“Search the Community” Function Is Your Friend: A Community Help Guide

[Dave-and-Deb0]

I have seen a lot of people asking the same questions time and time again.

How do I contact Airbnb?  How do I block off dates on my calendar or change the price on my calendar?  How do I (insert here).

So it is now time to make a "How To Guide for Using the Community Center Search Engine".

Every Community Center page has a box at the top with a magnifying glass and inside that box it says: "Search the community".  It looks like the image below.

So what you need to do is ask yourself, "What type of question do I want to ask that I have been unable to ask by searching on the Airbnb help links or by doing a Google Search?".  When you have that unanswered question, type in key words into the search box to see if maybe it actually has been answered somewhere in the Community Center.

Let's take for example, "How can I talk to a real live person at Airbnb?"  Ok, so I would type in "How to contact Airbnb" in the "Search the community" box at the top of the page and a lot of suggested posts will be shown.  If any of those posts look like they may answer my question, I can click and I will be taken to that post.  See the image below.

Now, let's just say that you have tried at least 2-3 different types of searches and you still can't find your answer.  Airbnb has conveniently included a little button that says "Ask the Community".  You can click on that and then write a post and someone will most likely answer your question rather quickly.  In case you can't find the "Ask the Community" button, you could do a search in the Community Center or take a look at the image below and see if you can find it (hint: follow the red arrow).

Hopefully this has answered any questions on how to use the search bar.  If this has helped you or made you laugh just a little, give it a "thumbs up".  If you don't know what "thumbs up" is, I have also included an image below with a little red box around it.  It is the hand that has a thumb up in the air.

Happy hosting and I would like to wish everyone a very safe and enjoyable holiday season and a prosperous 2016.

Dave

[Clare0]

Good job @Dave-and-Deb0 , hope the newbies will use it!

[Judy8]

my superhost evaluation

[Maria-Lurdes0]

@Lizzie can you pin this post?  It's so informative and I'm afraid it's going to get hidden in a day or two.....

[Deborah0]

Thank you @Dave-and-Deb0 for all of your very helpful "how to" posts....I am hoping that these will be used!  I do think that part of the reason many new hosts have so many problems, is that they aren't able to negotiate the Airbnb website and read FAQs, learn how hosting works and how to manage their listing, as well as learn how to use the search function.  It's unfortunate -- because one of the primary benefits of this new "community center" was supposed to be that people would use the search function, so the same questions wouldn't be asked again and again and again.  I actually did a post on this same issue, a couple months ago, with the goal of helping people just learn to use the Airbnb site -- which as hosts they really need to learn.  

Sometimes people just need a little helping hand, but IMHO, those who need to be continually spoon fed, probably are not meant to be in this business.   Renting out property is difficult enough as it is, without confusions such as a host actually not knowing if the guest has just asked them a question, or booked a stay with them.  

[Xavi6]

I have some customers at home and I have just broken a window blind as not working according to them have forced until broken, then as there were no blind have tried to hang a blanket over the curtain rod, bar has fallen and I have done some damage, now as I can solve,

[Jacqui30]

Hi there

I have recently, ie in the past two days been contacted for booking however the prices that are getting when doing a booking request is completely wrong.

My daily rate is R800 pd and also provide a discount for long stays.  Three booking requests have been for month long stays and the values have been R1400 - R1600 for a month stay.  Is there a problem somewhere?  I have check my setting and I dont have the smart pricing on.

Please assist where possible

[Susan383]

A guest can't book one of my rooms from 29 December - 6 January.  The site is telling me I have blocked 6 Januaryand I haven't . Internet is stuck what can I do

susan

[Stefanus0]

I am using Airbnb in South Africa as a host. What a bad system, no good advise, cannot talk to a real person but only in questions and answers. Battle to get my rental out of Airbnb, lost money due to fees, exchange rate, etc. The only winners are Airbnb. They paid my rand into a USD bank, paid out in USD, now it is my problem to get the value into SA Rands. They got 4 months of interest on the money, they get the benefit of the exchange rate etc.

They do not cover South Africa 

[Susan383]

Thanks I sorted it out it was my fault.  Sorry about your problems.  

[Sandria0]

I have 2 rooms that can be let seperately or together.

But here is only one calender to view and I need a seperate one for each room. How do I manage this?

[Alanah1]

Hi Sandria,

I have a similar situation. Also I want to price each room seperately - but cannot see a way of doing this on my listing (or calendar).

Did you receive any replies that helped.

Thanks 

Alanah

[Christos18]

experiences@airbnb.com                  actually goes to a person and someone will respond, they say, within 12 hours.  (open M-F 9a-8p PST.)

[Yuhui0]

Anyone can help me to provide IBAN code for Malaysia ? I tried many times without IBAN I can't get my payment. 

Or any other method of getting payment ? Plz help 

[Kimberly54]

@Dave-and-Deb0, this is honestly buried treasure! 

I've been crawling/sniffing/feeling around AirBnB for nearly a month and I JUST found this!  

Truly, for newbies on the site, it is not intuitive.  I've watched about three hours of on-line courses (all checked-off as completed), and tried to read everything I can.   Only a few days ago I was told that my rating had gone from a one (yikes... talk about the land down-under! no offence to Australians) to a three and finally found out that it was because I'd finally started participating in the community!  HUH???  Then I received an email from AirBnB Guide asking me if I would like to get paid to write--logo soooo similar, font, color... one little squiggle is a little different... but it's not at all associated. Yuck.

I have a TON of experience, both being a host and as a guest for over 40 years, but new to the AirBnB system.  I have a lot to offer, and a lot to learn from this great community and look forward to sharing more, but if you could find a way to move this resourse up closer to the surface, the newbies would have a better time... I believe.