A family in Chile has got nothing to eat

[Ute42]

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In another thread a rather sad story has been developing over the past couple of days. This is a long story, I'm cutting it down as good as I can.

Monika in Chile is renting 3 places through airbnb in Chile but she doesn't get paid by airbnb. She started reporting about her problem on sept. 19, adressing  @Catherine-Powell  , to no avail.

Due to COVID she had to close her places on march 20 and reopened mid of august. Monika did get paid from airbnb untill the end of August, but ever since no payment. Monika says she and her husband have lost their jobs due to COVID, couldn't rent the flats and now she's not reveiving money for the completed stays.

Monika has listet a breakdown of outstanding payments for 19 stays, totalling apprx 2400 USD.

Monika has been calling and writing with airbnb every day but nothing. Unfortenately Monika's financial situation has gotten very difficult so in september she had to ask friends to lend her money to pay her bills. „We have two little kids - we can not sleep at night, worried about how to pay bills and buy food when you keep all payouts for 5 weeks“.

Meanwhile as it looks Monika has maxed out all financial resources:

• „Yesterday we were considering for me to go back to London (Monika lived there for 17 years) to find any job as here will be impossible now. We used the credit card limit and now we have nothing left. …. My 9-year-old girl heard this conversation and cried asking me not to go to London and leave them.
  
  It breaks my heart. Once while talking to airbnb , my girl took the phone and asked them, please pay my mum money“

• „Electricity bills, communal charges bills, internet bills etc etc . why, what we have done, please Airbnb pay us all money, we have nothing now, please“

2 days ago Monika received 72,000 CLS = apprx. 90 USD from airbnb. „At least I could buy some food today“ Monika wrote. But the remaining 2400 USD+ remain unpayed.

As I said this is a pretty long story, for details pls start reading here:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Customer-service-updates-payments-and-more-in-the...

and continue to read there:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Customer-service-updates-payments-and-more-in-the...

The conversation starts on page 10 and continous to page 11.

This is Monika's airbnb profile Picture: Monika , Domingo, Kyara and Maia

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I've been getting real emotional over this story. Obviousely I cannot contribute anything to all these payment details, but I have decided to send 100 Euros = 120 USD to Monika in Chile so she can buy more food for her family. In order to do so, today I have set up a Western Union account for international cash payments.

What I'd like to find out is:

• How hard is it to send Money to Chile in the 21st century?

[Mary419]

@Catherine-Powell I’ve seen dozens of missing payout threads over the last year. And I’ve had missing payouts of my own stuck on Pending for months until I pester enough to get “the bug” fixed. But this is one of the worst stories. Please get back to us all with good news that these people have been paid.

[Alex893]

This is disgusting 

[Ute42]

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My husband has meanwhile picked up his 50 Euros from Western Union.

He drove to the local Western Union branch which is 15 miles from where we live in Germany. On site he had to submit 2 things:

1. His government ID

2. the Western Union transaction number

The clerk in the WU branch took this Government ID and put it into a scanner and scanned it. WU now has a copy of his ID on file electronically. He did get the 50 Euros straight, no further deduction was made. Here's the receipt that he got, obviousely I have erased some of the data:

Also I have logged myself into my new Western Union Account. I can see from my computer that the money was picked up and the entire transaction is done.

Western Union also provides a variety of softwarefunktions to make payments on an ongoing basis. I think as a company You could make hundreds or thousands of payments a month without loosing track of one single payment.

What I do not understand is, why isn't airbnb using Western Union, the biggest cash Money transfer company in the world. Instead they have a real human being in the northern part of Chile walk into a drugstore and send money to Monika, obviousely paying in cash using banknotes. Airbnb could do all that from San Francisco online with their computers.

Maybe Western Union is too expensive? I payed 2.50 Euro for a 50 Euro moneytransfer, thats 5%. But the airbnb host fee is only 3%. Perhaps airbnb doesn't want to pay for the extra 2%? I have no idea.

Anyway, I think I am now ready to send 100 Euros / 120 USD to Monika = @Monika-And-Domingo0  .

I will send her an email in a couple of minutes.

cc: @Mary419 @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Super47 @Colleen253   (I just tooke CC members from the dropdown menue, it just takes too long to tag everyone.)

[Super47]

@Ute42

This is the receipt for the small payout (about 90 dollars) of the approx 2400 dollars that Monika and Domingo are owed. As you can see, deposited in cash (via same servipag system used for previous deposits since April, that they have in the corner shops) Nothing on it whatsoever to indicate it's an Airbnb payout, or anything to do with Airbnb. Not trackable, not traceable and certainly not ideal when it comes to doing one's accounts, or if the taxman wants to have a look at your financials. Just 3 letters in place of the name of whoever deposited it, and a scribbled, almost illegible phone number

 

[Sarah977]

There are many ways, aside from Western Union, to transfer funds internationally online. Transferwise, xetrade, Xoom, to name a few. Those are essentially currency exchange houses and people who play the money markets also use them, not just those who are sending money somewhere.

The one I use is xetrade (which may not be available everywhere, not sure) and they don't charge any fee to send money. The way they make their profit is by the exchange rate they give, which changes by the minute- they show you the rate, it refreshes every minute, and if you don't like the rate, and have reason to think you might get a better exchange rate in a few days, you just press cancel. 

I use it to transfer funds between my Canadian and Mexican bank accounts. What I like about it is that the online company does the currency conversion and transfers the money to the appropriate bank in the local currency, whereas if I were to wire Canadian dollars to my Mexican bank, not only would I pay a wire fee, the Mexican bank would charge an additional $20 service fee to covert the dollars to pesos.

@Ute42

[Super47]

@Ute42 @Sarah977 @Mary419 @Alex893 @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Helen3 @Sharon1014 @Colleen253 @Heidi588 

I don't even know where to start with this. It's all just so, so wrong. 

Firstly - and most importantly - I want to let you all know how Monika is doing, and the truth is, she's not doing well at all. I got off the phone with her at 7.45 (UK time) this morning - 3.45am in Chile. She's not eating, she's not sleeping, she's in floods of tears and is stressed beyond belief. She's worried sick about the unpaid bills, feeding her kids, keeping a roof over her family's heads, losing her livelihood, people calling her  looking for money they're owed, the extra charges she'll receive because of funds not being in her account to meet her monthly outgoings, utilities potentially being disconnected for non-payment, ending up on the DICOM and a hundred other things (see Monika's explanation of DICOM below) 

"Here in Chile if you do not pay rent , loan etc : bank , flat owners , shops put your name with your RUT ID to the system called here  DICOM and then your life here is over – anytime you will try to rent , get a loan , first they check if your name is not in DICOM – if you are there – forget to get place, get bank account , loan – you are out. We are now in this danger as we can not pay rent for the place we live and the flats we rent for Airbnb . Not mention to pay bills and basics and that we will be on the street"

Everyone who reads this post, should read Monika's words again, and imagine it's you and your family who's in this position. Imagine how panicked, anxious, stressed, terrified, beaten-down, angry, powerless and helpless you'd feel if that was your reality - day after day after day - right now.

And then imagine how very much worse it would feel, knowing that the only reason you're in this position is because a multi-billion dollar global corporation has put you there. And that multi-billion dollar global corporation is doing absolutely nothing to rectify the situation, but instead, is compounding the abuses by alternately obfuscating, lying to you, gaslighting you and completely blanking you - over and over, every single day for an entire month - despite you begging and pleading with them time and time again to sort things out before it's too late, and you've lost everything. (20+ reservations that Airbnb owe her for, now into the 7th week) 

This is the hell Monika, Domingo and their girls are going through 24/7. Forget all the sunshine and roses, rainbows and unicorns fairytale crap. This is the stark reality of the misery, suffering and hardships that Airbnb's  incompetence, arrogance, greed and dodgy dealings are directly causing for countless numbers of genuine, good, decent, hardworking people, all day, every day. (Theres solid proof of that all over the Internet, and all over this very forum) Today it's Monika and Domingo, tomorrow its you and I. Remember that.

Hang your heads in shame, Airbnb. What you're doing to this family - and God only knows how many others around the world - is truly evil.

cc. @Catherine-Powell @Tara-Bunch 

[Helen3]

I do feel for @Monika and all the other families around the world who are also waiting on payments from Airbnb @Super47 

Has she been able to get help from a doctor to help with her stress and anxiety- it sounds like she is in a terrible place.

Also I did find some links for food banks in Chile so happy to share if this would be helpful. 

And with Covid it makes everything so much worse. 

I have heard of  hosts that have been waiting far longer. It is an ongoing issue that Airbnb seems to have no commitment to addressing.

You can only imagine the devastation and impact it has on them.

Unfortunately Airbnb is not the only multinational to behave in this way.

Supermarkets make their producers wait on average three months to six months for payment  here in the UK and around the world, as do fashion brands.

[Super47]

@Helen3

Monika doesn't need a doctor - she needs Airbnb to pay her the money that they owe her.  A doctor is not going to stop her utilities from being cut off, or from people calling her up looking for money they're owed. A doctor is not going to stop her from losing her home, or her livelihood. A doctor is not going to stop her from having her credit rating destroyed forever by being placed on DICOM. 

And oblique comparisons or 'whataboutery' really aren't relevant, or helpful, to Monika and her family's situation right now. 

[Helen3]

No need to be so cutting when I am trying to help- you were the one who mentioned her mental health - so I was worried about her

Certainly no need to bite my head off. I am not the one who created this situation @Super47 

I will send her a link to the food banks directly 

[Super47]

Apologies if you felt that I was cutting @Helen3, that wasn't my intention but honestly - there's nothing wrong with Monika's mental health that Airbnb couldn't fix in 5 minutes by sending her her payouts. She's a very strong lady - just experiencing the same normal range of emotions that any of us would be, under the circumstances - and she has Domingo to support her. She'll get through this. 

They did receive a small payout a few days ago (about 90 dollars of around 2400 she's owed), so they do have food at the moment, thank god. so I don't think she'll need the links to the food banks just now. But please, by all means, do consider instead sending a message to Catherine Powell or Tara Bunch, registering your strong displeasure at any host being treated in this shameful manner, and urging them to release her payouts ASAP so she can actually buy the food to feed her family, rather than being reduced to going to food banks. 

[Inna22]

I have looked at the other thread and it appears that @Katie has personally replied to everyone but Monika. Why is that? @Lizzie please move this thread to hosting so it can get enough responses to get the attention of @Catherine-Powell. We can send Monika 50 euro here or $100 there but it will not be a permanent solution 

[Inna22]

Actually, I take that back. It appears @Katie did respond and said someone has contacted Monika and they never have. @Catherine-Powell responded personally saying they were working on it, over a week ago. I just can not believe she does not have a power to manually release a payment. 

[Super47]

@Inna22

Despite both @Catherine-Powell and the forum moderators regularly responding with lots of jolly little upbeat messages to many other posters on that same thread, Catherine only got around to responding to @Monika-And-Domingo0 on Sept 28th, after Monika had been posting a series of increasingly distraught comments on the thread since Sept 16th. 

Catherine urged Monika to contact her if support didn't get things sorted, and promised her that "We will get this resolved". Unfortunately though, Monika's several DMs and emails to both Catherine Powell and Tara Bunch remain unanswered.

@Catherine-Powell - it's now 10 days since you publicly pledged resolution for @Monika-and-Domingo's issues. These lovely people are literally in dire straits because of Airbnb.  I implore you -please demonstrate that you are a woman of your word - and not just full of empty platitudes - by doing whatever is necessary to get the family's money to them immediately.  Thank you. 

 

[Sharon1014]

A picket line outside Airbnb's international HQ's front door in Dublin seems to be in order.  Doesn't need to be many people, just a handful with placards.  "Pay what you owe"  "Corporate Bully"  "Host Family in Chile starves" etc.  Invite the media along.  The television and print media love a gut-wrenching story with good visuals.  Big corporation bullies the little people etc.  That should make for some nice publicity ahead of the IPO.  

@Super47  @Ute42  @Sarah977  @Mary419  @Alex893  @Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  @Helen3  @Colleen253  @Nick 

[Helen3]

As a former journalist I would say better to do it outside their US offices as the Dublin office looks after Europe so less relevant for our media here @Sharon1014 

Also good to include examples of families around the world this has impacted on as it makes it a stronger story.