Payout Delay, Missing Transaction

[Mary866]

I'm calling it a delay but it's been four days since my last guest checked in and I have received no payment from Airbnb and still no email indicating that a payout was sent.  This is very unusual because Airbnb always has notified me at the end of  Day 1 after check-in to let me know that a payment has been sent.  I checked my transactions page and the reservation was oddly missing.  It was not in the completed payments column nor in the upcoming payments column.  There is no 'pending column' where I hope my transaction is hiding. I called Airbnb customer service on Day 2 after check-in to see if there was some kind of problem or hold on the payout and the representative told me that there was no problem, that the payment was supposed to be sent but for some unexplainable reason, wasn't.  She advised me to wait a couple of days to see if anything happens.  I've been monitoring my deposit account daily to see if there has been any deposits from Airbnb - there are none. And still no email from Airbnb even after my guests have checked out.  

I'm fortunate that my bookings have picked up again after the devastating cancellations in March thru June, none of which qualified for relief funds.  Now I'm becoming concerned that Airbnb may be having financial troubles, as predicted early in the Coronavirus outbrea, and can't pay make the prompt payments that we rely on.  After absorbing nearly $10,000 in lost bookings this Spring, I really depend on those timely payments for my damage control plan.  An interesting note:  I did online searches for 'Airbnb financial trouble' and found many articles from March and April, but none, yes none, that are more recent than early June.  

Have any other hosts experienced this delay, or non-payment?  I'd appreciate your feedback.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Roman149,

I am sorry you have been waiting a while now and understandably you want this to be resolved. 

I'm afraid I don't have the answers to your questions, but I am continuing to highlight this to the Payments team who are working on this at the moment and hope this will be all sorted soon. 

I will speak to you as soon as I know more.

Lizzie

[Kelly1270]

Hi,

I'm having the same issue. I called twice and still haven't heard back from CS. My guest checked out 3 days ago after a 10 night booking and I haven't received the payout and it's not showing up in my transaction history. 

Thank you,

Kelly

[Stephanie365]

@Lizzie    So, now thatAirBNB has "found" my money (and monies belonging to others), why must I (we) wait an ADDITIONAL six days before you release it? 
My money should have been released on the 17th, but I've just been informed it won't be released until the 28th?   What exactly was "the issue"?  Or were y'all just hanging on to our money to collect a little more interest on it?  I'm not the only host that thinks that's what is going on.

This is really not acceptable.

Funny story. My messages asking for an update were ignored for 72 hours. When I sent the message, "Do I need to contact a lawyer?", I received a response promptly. Funny thing about that...

[Lizzie]

Hey @Stephanie365, 

Yeah, I understand that is quite a long time and I am really sorry about this. As I understand it, it was an unexpected issue and the team work quickly to resolve it, but still I know that getting money when expected is really important. 

I know many people have now received their payment, just to check is it stating 28th in your Transaction History? 

Thank you. 

[Meagan20]

Wow y'all, I'm so bummed to hear this. But I knew something was up. Every payment for stays this month dont leave as promised on time.

As an observant host for 3yrs, 250+reviews,  I know to call when it doesnt leave the day after reservation  begins, as expected.  Like, um, oh yeah-- theres a  problem with your guests pymt... like playing muscial chairs and you find out Last!

I found it a bit Trumpy-acctg style to have payments leave after that date yet still retain the date.. this burns me. Its unethical. 

->What Is the point of  a payment date then????

I know: Airbnb promise to pass on the guest funds,  that's what that date is.

So I've called every July reserv. gotten a bunch of run around... suggested it's my deposit acct needs updated.. guffaw (is that just to buy time, I'm thinkin)  or-  "I remember it wrong? " ( being PD  on time,  lol)

Just really wish they'd own it.

After reading this, I'm feeling lucky I got most pymts at all, yet now awaiting  last payment, no confidence at all. No transparency...&  as if it's my issue,  I'm impatient  etc

Highly unethical.  I had multiple agents either hangups or disappear today  and this is after waiting upwards of 30min for assistance each time

I think the first one that hung up...she hung up about the time I started to be  upset object that she said it would be five days before they would bother to call me back.

"Oh no we have no way to manually push payment all automatic." In my book, these are just paid Liars.

I also really wanted to have them apologize to my guests who stayed last night because they waited for 30 minutes trying to get some help (then told some point  get a call back) it was me finally fixed glitches ..with the actual booking because of all the failures in the interface  and never got the help - it was me! I feel bad for them I might even be having to tell them that I'm  not yet paid!   Shocking

I am pretty close to contacting media, and my retired lawyer mother will be interested  to hear I am not alone in this community experience.  I suggested to her it smells of cash flow problems. 

And while they were trying to book with me offering them a discount and being unable to book because of the ridiculous console problems I have a guest willing to pay full price trying to book it's important to handle these things immediately I don't know why they are not Staffing it properly but the customer service is suffering

what a way to lose guest and hosts.

Unfortunately for me when I host it takes me away from other income earning activities.  One or the other.  Airbnb doesn't compensate us for the hours we spent on the phone chasing payments or problems with interfaces or being hung up on multiple times and never been called back by case managers. Hence  the one or the other. 

Feeling very low about my future hosting due to lack of trust now.

 No case manager call back.

And if they think I have hours more  tomorrow messing around with this, as if my life is a vacation.

Frankly I'm having cash flow issues too!  go figure ! sign of the times certainly can't afford Airbnb earning interest on my money especially when there's every reason that it would arrive in my account tomorrow---  if they had just bothered to:  P a y o u t

I've seen payments arrive in my account during non-traditional depository (midmorning,  mid afternoon) hours I know they can push payments I'm hoping somebody gets this ☆SOS☆ & wakes up!!!

[Aleksandre10]

 

[Aleksandre10]

I have this problem too, I am waiting money already 2 weeks, I called many times, but no answer from Airbnb

 

[Jennie44]

I have the same payout issues, and a new wrinkle! I had a guest who tried to cancel three hours before check in on July 18. He couldn't, and neither could I so, he requested a full refund, which I gave him. Now airbnb has taken that amount out of each payout they have sent me since then. Each is listed as a resolution amount for the same booking number, but it keeps being listed as a pending payout, so every time they decide to pay me, which for some reason is about every three weeks now no matter when a guest checks in or out, it's X amount less because they keep taking it out!  I was on chat with Support yesterday for almost an hour and they finally said they would have a team member get in touch and to "keep my line open and check my email frequently," but of course no one has gotten n touch. I'm a little tiny player: I just rent out an apartment in my basement, but I really miss the days when  airbnb had their poop together and would pay out per the terms of their host agreement. Now I got an email saying the last two guest payouts would be sent yesterday: bank has no pending payments listed, and yes, they are still taking that resolution amount out!  @Stephanie, @Quincy, @Katie, @Liv or @Nick.  @Lizzie 

[Dylan-and-Lizette0]

Similar issue going on with us here.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/UNACCEPTABLY-LONG-CUSTOMER-SERVICE-RESPONSE-TIME/td-p/13...

Seems as though AirBNB may be "holding" cash from Hosts in order to bump up their numbers for their upcoming IPO. Brian Chesky and his cronies are truly just a bunch of crooks.

[Michael5168]

I host in NYC and finally got my first booking after all the cancelations and COVID lockdown, and it's been three weeks and no payment. Other hosts I know in NYC are having similar late payment issues. My business probably isn't going to survive the end of the year if the Airbnb keeps paying late. 😞

[Super47]

@Michael5168

It's not only hosts in New York who are having late payment issues - it's everywhere, and it's been ongoing for months now.

You might want to take a look at the CNBC article below. If this is an issue currently affecting many hosts in your area, the reporter may very well be interested in doing a follow up story.

As Airbnb Struggles With A Plunge In Travel Ahead Of IPO, Hosts Are Complaining About Missing Payments 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/08/11/airbnb-hosts-are-complaining-about-missing-...

[Michael5168]

Thanks for sharing @Super47 /Penelope, yes I've seen the article, and also Erin Griffith of the NY Times in San Francisco is also working on a similar story. I've also seen a Y Combinator story speculating that Airbnb may be close to bankruptcy which is why it went from Direct Offering to IPO to raise money.

These are difficult times and I can sympathize with companies as well small business operators like ourselves but I wish Airbnb would just be more transparent about what is going on. I know everyone is struggling but clarity is key right now and Airbnb is failing on brand management 101.

Michael

[Super47]

Hi @Michael5168

Yes, as Airbnb moves towards IPO, it's looking as if there's going to be a slew of unsavoury and eye-opening revelations coming out, particularly as many hosts continue to bear the financial, emotional and operational brunt of the company's "incompetence" (I'm being polite there), while Airbnb simultaneously attempts to shape the IPO narrative by flooding the media with self-serving data that tells only one part of the story, and regales reporters with triumphant tales of their impressive "rebound".

That's just too, too bitter a pill to swallow for thousands of hosts whose income for the year to date has already been obliterated, only to now find  that their own long-awaited and tenuous first steps to recovery are being nobbled once again by Airbnb itself. There's already a lot of chatter in the press about the deep mistrust in the company that many hosts now harbour and of the simmering tensions that continue to rise within the community, and that's being cited as one of the top three factors that are greatly dampening investor confidence in the brand (along with the wholly unclear path to profitability and the inevitable spectre of post-pandemic regulatory restrictions being further tightened in cities worldwide) 

It's impossible to comprehend why Airbnb would be still antagonising, disrespecting and alienating hosts by withholding their desperately needed income now, at the very time when host allegiance is one of the most crucial aspects in them being able to pull off a successful IPO.

I had read the YCU article earlier this week and while there are a couple of minor inaccuracies, there's also a huge amount in it that is absolutely - and scarily - spot on. Certainly, food for thought for hosts, guests and potential investors alike.

For anyone who may not already have seen the YCU article - 

Airbnb - A Timeline Of Collapse

https://ycuniverse.com/airbnbs-hotly-anticipated-federal-bankruptcy-filing-a-timeline-of-collapse

[Michael5214]

Same issue with payout here in California...guest has  been here going on two weeks with no payout. ABB skirting communication and closing my case despite lack of resolution. We've blocked all future dates with ABB. Bad business practices means it's time to work with another vacation rental partner!

[Maya415]

Payments don't come again. Delay on payments and missing payouts again! Have the feeling future guests with reservations will sleep outside and calling Airbnb.