immediately asking her one more time to please give me a call and that it is extremely unprofessional to just make a decision via email and not honor my request to speak with her over the phone regarding the matter.  I called the Airbnb superhost hotline right away requesting to speak to a manager/supervisor and was told nobody was around and that someone would call me back.  Fast forward 5 days later and 3 call backs by me and I can not get a supervisor to even call me back.  Keep in mind that the government paid for the guest's trip and the trip that he had to re-book at a later date so the guest was NEVER out of pocket for anything.  The money that he received as a refund from this booking went directly into his pocket and then booked other dates at a future time that the government paid for.  So the guest personally profited $1450 and we are out $1450.  

I am absolutely appalled that this is how Airbnb is treating Super hosts, or any hosts for that matter.  Why do we have cancellation policies?  Why do we bother doing everything we can to go above and beyond for our guests and earn super host status when this company does not have our back?  Why should someone that is employed by the government have special privileges and our cancelation polices do not apply to them.  Does this mean I should never accept a government employee's reservation since they are above the law?  Now, I feel as though their inadequate system is encouraging discrimination, which goes against my personal beliefs and the mission statement Airbnb has clearly laid out to all hosts across the world. It is not fair that government employees and military personnel get this special treatment. If I booked an Airbnb with a strict cancellation policy for a work conference in California for my job but I cancel a few days before because of a work conflict, would this too fall under their extenuating circumstances policy (if I was able to provide documentation stating that my employer changed the travel dates)? Or did this guest receive preferential treatment because he happend to be a government/military employee? I've read through the extenuating circumstances policy and the list of reasons that qualify does not include anything about work conflicts. The types of circumstances that they outline in the written policy and deem valid include (and are limited to): -Unexpected death or serious illness of a host, guest, or immediate family member, -Serious injury that directly restricts a guest's ability to travel, - Significant natural disasters or severe weather incidents impacting the location of destination or location of departure, -Urgent travel restrictions or severe security advisories issued after the time of booking, by an appropriate nation or internation authority, -Endemic disease declared by a credible national or internation authority, -Severe property damage or unforseen maintenance issues that directly impact the ability to host safely, -Government-mandated obligations issued after the time of booking (ex: jury duty).

We rely on this income to help pay our mortgage and it is absurd that AirBnb would do this to a host that has represented their company in a very professional and positive manner.  I apologize for the lengthly post and we really appreciate any help or insight from other hosts.  I am not going to give up until this matter is resolved.  Thank you!

[Sheila22]

Super Hosts out there, or any hosts.  Listen up!  And keep in mind I have solid evidence in writing of all this.  So,  after further investigation, it turns out the "guest", [personal information hidden] from Brazil (I'm giving you this information so you can be warned that this in not someone you want to book) canceled a month-long, prime holiday season reservation with me, and Airbnb let him do it AND gave full refund based upon "extenuating circumstances" (doctor's note stating wife is injured so they can't travel),  BUT, please listen to this: this guy is here in my area renting a cheaper place through Airbnb. Let me repeat: Airbnb cancelled this guy's booking with me giving him full refund (and didn't even inform me before doing it), but they are allowing him to book another place  in the same location.  I told Airbnb all this and I've shown them the evidence and they stil have have only responded with the canned "this case is closed".  This is really happening.  I can not believe it!

[David126]

@Sheila22

I have said this many many times, you can never assume that AirBnB will uphold your cancellation policy, far too easy to avoid them if you are a Guest.

Not that it really matters but one 'justification' is that there were 2 of them, now one so your booking no longer meets their needs.

[Ryan111]

If you are in New York City, try reaching out to the local host liasons.  

[Francisca16]

@Sheila0.This is incredible! How could ABB allowe the guest who cancelled because his wife was injured to rebook in the same neighborhood at the same period, simply because he found a cheaper place. This makes no sense. Hosts are not protected. This is getting me concerned.

[Novi0]

I hate the extenuating policy too. Especially when the reason is that guest sick and providing only doctor letter. Doctor letter is very easy to get, i can just go and ask my doctor to write i should not travel for so long. Experienced it several time where my guest cancel for sick reason. Airbnb support are too lazy to investigate further and simply sending me the copy of extenuating policy over and over. Airbnb should put also automatic review on guesy that cancel just like they do on the host when we cancel, so as host we can be careful with guest who has been canceling often before.

[Rachel454]

I am also in shock at how ridiculously unfair the EC policy is. I've had my first experience of a cancellation this week 4 days before the stay because the guest got Tonsillitus. Thats one guest out of 13 got a note from the doctor to say they has Tonsillitus. I gave them a partial refund as obviously we wouldn't have to have the changeover team in before the next lot and rejected the claim for the full amount which I thought was pretty fair. I naively thought nothing more of it as we had a strict cancellation policy in place, laughing away to myself at how ridiculous it was and how Airbnb would surely laugh them out of town. Especially as the description in the EC policy I had read stated 'serious' illness and from the doctors notes on the medical form the tonsilitus clearly wasn't that serious!

Then I get an email from the case handler saying they will be refunding them in full and we won't get a payout, without any discussion with me. Makes an absolute mockery over even having a host cancellation policy. So I was shocked, but now after reading so many similar experiences on here I feel defeated. I was all geared up to have it out with them tomorrow and escalate it as high as I could but now I am thinking what is the point, I'll just have to give in and let them get away with it all over again. 

I felt for the guest as it was not their fault they were ill but its certainly not mine either! Our holiday barn is a money pit of a property to maintain that we have inherited so we rely heavily on the money from bookings until we can flog the place. I actually turned down another booking enquiry for the same weekend after the Airbnb guest had booked so missed out on that one. They are basically offering a free insurance policy to guests for which we as hosts pay the price, it is grossly unfair. But not sure what I can do about it.

If anyone has ever managed to overturn a decision or challenge it in any way would be really good to hear about it. Cheers

[David126]

@Rachel454

I have mentioned this many times on this forum but worth repeating, you should never assume your cancellation policy will be uphelp, much too easy to avoid.

I personally would never take a booking where  I would suffer seriously if it was cancelled.

[Rachel454]

Well I know that now, but what I'm saying is its ridiculous! I would suffer even more seriously if I didn't take bookings at all just in case they were cancelled, but now considering coming off Airbnb altogether. My point is the EC policy and how they deal with it is awful. They need to ask people to get cancellation insurance insead. 

[Leslie63]

Hi, I also have a strict cancellation policy and am a super host. Twice in the last year, I have had guests cancel but seek a full refund. Both times, AirBnB sided with the guests and remitted a 100 per cent refund. Unfortunately, one reservation was for almost a month and the other for two weeks. I have no way of assessing whether there were “extenuating circumstances.” I question whether AirBnB should be making such assessments. I strongly urge AirBnB make available a trip insurance option. This would send the message that the guest can insure against the need to cancel. I personally get trip insurance for most trips (air, hotels, guided trips) and actually was reimbursed when I broke my wrist shortly before a trip. 

[Jay47]

The horror stories seem to go on and on..... In my case, a guest arrived for a 5 day stay.  She went inside with her dog, ate takout food, used the toilet and left it unflushed, left the trash, ruffled up the bed, left leaving the door open and did not put the key back.  She arrived about 30 minutes after my housekeeper and I both finished cleaning and inspecting the unit to make sure it was perfect.  She was there about an hour, called me and asked me to help her get her money back, claiming the unit had not been cleaned and that the very quiet heater was loud and making noises.  I told her that I had personally inspected it just before she arrived and it was immaculate and there was no basis to refund her money.  The unit sits less that 100 feet behind my house and I watched her arrive and depart.

I post over 50 pictures of each of my tiny houses and describe them in great detail.  I get hundreds of rave reviews consistently over and over.  Long story short she called Airbnb and talked to "Sky" who sent me an email telling me that she would be given a full refund, ending his note with "Cheers".   I tried to protest it but it was like talking to the sky between Airbnb's ears, if you catch my meaning.

[David126]

@Jay47

Basically it is a cost of doing business on this platform, all I can suggest is that you build an allowance in to your rates to take care of this sort of situation. Charge an extra Dollar whatever a night.

[Jay47]

It is not a question of a "cost of doing business".  It is a question of right and wrong, common sense and equity.  A contract is binding between the parties and when Airbnb makes a non-sensical, arbitrary decision that interfers with the fulfillment of obligations of that contract, such decisions could possibly fall under an actual legal tort known as "procurement of breach of contract".  In its simplest stated form, a breaching party of a contract should not "get by with it" and should not be aided in getting by with it by Airbnb agents, or anyone else.  Airbnb's continued acts of enabling a breaching party and then rewarding them for the wrongdoing is not something we should easily accept as "a cost of doing business".

[David126]

Reality check, I do not know what your loss was but relative to the cost of employing a Lawyer, I am going to assume it is likely to be minimal.

I do know that the terms and conditions of using the site give AirBnB significant powers to make such calls, and that despite many such complaints to take this to Court I am not aware of any Host who has done so.

I see it mare as an issue of managing risk and factoring the cost in to your rates.

Or use another booking sytem and deal with their different issues.

[Jay47]

Reality check?  David, I am new to this forum.  I said nothing about "employing a lawyer". 

People vent their frustrations in hopes that they will be noticed by Airbnb higher-ups who actually care and that improvements and refinements will occur as result.  We do not share your "shut up and charge another dollar to offset" business model.

You seem to be very vocal, being exceptionally forgiving and content with Airbnb's outrageous "extenuating circumstances" decisions.  However, most of us, unlike you, are not nearly as quick to adopt a "thank you mum, may I have another please" attitude.  I am curious whether or not you are an Airbnb operative, share-holder or board member yourself?  If you are affiliated in that manner with Airbnb, then why don't you make yourself useful and work to actually straighten out some of these legitimate issues?  

[David126]

@Jay47

I have been on this forum for a couple of years, came here when somebody want me to cancel so they could get a full refund and it sounded really odd to me that it would be that simple to avoid ABB taking their fee.

If there has been any significant changes to the system that help Hosts with the common issues that come up time and time again I have missed them.

So my first issue was minor, the $45 booking for one night they wanted to cancel at the very last minute, I had no  issue, they had stayed with me before, I think i know why, told them happy to refund my bit but only ABB could refund total.

An hour later they had cancelled for extenuating circumstances - medical.

I do not believe that it would have been physically possible to see a Doctor in that time, obtain evidence submit it and be approved. I do not think that was thre real reason anyway. So it was a bit of a wake up.

A month later I had one for weather, snow around Christmas, it was a gorgeous day we had a couple of inches but blue skies and no wind and I am at 10,000 ft in the Rocky Mountains, hardly a surprise. Exactly what you would expect and why people often come here. Obviously no weather warnings, road closures, nothing an Insurer would want to see to justify such a claim.

I would also mention I have a long term rental, just renewed the lease, I know the process that is normal and the paper work required, references, real security deposit etc etc.

So yes it would be nice if AirBnB changed some of their weirder policies, just do not see it happening. Well anytime soon.

Now there are lots of things I like about AirBnB, if it was all bad I would not be here. 

I would NOT use the system for long term rentals

I would NOT use the system where I needed a Security Deposit

I would NOT rely on the Host Guarantee paying anything

I am on site and would not charge a security deposit whatever system I used so that is not an issue, I do not offer long term discounts and I have had enquiries but do not want long term bookings anyway, and my main frustration with the Host Guarantee is that it is over sold and people believe it is real.

There is an ongoing discussion on Support Animals, now another really weird policy which makes me wonder what planet the people making these calls live on. Now I accept dogs and would like to charge a small fee, another issue that would be a simple fix but nothing has been done. I have a dog, his ESA tags should arrive today, not sure that it will help him outside of AirBnB but they were only $10. And no I would never take him into another Hosts listing claiming support animal, he can sleep in the Truck, just an amusement. But if somebody wanted to they could and would not even need the tags.