I'm a Superhost with 6Listings in Miami, FL & only 5 stars Reviews. Airbnb Removed my account permanently & still same decision after Appeal . What can I do to still be on Airbnb?

[Yana692]

I'm a Superhost with 6 listings in Miami, FL. I only 5 star reviews. Airbnb Removed my Account because they said I'm closely associated with another person who is not allowed to use Airbnb. I appealed and ** from Specialized Team answered with that same message that my account will be permanently removed and I can NEVER host again. I worked so hard to maintain Superhost status and now lost income I was relying on, I only advertised on Airbnb as other platforms didn't generate much bookings. I'm shocked & devastated, I lost my business. I'm a single mother and now can't put food on table. I really wanted to be on Airbnb. What can I do? Anyone had experience going to headquarters in SF and they helped them there? 

**[Name hidden due to privacy concerns - Community Center Guidelines]

[Helen3]

Are you closely associated with someone that's been banned from the platform @Yana692 ?

you don't lose your sizeable STR business because you can't list on one marketing channel  -  it's always a risky business strategy to rely on one marketing channel I'm afraid . 

Focus on using the many other marketing channels available to you such as other OTA channels, direct marketing , third party marketing , advertising etc Once you invest in marketing your business and growing your brand you'll find you generate more bookings. 

[Yana692]

Thank you @Helen3  for your input. Yes that’s the reason. Truth is i had someone with her account listed my properties, I’m the owner. But since I’m the one with STR license account had my name attached but she was hired to operate under it.  One inquirer wrote her asking to come see the unit in person and was asking for address. She didn’t provide referencing Airbnb doesn’t suggest to give out address. He got upset sent a mad message. She stepped away and Airbnb dashboard remains open once its auto log in. So her 10yo Kid was playing with his friend read everything and wrote to him wording “he’s terrorist from Turkey” trying to defend the mom of his friend and prank the traveler. Airbnb Inquirer complained to Airbnb and they closed her account. No matter how much she pledged she didn’t write nor ever discriminated anyone it’s child silly mistake although she reprimanded her’s big time, but they wouldn’t reactivate her account. She offered to issue official apology letter from her to that inquirer and I think he would have been fine, at least I would if I was in his shoes but Airbnb was extremely harsh with her. They wouldn’t give a 1st time mercy. To me it’s not just. 

I opened account on my name under these properties and they found the link between 2 accounts  after couple years of hosting and being a superhost. I’m shocked and don’t know what to do. 

May I ask to describe better what you mean by OTA channels, direct marketing , third party marketing , advertising? Direct marketing to my past guests? Am I allowed to market to them if they came from airbnb?

How i understand is travelers from around the world prefer to use big short term rental platforms such as VRBO/HomeAway, Booking.com, TripAdvisor/Flipkey, at least those 3 I know. but the biggest one of all is Airbnb it generates most reservations than others combined. That’s why I wanted to remain w/them. 

thank you for your inputs 

[Adam-And-Maria2]

Thanks for sharing this story.  I don't think many of us know how precarious our business is since one simple mistake like leaving a phone out and available for kids to play with can lead to a permanent ban from a platform...

It takes a lot of time to manage just one property, let alone 6; so I feel for you.  We just have 4 right now and it's a full-time job just listing on airbnb, but I finally got around to listing 1 of the 4 on VRBO... 3 to go!  Put in the work and avoid mistakes; it's the best we can do!

I would continue complaining to Airbnb though.  It sounds like an honest mistake, and one that should be forgiven.  Permanent bans shouldn't be part of official policy; if anything people who have made mistakes are less likely to repeat those mistakes because they've learned from them!

All the best!

[Helen3]

I  was a single parent and  can't imagine a situation  @Adam-And-Maria2  where my kids would have logged into my Airbnb account and called a guest a terrorist . 

or to be honest one  where I would have left a business account open knowing my kids could access .

it's so sad that @Yana692  was affected by her co-hosts carelessness .

[Bob297]

@Adam-And-Maria2 
We also have four properties.
It saves me a lot of time using a property management system.
They are affordable, and from one central point you can update prices and synchronize calendars.

[Yana692]

Anyone can tell where else I can go to Airbnb to try to resolve this? Also Are the guests who completed reservations unable to write review if my account is removed? It doesn’t let me write for them.   Thank you! 

[Budi38]

good morning,
how do you contact Airbnb when you get a notification that your account is being closed?
i have a similar case, thank you
Regards,
Budi

[Rebecca]

Hi @Budi38 👋

You can get help or contact Airbnb Support here 👈 

I hope this helps!