Guest stayed and didn't complete payment- No payout for hosts

[Laura2592]

I had a guest stay for three nights. They called me prior saying there was trouble with a credit card. I directed them to Airbnb. I thought it was unusual and posted here. Everyone reassured me that the guest could not stay without completed payment.

They came and went. No payout. Now on my 4th call to Airbnb requesting the payout a very nice customer service rep said they did not complete their payment. She is looking into "options." HOW on Earth could this happen??  I am still waiting for a "resolution."

This is the holiday season and we are booked solid. We had several inquiries for the guests' dates. Be careful my fellow hosts!

Also a note for Airbnb CR-- I was called by three different names in the course of a 45 min conversation with two reps- Lorna, Lauren and Laura. My name is Laura 🙂 It is a little frustrating to not be called by the correct name when trying to resolve a problem. Doesn't make you feel as though you are heard or matter much.

[Colleen253]

'if they only collect part of the money, they'll keep what they did collect and not send you any of it."

@Kelly149   This is true. My guest booked, and there was no problem initially. Reservation showed as 'confirmed', payment all good. She then sent me a request for a one night extension, which I approved. I then got an email from ABB that there was a problem processing the payment for the extension. I went to my 'upcoming payouts' and sure enough, the payout isn't registering now (important to note: the reservation is still confirmed....always check your upcoming PAYOUT list!).  ABB is also telling me they are not responsible for issuing my payout, if the guest doesn't get payment for the extra night straightened out. Which means even if they were to stay for only the original booking, which is still 'active/confirmed', there would be ZERO payout to ME, yet ABB would still have the guests payment for the original booking! 

@Laura2592 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  This sort of thing is abyssmal practice on the part of Airbnb- if they insist on being in charge of all the money, they need to do it responsibly. If they can't immediately collect on a last-minute reservation, the reservation should never go through.

This is one reason I don't take same-day bookings- I have 2 days advance notice set.

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977 I have two days notice...this was not a last minute reservation.  Booked weeks in advance. 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  Wow, that makes it all the more disturbing. They should have known quite awhile ago that the payment didn't process. Hopefully the guest can confirm one way or the other that the payment was taken from them or not, then you'll know if Airbnb is just BSing you.

If you go into a store and pay for something with your credit card and the transaction doesn't go through for some reason, you don't get to walk out of the store with the item you were trying to purchase. A reservation should never be confirmed unless the funds are collected. I really don't understand why Airbnb operates like this, except that if the guest chose to pay half up front and the second payment doesn't go through, I imagine Airbnb collects the entire booking fee in the first payment, so it's no skin off their nose if the second payment fails.

[Laura2592]

So I just called again.  I was informed by a Sofia that my guest had called and they told him.all.was fine on his end? I asked why if his payment was incomplete.  Apparently they "misunderstood " and thought he was asking about my payout? Mind boggling. 

I asked if they tried to collect from the guest and Sofia said they "would try " I called my guest to say that ye should check whatever credit card he used to see the payments and take a screenshot if it's all fine.  At this point I don't know where the disconnect is...guest not paying,  Airbnb not seeing that the guest paid, Airbnb keeping the funds for some reason...none of it is working.

I'm actually getting depressed about this. We really are thinking about moving to a different platform or putting a pause on hosting.  I honestly don't have the energy to chase down payment on top of everything else you need to do to keep a decent rating and space.

[John1080]

@Laura2592  Apparently they "misunderstood " and thought he was asking about my payout? Mind boggling. 

It should be, but unfortunately, it isn't! Most of the people I speak to at CS have no clue and often don't even know their own system or their own procedures and policies. 

The few times I have had to call, I just keep calling until I get someone that understands and is able to help me. The only good thing I have to say about CS is that I have always been connected within a minute or two.

I hope you get this worked out soon and in your favor!

[Emilia42]

@John1080 Maybe that is the problem. Too many bozos trying to answer the phone as quickly as possible but they are not trained on anything Airbnb related. I would rather wait on the line for 20 minutes if I knew my questions/situation was going to be answered correctly and efficiently the first time around. 

[John1080]

@Emilia42, certainly. I say thank you, hang up and call back, so in the end, it would be just as well to wait for some time and get an appropriate, perhaps researched answer. 

[Laura2592]

@John1080 I used to run a large corporate customer service division and I am starting to feel as though I should offer my services as a consultant to Airbnb.  Just so many things that are easily fixable with the right training and a solid cultural push toward core values  This whole "trust" mantra is all well.and good until something like this happens. Very basic administrative error.  Someone needs to take some time to help this company understand how to solve such issues at their end.it should not fall to the host to have to keep throwing darts at the board until they hit a sentient being who has read the rules and policies.  And yet that's what I have been doing and it sounds like others have had to do as well. 

I calculated and I have officially spent more time on this than I will make if I ever get this payout. Maybe they are hoping I won't go the sunk costs route and will just give up. It's just depressing. I know we all.work very hard on hosting. 

[John1080]

@Laura2592, they can certainly use some help lol! I feel some good training would go a long way towards fixing the issues. I hope you get this sorted out - it's rather scary that this fell outside the 24-hour window, and hope it isn't going to be widespread in the future! 

[Colleen253]

@Laura2592  did the guest provide the screenshot with proof of payment?

[Laura2592]

@Colleen253 Its unclear. I have not talked to the guest again. I figure I will get back in touch with him after the first of the year if nothing has happened. 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  I've noticed, in various businesses over the last 10-20 years, the practice of insufficient staff training becoming more common. We've probably all had the experience of standing at a check-out line in a supermarket or somewhere, where the person behind the counter is new at the job and maybe even has some superior standing with them, showing them how to do things. I've even seen employees with tags on their shirts saying something like "Please be patient with me, I'm new" . Companies seem to think it's perfectly okay for customers to wait longer than necessary while the new employee figures things out, or has to call someone to show them how to do something. It's outrageous to me to expect the customer to be "patient" while someone receives their training on the job, instead of the company training them on their own time and dime, not the customers'.

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977  it's all about cost. Training someone sufficiently takes them out of the mix and sometimes just being responsive and having common sense is enough to solve certain problems.   But not all. I'm betting that Airbnb is trying to make itself as profitable as possible before its delayed  IPO. Maybe training will come later? It's not in the current zeitgeist for real training to be popular for customer service. Airbnb seems to want to operate like a DIY hosting experience instead of a true full service option. 

I have an online business on a major platform and I often think that these companies all try to copy one another.  For example,  the less than 1% error on feedback has been adopted where I sell and customer service is SLOW.  They expect you to deal with all customer issues by just refunding to keep your scores up and increasing traffic to their platform.  This is a cheap operating cost model. It is more expensive to get a new buyer (guest) than it is to get a new seller (host). But even that platform doesn't require that you deliver your item without ever getting paid!

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592 Oh yes, I realize it's about cost. Far less costly to get someone working and train them on the job, rather than to get someone to spend time training them before they start working. I just think it's a terrible business practice.