Refund not accepted by guest

[Jenny1331]

We had guests that checked out a day earlier than they had anticipated and as they are the parents of our neighbors, I wanted to go the extra mile and refund then for the night they did not stay. I processed the refund (resolution adjustment) but then received a note from the guests that the refund was not necessary. I said that it was already in process and I said I'd feel better if they'd take the refund. 

Unfortunately, the have not accepted the refund and it's just sitting in my pending payouts.

Is there any action I can take or will that just sit there forever if they don't accept the refund? I'm a newer host and don't have any experience with this yet.

Thank you!

[Helen3]

I would give Airbnb a call and check with them @Jenny1331 

[Lisa723 · Accepted solution]

@Jenny1331 AFAIK guests don't have to accept a refund in order to receive it-- at least, I've never known that to be the case. I would expect it to be deducted from your next payout. Have you received a subsequent payout from which the refund was not deducted?

[Jenny1331]

@Lisa723  - thank you, that makes sense! I have not had a payout since these guests checked out but the refund is showing as deducted from the next scheduled payout so I would imagine it will process then! I'll keep an eye out.

[Colleen253]

@Jenny1331  When you send money through the resolution center to a guest, it’s automatically processed as a credit on whatever payment method they use with Airbnb. That money will then be deducted from your next payout. 

[Sarah977]

@Jenny1331  If you ever want to voluntarily refund guests in the future, it's a good idea to let them know first that you want to do this, rather than just go ahead and send money.

While I'm sure the majority of guests would be thrilled to get an unexpected refund, some aren't. I've had a couple of bookings where the guests missed their first day of a 10 day to 2 week booking due to no fault of their own. One encountered an overbooked flight, the other's plane had mechanical issues and had to turn around. 

In both cases I offered to refund the missed day, and in both cases the guests adamantly refused, saying it wasn't my fault,  they didn't want me to take any loss, and that my place was great value for them, that I should charge more for what I provide 🙂

[Jenny1331]

Yes, you're right! They had a similar reaction but it was already in process. I'll certainly offer first, take action second next time. 🙂