Airbnb is cancelling reservations after putting a hold on our account

[Stay-Asheville0]

Airbnb put a hold on our account two weeks ago where the listings were ghosted and guests couldn't make any more bookings.  Tonight they're starting to cancel future reservations.  

Has anyone had this happen?  We have over 2500 reviews and have been hosts on Airbnb for years now.   We're all kind of flipping out as we are professionals and this is our full time job.  We don't know what to do, and of course per usual airbnb customer service is of no help.  We're being told to wait on an email from the super secret trust and safety department.  I don't know how they can cancel on people last minute who are arriving this weekend and not even give us so much as an explanation.   

This thread probably won't solve anything, but I'm hoping it gets resolved and I hope we can continue to host on Airbnb.  Right now this is a nightmare for my staff and I.

[Emilia42]

It most certainly does, @Mark1706! Wow ... Shawn had us all fooled. 

@Susan17 -FYI

[Susan17]

Yes, I remember reading a couple of other reports about that case at the time @Emilia42, but assumed it couldn't possibly be the same guy, because Stay Asheville Shawn was still an active host right up until he posted in late April of this year, while the one named in the article had been the subject of a lengthy investigation by state regulators that concluded in late 2018, prior to his broker's licence being revoked in early February. As such, Airbnb would have to have been fully aware of that case last year, if not earlier, as investigators would have approached the company for details relating to Johnson's Airbnb hosting activities. Also, there had already been a lot of publicity and social media attention surrounding the allegations made against him, which one would have thought would have led to his immediate delisting from the platform.

It used to be the case that shady operators on the site seemed to be at liberty to carry on hosting with impunity - regardless of how many cheated, disgruntled guests reported them to Airbnb - until  the moment the media got wind of them, and shone a light on their shenanigans- and by association, on Airbnb itself. This invariably led to the company booting the offender(s) out straight away, and releasing their generic  "We're horrified by the despicable actions of this bad actor who is bringing our shining reputation into disrepute, and we've expelled him/her from our ranks forthwith" statement to the press. 

However, the whole AJ fiasco, and subsequent CBC reports (and several other instances that have come to the fore in recent months), now suggest that even where there is intense media scrutiny, injurious publicity and compelling evidence to expose the "host"  as an absolute con-artist with a shocking track record of abysmal service and/or scamming their guests, Airbnb is clearly perfectly willing these days to turn a blind eye, and let the crooks continue unhindered, until they're literally forced  to take action. 

So yeah, in light of what we now know about the company's recurring failures to protect their guests from rogue operators, anything is possible, I guess. 

[Geri26]

Interesting read @Mark1706 .....

[Lisa723]

Any host who hasn’t watched this should... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIrFlISFC1w

[Lisa723]

@Stay-Asheville0 have you tried posting on their FB page and tweeting @airbnbhelp?

[Stay-Asheville0]

Yes.

[Lisa723]

Ugh. Please keep us posted if/when you can. Your account may be deactivated any minute.

[Stay-Asheville0]

I've only gotten a generic empty message from someone in Trust and Safety saying the terms of service were violated.  There is no explanation.   Just an empty email from another person who doesn't care at Airbnb.  

[Emiel1]

@Stay-Asheville0 

Possible violations or cause of  trouble could be:

- guests are charged outside Airbnb (rent, deposit)

- Complaints of neighbours

- No license or illegal letting

- Safety issues at one or more listings

- Severe complaints of guests

- Issues with Airbnb regarding claims etc.

- Airbnb standards not achieved.

Best regards,

Emiel

[Stay-Asheville0]

Not my first rodeo.  I get that.  None of these are applicable.

[Lisa723]

Yes that seems to be the standard MO. They won’t tell you how or when or ask for your version. It’s insane.

[Cormac0]

@Lisa723 

Airbnb won't tell the Host the reason for their removal from the platform in case it prejudices Airbnb’s case in court, it makes me sick to my stomach and complete blow out of the water the Airbnb Propaganda about Airbnb being a community.

The Judge pointed out in the video that the host's constitutional rights were denied by Airbnb.

How many Host actually read the full contract and even more understand the implication of what the signed, what has happened to the principal of Equitable estoppel in the Airbnb’s T&C?

[Susan17]

@Stay-Asheville0 

Sorry to hear this. It's so, so, so wrong that hardworking, decent, good hosts are having their businesses, their livelihoods, and their employees livelihoods snatched right out from under their feet - without warning or explanation - by Airbnb. We all know these arbitrary, unfathomable, ruthless  delistings of our fellow hosts are happening on a massive scale, every day of the week, and every last one of us is left in no doubt whatsoever that we may be next for the Airbnb guillotine, no matter how long or exemplary our service to this company. 

There are laws against this sh*t. The host community needs to start using them to defend their rights and to protect themselves - and each other - against Airbnb's savagery and brutality. And to anyone who says that's an exaggeration - try telling that to any host in @Stay-Asheville0's position right now. Hosts have got to stop accepting this despicable, dehumanising treatment from Airbnb. It's not acceptable, it's sure as hell not ethical, and it's not even legal in most jurisdictions. Seriously. 

[Susan17]

@Stay-Asheville0 

As you've unfortunately discovered, you're banging your head against a brick wall trying to engage with Airbnb on this. So don't waste any more of your time or your sanity on dealing with them. 

So, here's what you can do. Firstly, if you haven't done so, scrutinise the video @Lisa723 posted above. There is precedent here. Jeannette, a 5 year superhost in Baltimore and the host in the video, was arbitrarily delisted by Airbnb following a defamatory review by a guest. In two separate cases, she took both the guest, and Airbnb to court - and won. In both instances, the judges tore Airbnb's policies and T&Cs to shreds. Some salient, pertinent quotes from that case... 

Judge to Airbnb

"Your investigation was bogus"

"It's not right what Airbnb is doing"

"If you want people to bring you to court, do what you did to her"

"This woman has been making money for you, and being a superhost, and then all of a sudden, you don't even want to talk to her??"

"I think it's wrong for Airbnb to have somebody sign that (T&Cs). I really do"

"Airbnb needs to tell the truth. Tell the truth. And if it's not done, we're going to hold them in contempt"

Airbnb was forced to delete the defamatory review, and reinstate Jeannette on the platform. Having been through the entire process herself, she's pretty much an expert on exactly what you need to do to take Airbnb to court in the US now, and she's been very generous with her time advising hosts on other Airbnb groups who have found themselves in similar disastrous situations. I'm sure she'd be happy to offer you some support and advice should you choose to go that route. You can contact her through the youtube video. 

[Stay-Asheville0]

Unfortunately I’m no stranger to a   courtroom. With that being said I’m also not a lawyer… District Court is not Really something where president can be set. Caselaw is determined by appellate courts. I do think that if they are claiming that they are investigating us, I should have a right Per the terms of service to expect them to do a thorough investigation. Without reaching out to us, and getting all of the facts, I don’t think anybody can see that as possible. If something like this were to go to a jury trial, I strongly believe all 12 jury members would agree with us. How can you justify canceling hundreds of reservation is worth almost $200,000 without so much as an explanation to anybody?