About two weeks ago, I received an email from Airbnb customer service asking me to update my account information because the payment goes to my company, but the account is under my personal name.
My account has been operating for nearly two years with the original settings and information. Before this, I was never asked to submit company details to ensure the account is not a personal one. When asked to modify the information, I was very cooperative because I am legitimately managing a short-term rental company. I was told to modify the information to ensure the KYC system could be verified.
I then clicked on the internal link sent by Airbnb to change the content. However, the link Airbnb sent me was not working. They warned me in advance that it might be due to different computer servers or systems, and advised me to try various methods to open the link. This back-and-forth lasted about three to four days. A few days later, when I still couldn’t access the link, Airbnb told me that because I didn’t submit my details within the specified time, my account’s payment had been temporarily suspended. I was told it would be another three to five working days after submitting the required information and successful verification to receive payments. At that moment, I wasn’t too worried because I believe that all Airbnb’s requirements are reasonable and fair.
Despite my continuous explanations that I was not unwilling to submit the details, but genuinely couldn’t access the link, and after providing screenshots from my phone, Ipad, computer, apps, and web pages showing the inaccessible page, they were finally willing to send me a new link. This time, the link worked.
I then updated the details as requested in the form. However, due to my misunderstanding of the form, I entered my husband’s information as the beneficial owner. In reality, he had transferred the company under my name years ago. Although he’s the director and manages the company, I completely forgot that I am the 100% beneficiary. When I realized the mistake, I asked to change the information again. By this step, my account had been frozen for about three days. Still, I wasn’t too anxious, thinking that once I updated my name for KYC, there should be no problems. However, 24 hours later, I was informed that the account name should be a natural person’s name, not the account username.
At this point, I felt a bit helpless. Firstly, the content they requested was “account name”, and what first came to my mind was the account user’s name. Otherwise, why would they ask for the company beneficiary’s name again? This suggests a bit of misleading on their part, or perhaps it was my limited understanding. Regardless, it wasn’t intentional misinformation or that my company couldn’t be verified. Secondly, if Airbnb staff shortages are causing delays in resolving landlords’ issues, should they not be more efficient in addressing concerns? Could they not address all arising problems in one go instead of asking questions one by one? I find this a very inefficient way to work, especially for such a large-scale online platform.
Following that, no one replied or contacted me within 48 hours after I submitted the required changes. By the time they stopped payouts, it was already the fifth day. I kept calling and messaging them, and most of the responses I received were the same. Over the phone, I was told that my case would be expedited and to wait for a higher-up to contact me… but it was clear this was just a brush-off.
At this point, I, a company owner who has been managing short-term rentals for almost 8 years, was begging Airbnb to release my payments. While Airbnb suspended my payments, they still required me to continue serving every order. We need working capital to operate, and by freezing my earnings, it’s incredibly frustrating and unacceptable.
After learning that many others had their earnings frozen due to similar requests, I suspect Airbnb might withhold my earnings while expecting me to continue providing accommodations and services for at least two months. I looked at our orders, and we still have AUD 380,000 worth of bookings to service. If I deny customers accommodation, they might find more reasons to penalize me and seize every penny of my frozen funds. Moreover, resolving this issue usually takes two months or even several years.
This is a devastating blow to our small business! I can’t pay staff salaries or give landlords their earnings, causing massive negative impacts in all aspects of our management company.
I beg any relevant Airbnb official who sees this article to contact me and help resolve this difficulty. I’d be eternally grateful!
