ACCOUNT SUSPENSION

ACCOUNT SUSPENSION

Help! We opened our cottage in Oct. 2019 and are a 3 time Superhost, with (40) 5* reviews. We had a guest book for 2 days (she had (5) 5* reviews), then she upped for an additional 2 days. Our cottage is on our property on the other acre from our home, but we have self check-in and check-out. She checked out and wrote a 5* review that day. (I didn't see it until 2 days later when I wrote mine). When I went to clean it, the cottage was trashed, no damage, just filthy. Sticky spills and dried dog urine all over the flooring, vomit all over the toilet, food smears stuck everywhere, and the worst was the dog stench. I had to wash EVERY textile, meaning even the curtains and the bed skirt. I could go on and on.  I wrote her a bad review (my first), and the next day my account was suspended, with NO notification from Airbnb. I found out when I tried to message my next guest the check-in instructions. I called Airbnb, and after a week I received an email, then a call, that the guest had accused us of entering the cottage while she was gone and stealing "something", which of course we didn't do either. We gave the Airbnb rep all the information he asked for, but my question is, how long does this investigation take? Also, what else can we do besides just sit here and wait?

Thanks for any information or input!

Debbie

37 Replies 37
Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Bez8 

 it shouldn’t be a matter of if but matter of when we get suspended from the platform! The rest of the world just does not function that way.

One way of looking at it is that Airbnb is a big mall and I’m renting a store front. Customers come to my store and purchase my product. I have to abide by certain mall rules like my store appearance and hours of operation. I have to participate in the malls loyalty program. The mall attracts many customers by having lots of other great stores. I pay rent. One day I arrive to open my store in the morning to find the locks have been changed. The mall owner says that customer complained and they will not give me the keys until they finish their investigation. In the meantime, I have no access to my goods inside my store.

How can airbnb think this scenario is ok?

Bez8
Host Advisory Board Member
Vancouver, Canada

@Inna22 

 

It's not ok at all. I agree with you. 

 

safety and security is tough subject. Airbnb needs to optimize the current process. I agree with you

 

In my opinion both guest and host accounts should be on restricted access until the case is looked at. I also think that the users time and rating on the platform should be considered. 

 

But i don't have all the answers. I just think it's more complicated than we think it is. 

 

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Bez8 "In my opinion both guest and host accounts should be on restricted access until the case is looked at. "

 

Well, that's not really an equitable solution, as guests may not be in need of a booking at any time in the near future, so having a temporary suspension wouldn't affect them at all, while a listing suspension means a host has lost their income stream.

No one's listing should be suspended at all "pending" investigation, most certainly not listings of experienced hosts with pages of glowing reviews, none of which have ever made any mention of the supposed issue the guest reports.

 

@Sarah977 And don't you find it odd, in many of the cases that we read about, that the host's account cannot be accessed/is suspended but the host has numerous upcoming reservations that proceed as normal. If the host was really a serious threat, why would Airbnb allow a guest to check in the next day? But in the meantime, the host cannot send messages, let alone check-in instructions, to guests en route to their properties?! 

I totally agree with you.  I feel like I should cancel my upcoming reservations for fear of bad reviews or issues

Bez8
Host Advisory Board Member
Vancouver, Canada

@Sarah977 

 

Thank you Sarah. Perhaps I should have clarified what I meant by "restricted". To me that doesnt mean that the host can't continue with their booked reservations. It means that the host and guest both get put on a hold of some sort (I dont have the answers and I believe that I did say that) until the situation is resolved in a timely manner. 

 

My words and are concrete, I'm learning and it's always so difficult to communicate complex topics through written words. 

@Bez8  Why should there be any sort of "hold" at all, simply based on someone's unproven allegation? Would you want your liberties curtailed in some way because a neighbor simply accused you of having assaulted them, when there was no documentation of any such thing, no witnesses, nothing in your history to indicate that you had ever been violent towards anyone?

@Sarah977 @Bez8 

Also, we can't forget all the Airbnb hosts who are suspended because a guest reports them for having outside security cameras. Even though the cameras are disclosed on their Airbnb listing page. Instead of a CS rep reassuring the guest that the cameras are disclosed/legal and that the guest agreed to them when booking, the system automatically suspends the listings. The host loses income while spending countless hours trying to get in touch with Airbnb waiting for answers as to why they lost access to their account. It just doesn't make any sense to me!

Well said. I’m going through the same thing. Not only does the host loose income but also the cleaning staff. How one person can create so much damage and Airbnb is fine with it. 

Bez8
Host Advisory Board Member
Vancouver, Canada

@Sarah977 

 

That is why I said to put emphasis on platform usage. Hosts and guests who are proven and have lots of reviews and ratings should be treated differently. 

 

My comment was general towards new hosts and guests. 

@Bez8 

 

« In my opinion both guest and host accounts should be on restricted access until the case is looked at.« 

 

You scare me.

I am far more confident in @Sarah977 ´s experience.

 

Emma2259
Level 5
Denmark, Australia

I’m amazed Airbnb do this! I have just having a similar experience. My account suspended after I left a factual review on guest that were noisy, checked out late and got caught with an extra person. Same thing happened, 2 days after my calendar suspended with no communication at all and still waiting for ‘specialist’ team, so after reading your experiences it seems I have had that guest report me. I’m astonished at how Airbnb deal with this. I have over 200 5 star reviews raving about good hosting and my place. Surely Airbnb can see that when a guest has not behaved well and gets called out,  and when there is a spiteful retaliation, that this is just that, and really Airbnb could protect its valued hosts with good/impeccable history. Astounding. 

Michael-And-Alex1
Level 2
Fort Lauderdale, FL

I understand what you are going thru. My account was suspended also with no knowledge because my previous guest who was evicted due to breaking house rules and exceeding guest limits has filed a complaint that we evicted her because she is black. We find this amusing since we are a gay interracial couple who have rented to many previous guests who are black. 
so how can a renter who broke all the house rules, has threatened us and had illegal drugs on the premises shut down our account with multiple listings and superhost status. 
can anyone guide me on this?

Michael-L-0
Level 2
Hampton, VA

I have just experience the worst nightmare of customer service with Airbnb my account was suspended and for three weeks now no one can tell me why I have very good ratings all of my ratings have been five stars no complaints but I wake up one morning and four of my listings have been suspended I’ve called numerous of times for the last three weeks And nothing has been done to reinstate my account this is ludicrous truly I don’t believe that the people that answer the phones are even real I believe they are robots I definitely will never recommend anyone to be a host of Airbnb!!

 

Michael

Kalawati-Homes0
Level 2
Shimla, India

Hi,

 

I have been an Airbnb host since 6 long years with a rating of above 4.8 out of atleast a 1000 reservations. I have multiple listings in Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh and perhaps I am among the top 5 revenue grossers for Airbnb in the region.

I have been a multi year superhost. Till yesterday I believed that Airbnb valued my association with them. We have always given top priority to airbnb guests and have grown our business based on this association. Today to ensure my association with airbnb in have a team of 10 staff from poor backgrounds dependent on my business. 

Yet, just yesterday(thursday) Lucy from airbnb safety team sent me a message at 12:05 am local time. Saying that they have recieved a report of some uncomfortable or unsafe situation during the reservation. Hence they have limited my account access and suspended all of my 6 listings.

First of all what could be more cryptic and unprofessional than saying "the reservation". In context, we have hosted atleast 20 reservation on Airbnb in the last 10 days across 6 different listings.

So, as per my belief any reasonable person who has been assigned such critical tasks by Airbnb must be able to define what "the reservation" means. But no Lucy didn't bother to do that. Instead at 6 am local time before I could wake up and see her cryptic message, Lucy said that she won't be able to reply to this matter till Saturday. Since, she only works Saturday to Thursday that too at timings when here everyone in my region is sleeping. Assigning Lucy to such matters during the final hours of her weekly shift just shows how much Airbnb values its top rated hosts. While we are stuck in a limbo feeling stress and anxiety about our future. Trying to call airbnb who have no answers why our listing was suspended. Till now I haven't received an answer except one message sending us links to irrelevant articles and asking me if the issue was resolved.

I now took to this community forum and discovered endless lists of hosts like me. Facing the same harassment by Airbnb safety team. Yet Airbnb is still clueless about all this I feel.

 

Vijyendra ***

Airbnb Host

 

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