Airbnb service fee refund.

Answered!
Zhiran0
Level 1
Queens Park, Australia

Airbnb service fee refund.

Hello everyone 

I have a question.

Before I was looking at a house and planning a booking. Then this guy accepted my offer. Like around 20 min later he told me that it will cost extra and charged me extra $66 per night. So I cancelled the request. But the website did give back the refund but it took $60 service fee. Like wtf, Shouldn't he tell me that it will cost extra before he accept my offer? Do you know the contact number of this website.efore I was looking at a house and planning a booking. Then this guy accepted my offer. Like around 20 min later he told me that it will cost extra and charged me extra $66 per night. So I cancelled the request. But the website did give back the refund but it took $60 service fee. Like wtf, Shouldn't he tell me that it will cost extra before he accept my offer? Do you know the contact number of this website.

1 Best Answer
Christian65
Level 10
Copenhagen, Denmark

You say you booked at one price and the reservation was confirmed. Then the host send you change request and in this case you should have declined the that change he requested and not cancelled your original booking as you did.

He cannot change or ask for more money unless you accept when a booking is confirmed. If you cancel its another matter and when cancelling a booking the fee's are non refundable. 

But get in touch with ABB via your cancelled booking at https://www.airbnb.com/help

View Best Answer in original post

29 Replies 29

@Judith107  Don't do anything.  Let Air BNB earn their fee and direct the guest to Air BNB to work it out. Air BNB will adjudicate according to your cancellation policy.  The guest should have sent a booking inquiry not a booking request.  An inquiry does not block your calendar while a request does until you accept or decline.  If the guest didn't understand this and thought they had time to consider I would have declined the request and explained that you did this to save them from making a mistake, as these guest did.

Hi @Linda108!

Thank you for your quick reply. I will certainly do that next time!

The problem is, I have "refunded" the 993€ since I'm new on Airbnb and that's what the the page suggested after the cancellation.

But now I have received an email saying this sum will be taken from the next payment I will receive... Wasn't this money from that guest supposed to be blocked for me an as such sent back? Why would that sum be taken off my next booking if it's a refund to a first guest?

Have I just lost 993€ to a stranger?! 😞

 

@Judith107  Were you paid the amount you "refunded"?  That is, did the guest stay at your place and then you both agreed to cancel and you approve a refund?  If that is the case, since there was a payout, the only money Air BNB would have access to is the next payout.  Make sense?  If the next potential payout is not enough to cover the refund you authorized, then Air BNB will continue to deduct until the refund is honored.  If this still makes no sense, contact Air BNB to sort it out.

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Judith107

Did you check your transaction history - is this booking listed as a future payout ?

@Marit-Anne0 @Linda108

Wow! I just checked again and now it says no transaction for the timeframe of january to now, so that-s good, right? Because until this morning it said future payout for the 993 and then there was this email on my normal emailaccount saying, 993 would be taken off the next booking payment. 
Also the 36 euros service fee have disappeared. I guess that someone from airbnb must have sorted this out! phew! 😃

Thank you so much for your replies!

Angela588
Level 1
Seattle, WA

Airbnb service fee refund policy is ridiculous. And when I booked, I didn't realize that the portion of service fee is not refundable. It is just said I am fully refunded as long as I cancel within the host free cancellation frame.

 

Airbnb deducted the full amount from my credit card on the day I booked at a very unreasonable foreign exchange rate. If I couldn't even ask it to charge at local currency and can't get my interest back (i booked for two months). How could they keep the full amount of the service fee, based on a percentage of my 4 days booking.  Too ridiculous! I was totally shocked when I realized it only when I have to cancel the booking. I would feel better if this amount goes to the host. It is a shame to keep the business in this way.

 

At cancellation, it also has the reminded message: "We know that cancellations are sometimes unavoidable, but they also have a financial impact on hosts like xxx who have spent time preparing for your arrival."

 
Of course I have a reason to cancel even losing the money of Airbnb service fee. but they still want to make me feel bad. 

 

I think I won't book with Airbnb again unless I need a room at last minute. A lot of hosts open their places on booking.com and other booking website anyways.

I sympathise, there is a lot that is not working well with Airbnb and they need to clean up their act, but they probably don't even monitor this site and people's concerns, they are now too big and focus definitely on the guest and not the people that keep them in business, their hosts. I have had multiple problems to the point, like you, I am going to try other sites and Booking.com first. 

Sorry you have had such a bad experience and lost a fair amount of money it appears.

Farkas0
Level 2
Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania

Hey!

 

My story  - today had to cancel my reservation  for Nikiti, GR - - reason damaging flash floods in Nikiti

http://www.ert.gr/ert3/eidiseis-ert3/se-potamia-metatrapikan-oi-dromoi-stin-palia-nikiti-video/ 

 

- after cancelation i got refunded the $ except the airbnb fee  (~200usd)-  in privacy policy i saw  this go under 

Extenuating circumstances /Natural disasters - what should do to get back the fee.

 

Thanks for any details.

Farkas0
Level 2
Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania

Solved - in less then 12h
Letti0
Level 10
Atascosa, TX

@Farkas0 I would direct message AirBnB at AirbnbHelp on twitter you'll get better and faster results to have them refund you the service fee's. 

Farkas0
Level 2
Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania

After your recommandation - i was contacting AirBnb help , sending the news, photos - they were really fast - and refunding the fee. Thanks!

Angela958
Level 1
Takoma Park, MD

Dear ABB, I would like to ask for service fee refund.  I made an accidental reservation, I was sure my request didn't go through when I looked at it.  I cancelled it withing 24 hours, as soon as I saw a confirmation message.

Please help!  It is impossible to find a way to request a refund on the site even if ABB states I can have it up to 3 times per year.  I never had to request a refund before. Thanks!

@Angela958  This is only a host/guest forum. you need to call AIrBnB direct.

 

AirBnB number:

United States and Canada

+1-415-800-5959
+1-855-424-7262 (toll-free)

Hi

 

Happy new year 2019!

 

I have received  a Payment  Reservation message from my bank yerstoday.  Airbnb deduct from my payment 6% instead of 3% as usually. Please advise me why this happenned.

 

Kind regards

Artisan Homes

Cyprus.

@Andreas288  You have posted on a public host/guest forum and have not reached Air BNB.  Here is a link to a guide for ways of contacting Air BNB.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728