Seriously annoyed with Airbnb now--guests are being asked to contact host to refund service fee

[Ann489]

I am so irritated with Airbnb right now--and I didn't think it could get any worse.  Two of my guests, who had canceled their reservations for April, were told to contact their host(me) in order to have their service fee refunded.  I can't believe the gall; not only did I not receive a penny for the canceled reservations--which is fine with me--but now I am also asked to refund money that never went to me in the first place?  Come on, AIRBN, have you lost the last of your marbles?!  Sorry, rant over.   😛

[Sarah977]

@Ann489  Did the guest send you screenshot of the message they received? I believe either the guest or you are misunderstanding it. The message I've seen posted here regarding that says to contact the host to ask for a full refund and to get the service fees refunded. That doesn't mean that you are being asked to refund Airbnb service fees- it means that if the host approves a 100% refund that the guest will also receive their fees back.

[Ann489]

@Sarah977   that's exactly what I thought at first, too, but she was adamant that the CSR she spoke with first offered her a coupon and then, when she insisted on having the service fee refunded, told her that she needed to contact the host.  I asked her to send a screenshot of the message, but she is not very computer-savvy.   Strange thing is that this was the second guest who told me that they were advised to speak to their host to have the service fee refunded.  Go figure!

[Sarah977]

@Ann489  This is what I think the guests are being shown- I think the CS rep was confusing things (surprise, surprise), the guests simply don't understand, or there's something weird going on.

If your reservation was booked before March 10, 2020, with a check-in date before June 1, 2020, or booked between March 10 and June 1, 2020, you may be able to request a cancellation directly from your host and get a full refund.

The host will be given up to 48 hours to respond, or 24 hours if the reservation begins within a week. If they agree to the cancellation, we’ll send the refund to your original payment method, including the service fee amount.

If the host doesn’t agree, you can still cancel and your refund will be determined by the host’s standard cancellation policy.

[Ann489]

@Sarah977      I ended up calling up CS, Sarah and was able to get it resolved. Apparently, the problem was an ill-informed CSR, as you suggested(what a shocker).   I never saw the actual message, but her reservation fell within the time frame, and  I was completely on board with the cancellation, so there should not have been a problem.  Unfortunately,  Airbnb excels at confusing hosts and guests alike.   😛     Stay safe!   😉

[Sarah977]

@Ann489  Wow, you got through to CS!  Seems to be a rarity right now. Yes, I had one booking still on my calendar as of last week, and messaged the guest to say I thought it best if it got cancelled, and she agreed (was kind of a moot point at that juncture, as Calif, where she lives, had just gone on lockdown). Her dates fell within the current policy, so I told her all she should need to do was click on cancel, it wouldn't need my approval, and it all happened without a hitch.

[Ann489]

@Sarah977  after being on hold for nearly forty minutes!    😉        I remember you mentioning on another thread that you still had a booking.   Glad you got it taken care of without problems.   I pretty much blocked my calendar through May...I don't think I want to host anyone for a little while!   😉