Listing not visible.

[Patrick568]

https://airbnb.com/h/thegoodvibeshouse

This is the link to my listing in Indio California. Our bookings over the last 90 days have continued to dwindle significantly. We have NEVER not had all our weekends booked at a minimum. I understand the economy is a large portion of this. We have lowered prices as everyone has to adapt to the market. My wife and I are experienced hosts. We have been doing this with multiple properties for over 5 years. 

In the last two weeks I've logged out of my account and searched for my listing as all of our bookings ended. I have used a VPN to make it appear I'm in Canada, or in another part of the US. Nothing. I have searched just Indio, the dates we're available and the number of people with no other filters. Nothing. 

I've spoken to Airbnb about this 3 times and every time they claim they can see my listing on the first page of search results. I do NOT buy it. I have searched multiple ways and always the same result. Nothing

I would like to get some feedback from other hosts. I've included my link. Check out the front page and please let me know if you search and see it. This is a serious issue and I would like some outside input. Thanks!!!

[Patrick568]

I appreciate the time. I just looked again myself. 15 pages and nowhere to be seen. I cant get Airbnb support to return my calls. So without a doubt being shadow banned is a thing. 

[Gillian166]

@Patrick568  do let us know if/how this gets resolved.

[Enri1804]

@Patrick568 I spent some time looking for your listing. Filtered by superhosts, 3br, 4 bed, still didn’t see. Then I zoomed in pretty close on the map and yours finally showed up. I should also say this is very strange b/c with all of us here trying  to help by clicking on your listing, it should be ranking near the top now and it’s not. My views have dropped too, but why would Airbnb “shadow ban”? 

[Patrick568]

 The fact that myself and others have to dig so hard into the website to see a property that has been under super host status for years, had a 75%+ occupancy and 4.9 rating is just crazy. 

Without a doubt "Shadow ban" is a thing. Many hosts have spoken about it and I am clearly experiencing this now. I believe this is happening because a few months ago we had a guest scam us and used Airbnbs policies against us. I proved this to Airbnb and they still did not want to refund us for the guest who scammed us. I pushed back and didn't take no for an answer and I finally got the money that was owed to us from Airbnb. They begrudgingly agreed we had been scammed and paid us. Literally since that situation our listing dropped off the common search parameters. I am now 5 days into waiting for Airbnb to call me back after I requested a supervisor call me. I was told 24-48 hours. There is NO reason I should not be able to search Indio-superhost-pool-and whole home and not see my property. 15+ pages and its not there? No Way. 

[Jennifer2682]

Shoot, sorry you're going through this.  The platform has been pretty messed up since the Summer Release.

[Gillian166]

@Patrick568  i just searched "indio" and put in nothing else and you are the 2nd one listed.  when i add in superhost-pool-and whole home you are #1. hopefully things are back to working as they should. 

[Patrick568]

I appreciate that. I don't know what the hell is happening. I just put in the info indio-whole house-pool-superhost and in 15 pages my listing wasn't there. Its maddening.

[Patrick568]

Update. Its now been 8 days and the supervisor who was supposed to call in 24-48 hours never called. I have called Airbnb multiple times with the same song and dance. I HAVE seen my listing on a search a few days ago. Then today again, nothing. There is zero reason a listing should come and go. The fact that Airbnb has been so unwilling or just unresponsive regarding this issue is a huge problem. I've been a super host for many years and have never found Airbnb to be helpful with any problem.  The worst part is when I have an airbnb rep on the line they barely speak english and I get the same canned answers from them every time. This company needs to start focusing on host assistance more than they do.

[Patrick568]

Yup, still shadow banned.

[Caitlin283]

I have seen other hosts who this happened to and they abandoned Airbnb. Cant say I blame them.

[Stephanie365]

@Patrick568      Have you delisted your property or is it still "hiding"?  I just did a search on Indio with no other parameters. I zoomed in on the map to the area where your home is and.... nothing.

I have wondered the same thing. I've been outspoken here on the CC and have wondered if my sudden decline in bookings is their version of a pi$$ing contest with hosts.

[Susan990]

@Patrick568  I clicked on your link and it took me to the front page of ABB the Anywhere search page, not your listing? which is wrong also because I see your title clearly in the link.  ???

[Nanxing0]

I have noticed that when there are many listings in the area(which happens quite frequently in cities and attraction areas), the search always returns some listings unvisible. One trick to bypass this is to frequently change your price of the next available night. Whenever you change your price, your position in the search will bump up for a few hours and a lot of times I get some inquiries/bookings in the next few hours.

Also another thing to note is that the search result will show the nightly rate of your next available night. So if you have a next available night priced high chances are people will be turned away by the high price shown, and vice versa. Of course this sometimes causes confusions as some guests see a low price and then when try to book a future date the price bumps up.