Pet fee

[Mark1723]

I HAVE REPEATEDLY REQUESTED THAT AIRBNB INCLUDE A PET FEE FIELD IN THE GUEST REGISTRATION APPLICATION.

WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN DONE IS A COMPLETE MYSTERY TO ME!

AS IT IS, THE ONLY WAY TO COLLECT PET FEES IS THROUGH THE "SEND OR REQUEST MONEY" FEATURE IN THE RESOLUTIONS AREA.

FIRST, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF THE GUEST IS BRINGING ANY PET(S)?

NEXT, HOW IS THE GUEST SUPPOSED TO KNOW TO PAY THE $10/NIGHT PER PET FEE I WISH TO CHARGE?

PROSPECTIVE GUESTS RARELY READ HOUSE RULES AND SIMPLY DON'T SEE THE PET FEE INSTRUCTION!

I CAN'T, FOR THE LIFE OF ME, FIGURE OUT WHY AIRBNB HAS BEEN SO INTRANSIGENT ON SUCH AN OBVIOUS NEED THAT IS SO INCREDIBLY SIMPLE TO RESOLVE!

_PLEASE RESPOND!_

[Sheron10]

If there's an option for pet fees, it should be stated as just information, which would eliminate all those without pets. It can't be a blanket fee. Guests will know who they are.  Not sure if this makes sense. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mark1723 I've got to agree with @Sarah977 . Airbnb clearly are not going to address this issue and the sooner we all accept this then the lower our collective blood pressure will be.

Unless a significant number (and by that I fear I mean tens of thousands) of hosts leave the platform then Airbnb won't do anything. 

[Mark1723]

And I've got to express the opinion that @Sarah and @Mike-And-Jane0 _Still_ don't get it!

Rolling over and taking the weak viewpoint that "that's just the way it is," is exactly why we had people getting away with burning up our cities and why we have massive illegal immigration in this America!

Expressing a viewpoint and consistently attempting to right a wrong is how good prevails over lunacy.

Simply accepting that Air won't do anything is tantamount to saying that their stupid decision making is OK - It's NOT!

To be redundant; using the Resolution method of collecting pet fees is inefficient, tedious, ineffective and STUPID!

Air could fix this in a day! And they should do so immediately or, at the very least, try to come up with some rational explanation for refusing to do so!

VRBO has had this feature for years! The fact that Air not only refuses to do so, but will not even provide any rational reasoning for not doing so, is indicative of a boneheaded, foolish, and intransigent management team that could care less about the people that generate their paychecks!

The way you fix that is to consistently and relentlessly do what you can to make them aware that they are being idiots! Sooner or later the lights will come on and they will realize that their ridiculous policies are in need of review.

Why is this so hard for YOU to understand?

"The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing!"

[Sarah977]

@Mark1723  Now that you've seen fit to put forth your political leanings, the ranting and cognitive disonance become clear.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mark1723 Sorry but I am struggling to stop laughing. I am not really sure evil is going to triumph just because Airbnb refuse to implement a pet fee.

Airbnb is a company not a government. They can do what they like provided their profits don't suffer to the extent their shareholders complain. 

Anyway I look forward to your next ranting campaign - Perhaps you could join the folks who don't like the layout of the Airbnb hosting homepage. After all we don't want evil triumphing there either......

[Mark1723]

@Mike-And-Jane0

"There are none so blind as he who will not see."

You _again_ totally missed the point! Maybe try re reading my post with an open mind?

It's irrelevant that Air is a company! Companies change their policy all the time! Often because a large number of customers  express dissatisfaction with their current policies!

My approach, of encouraging activism via consistent and numerous Feedback messages, is a boatload better than whining in this forum that you don't like the policy but "there is nothing to be done about it."

Nonsense! Activism and persistence works!

Lethargy, accepting the status quo, and encouraging others to do nothing, insures nothing will get done! 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mark1723 If the lack of a pet fee is the most important thing to you then fill your boots. Lets say you need 10% of the hosts to join you in your campaign - Only another 64,999 to go.

If I care about anything it is the 'suspend hosts first, ask questions later' approach that Airbnb take that needs to change. Even if it doesn't I doubt it will contribute to evil triumphing over good.

[Lorna170]

@Mark1723   I would like to assure you that I am not a lethargic host.  In fact, I am rather active in sending feedback to the OTAs relevant to their programming and how they might better serve their customers, whether they are hosts or guests.  

I have 15+ years in hosting, and have been invited by other OTAs to participate on boards and at symposiums where "improvements" were proferred for opinion polling.  In every case, the OTA would go forward with whatever crap their programmers or just out of college marketing whoopees would choose. 

AirBnB does not CARE ONE IOTA that hosts and guests would benefit from being able to select pet friendly properties and pay the published fees at booking.   We can all send feedback requesting this on a daily basis and it will fall into the abyss of "We don't care".  IMO, feedback goes to a department populated by powerless minions. We try.  Perhaps your accommodation is in a state that requires full disclosure of pricing at booking and you can sue Brian Chesky for damages in not being able to meet that legal requirement by having the guest pay for a pet fee at booking.  

[Mark1723]

Looks like you, with you 15 years of hosting, were totally wrong!

Thanks to the efforts of tenacious hosts like me, Air just added a pet fee option!

I love it when I’m right!

[Sarah977]

@Mark1723  It's delusional to think they added the pet fee because you complained a few weeks ago, since hosts have been clamoring for this for years.

As with most things, Airbnb does what is advantageous to their bottom line, not because they want to help hosts.

By adding the pet fee at the time of booking, they will be charging service fees on the fee, so that will up the cost of the booking for both guests and hosts and put more money in Airbnbs coffers.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Sarah977 I do find it hilarious that @Mark1723 really thinks he made a difference here. What of course you don't realise is that Mark is always right and likes to let people know it. Sadly (for Mark) his need to tell everyone this is going to damage his business. Just read the last two review responses he has left to correct the reviews left by others. Strangely, for one review, all he has done is advertise it as a negative review given that the actual review words are fine.

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0 Wow. Those responses are doozies. And after all those guests and reviews, seems to be unaware that potential guests would have no idea what specific star ratings any other guest left unless he told them. 

[Mark1723]

@Jeff761, @Andrew0, @Mike-And-Jane0,  @Sarah977 and You're delusional to think that your "do nothing - that's just the way it is" attitude accomplishes anything! The reason they added a pet fee is one reason, and one reason only!: The people (like me!) who took action, and, made their views known, generated results! While you sat around and whined about management not doing anything! Service fees will amount to pennies! Get a grip!

[Sarah977]

@Mark1723  Service fees will amount to pennies? Let's see- so lets say a host charges $50 pet fee, that will have about a 15% service fee to the guest tacked on, plus 3% to the host, so 18% on $50 is $9. Now being super conservative, let's say that there are 1000 bookings per day which include a pet fee. That's an extra $9000/day in Airbnb's coffers, $3,285,000 per year. 

Over 3 million dollars might be pennies to you, but it certainly isn't to most people.

[Mark1723]

@Sarah977I'm guessing that perhaps you're a bit out of touch with reality? First off, no one in their right mind  is going to charge a $50 pet fee! Are you kidding?! We charge $10/night! Using your (dubious?) math, that's about $1.50/day (pennies as far as I'm concerned!) 

I don't care what Air makes! I care that we  _finally_ have a simple and sensible way to charge a pet fee!

I think your tenacious hanging on to your prior view; that "nothing can be done" is sour grapes and rationalization because I was _right_ and you were wrong!