Airbnb Customer Service, epic fail!

[Linda3307]

I have been a host for 11 years! A super host without interruption since the programs inception. Airbnb customer service continues to deteriorate. The first line call center cannot handle any problems and say they are referring you to a specialist group. So far, the specialist groups have not gotten back to me in a timely fashion or at all even when my account was hacked and it was time sensitive. When they have, it is with copy and pasted information that I've already read that does not help and a closed reference number. NO HELP!
In this case, I had an abusive guest and loss of property and asked that someone get back to me before her stay was over. Turns out the first line CS person didn't even actually refer it and closed the case without addressing the issue.

[Elaine701]

@Linda3307 

Unfortunately, you'll receive little, if any help from Airbnb. So, the burden is on you to work this out in your best interests. 

You didn't indicate what "mood" this guest appears to be in... are they going to write a bad review no matter what? Or is the relationship salvageable in any way?

Airbnb won't help you with that either. Guests can say whatever they want, and there need not be a word of truth in it. So think through this carefully. 

Confronting guests more often than not results in bad reviews. So if you think some sort of diplomacy might make all things better, then that should be your first approach. 

Otherwise, if you're going to get a bad review anyway, and no help from Airbnb, maybe you might consider just telling the guest to leave? You probably will have to pay the guest back in full. You'll get a bad review. You will be penalised by Airbnb in some way.

No, it's not fair... But if this one is intolerable... 

[Geoff86]

Airbnb customer service is terrible. That is presuming that you could call it a service. Every time that I have contacted them about a problem of their making ie software, the reply is unrelated to the problem. Even when I contact them a second and third time, the same thing happens. It is clear that they do not want to know anything about their software issues so they seem to deliberately avoid answering the question and then the complaint. It is either that or their staff cannot read/understand english.

Then when I have complained too much about the poor standard of customer service, they tell me that I have not responded and they close the thread or conversation and state that they presume that the issue is finalised.

Does anyone else have this problem with them?

[Sarah977]

@Geoff86  Everyone.

[Linda3307]

I started this thread  after a fairly significant problem was not dealt with properly. 
While Airbnb is a great platform for my rental, their customer service remains appalling. The customer service direct contact info is hidden on the website so I have to assume this is deliberate. The first responders, once you find a phone number, have no knowledge and no authority to deal with host’s problems. They copy and paste from the site’s Q&As which is insulting. If it was there, I wouldn’t have called, duh…then they refer you to an”expert team” for “your” issue. This is a joke as there is about a two week lag time by which time, if your problem isn’t fixed it is a much worse problem. My account was hacked and my payouts diverted to a bogus account and they responded two weeks later with, “we see you’ve changed your password”. I also tracked down the bogus account, deleted it from my account, called PayPal and reported it and they deleted it the first day, while I waited for customer service’s “expert team” to do nothing.

Every time I see a virtual podcast by Airbnb’s management announced, I am disappointed to find that they add small things we may or mostly do not need, to our listings but do not address this huge negligent customer service issue.