Our Airbnb Account Suspended Due to Discriminatory Complaint

[Roy6]

I’m reaching out with an urgent and deeply personal plea for support. After 10 years of being a proud Airbnb host with 94 listings, our account has been abruptly suspended. The reason? A guest, upset after being denied a refund, filed a false and discriminatory complaint because they discovered my legal name is Ahmed, not the preferred name Kevin ** I had been using to avoid potential bias.

After the suspension, I realized that due to a simple administrative error, my preferred name was mistakenly entered into the legal name field of my Airbnb profile, even though my identity has always been fully verified by Airbnb over the years. This error, combined with the guest’s retaliatory complaint, led to the suspension of our account & cancellation of all future bookings! 

The suspension has not only brought our business to a halt but also threatens the livelihoods of many families who depend on these listings.

I am devastated and urgently asking for Airbnb to restore my account and investigate this discriminatory claim. We are at the brink of losing everything we’ve built.

If anyone in the community can assist or provide advice on how to resolve this matter, I would be extremely grateful. Time is of the essence, and your support means everything to us right now.

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

[Elisa]

Hi @Roy6 😊

I am really sorry about this situation!

How are things at the moment? Did you try reaching out to the customer support team?

Warm regards 🌻

[Joan2709]

@Roy6 

I'm afraid there is not much that can be done until Airbnb completes their investigation. I have seen other Hosts state their suspensions have been a week or longer. Keep providing whatever information is required by Airbnb...thats about all you can do.

[Mary1523]

Hi

I'm so sorry that this has happened. Very stressful for you.

I look at it this way. Relying upon one platform only for the entire livelihood is a recipe for disaster. You run on luck and one day that luck will run out. I'm 9 years hosting, and I'm sure one day, some stupid thing will happen and I'll end up not being able to take airbnb bookings.

So I have been slowly building up my website using the experience of what people have enjoyed and searched for to ensure its findable and bookable without airbnb. I'm no where near self sufficient but it's a start, better something than nothing. I also keep my options open on VRBO.

It's not perfect because the airbnb algo's and VRBO reward you for keeping all the bookings on one platform, not splitting but oh well. But you have properties that are much easier to book than mine and higher volume, so it shouldn't impact you so much.

So unfortunately no easy answer - you will have to go through the airbnb process. But there's nothing stopping you getting on other platforms quick smart and get those replacement bookings.

I also keep a copy of the bookings I do get separately in a spreadsheet (phone number at least) so if I am kicked off the platform, I can access the details and reach out directly to the guests.

Pardon for asking, and I'm sure other hosts are wondering, but I'm curious about the denying refund that kicked this off. I'm sure you had your reasons. But I'm scrambling to think of when I denied a refund. Infact, I'm the one normally volunteering it, because something has gone wrong. Was there very reasonable grounds to deny the refund, was it clear cut, did the guest admit wrong doing or was it shades of grey? When we are in business, sometimes it'snot worth the hassle and the potential unintended consequences as you have seen, to push back even if the refund denial was valid in your eyes. Just something to consider, albeit you didn't reveal the circumstance that led a guest to ask for a refund.

All the best, kind regs MK

[Helen3]

I'm so sorry to hear of your experience but surely as a large STR management company you're not relying  on just one marketing platform to promote your business @Roy6 this is such a risky approach. 

Hopefully Airbnb will resolve the issue soon.