Hi all,
I'm a host from Australia and I have been with Airbnb for more than a year. I'm currently having a dispute with a case manager who is forcing me to provide a 50% refund to a guest who complained they cannot access the pool and gym in our apartment because it is being renovated. The guest did not contact me at all regarding this issue and went straight to the resolution centre. They also waited until the 4th day of their 6 day stay to complain which meant i couldn't cancel their reservation without incurring significant financial penalties.
The case manager told me it is Airbnb's policy that a 50% refund is provided by the host for missing amenities, but when i asked where is this policy stated, he back tracked and told me on 'travel issues' Airbnb has discretion.
The case manager also made no attempt to mediate the situation. Initially when i was first contacted by the case manager regarding this issue, i was asked how i plan to resolve this issue, i offered a 5% discount since the guest had not made this issue known to me, but also because there is a free man-made beach within walking distance of the apartment. I was contacted by the case manager within an hour of replying who said a 50% refund is reasonable because the guest had paid for pool and gym services that they otherwise wouldn't have. I said even if that's the case, 50% refund (=$300) is excessive, but his response to this was external pricing of amenities are not of their concern. This is ridiculous since it is the premise the refund.
I've written a length message back to the case manager asking for the process to dispute and escalate this case, but it has been two days and I've received no reply. I'm thinking of referring this issue to the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission. But before i do that i want to attempt to escalate this issue with airbnb first. Does anyone know of a dispute contact for this issue? Any help is much appreciated.
Kind regards
Tony