Appeal to Airbnb's final decision

[Teresa3]

We had an ABB guest who is supposed to stay with us for 7 days and wanted to cancel her reservation for the last 3 days after she moved in for four days.  We could not refund her for the remainder 3 days  according to the cancellation policy we published on ABB.  In order to get her refund, the guest made a false claim to ABB saying our internet did not work, and she needed to move out.  ABB refunded her for the 3 days based on what the guest's story.  When we found it out 2 days after, and told ABB that the guest's claim was false, and we have proof for it.  ABB case manager said it was too late, and she already made a final decision to refund the guest based on what the guest said, and we can not change or appeal her decision, and we can not talk to her supervisor either.  She sounded like she has the absolute power to make decisions for me with or without my agreement.  Does anyone know if there is way to appeal for the case manager's wrongful decisions?  

[Sinead10]

I have tried apealing my case but the same thing is happening, the agent even threatened me with 'removal from the community' even though i have been a superhost on airbnb now for 5 years! Who are these resolution agents...why do they sound like they are above the law? I have been accused of breaking a sofabed...but it was old and creaky and he wants 1,200 for a new one! It is very distressing as they have just taken £450 from my account . I also thought Airbnb was a great company.... but now I feel let down and that they just dont care !

[Christine1239]

ive been with air b n b for 10+ years.. most of the case managers seem to be incompetent.. i have asked what their training is.?? what their education is? ( none have never responded) i have also asked them  if they have ever owned a home or hosted any guests.?? ( none of ever responded)

they always seem to fall for and side with all the scam artists.. and there is nothing we can do as hosts to investigate or appeal their decision.  it is a full on dictatorship.

it is so ironic that they lecture us ( hosts) saying we didn't do this or do that or respond quick enough etc. etc

we are suppose to bow down and be slaves to every whim or every insane renter

but the case managers get 48 hours or more to respond to us??

big brother ( air b n b) is watching us every second of every booking 

they have the barre in the stratasphere for our performances (even with really really cruel and abusive renters..)  we are reviewed and processed and analysed 24/7

but we cannot review air b n b

we cannot complain in a review about their decision

we cannot review a case manager or  bad customer service rep.

its so insane that a company who puts us hosts and guest under a microscope 24/7 doesn't allow

either host or guest to review them..

i think we should start a website

specficially aimed at reviewing the case managers by the 1st names ( since they don't give out their complete names)

we have to put our names and pictures and something about us.. 

but the workers at air b n b 

don't have to give us anything??

this is a dictatorship!!

they make decisions with no experience and have cost me thousands of dollars for really really

poor decisions.

im a really great host.i have multiple properties and have been hosting for 10+ yeaars. i care about my guests. i would not have stayed in business this long. if i were not a great host..  it makes me really angry that when there  is a guest/host dispute that none of this ever factored in  in the final  decision..

 i'm buring out fast and getting really tired

of giving such a huge percentage to air b n b and allowing them to dictate my life, my work, my business. etc.

i feel like we all just are serf to a king??

[Elena932]

Exactly the same situation is happening with me. A long-term guests cancelled a week before he was supposed to arrive claiming a sprained knee. That spray me however is not keeping him from traveling he is just going to another place. He was on standby for University Housing and now he got a spot and now he wants to cancel on me. He's claiming he got special priority because of his medical condition for housing. I called the university and found out that in order to even be a student with a medical condition they would have to go through disability services and that process takes more than a day and that process does not give that person priority on the waiting list it just means that they will look out for him a little bit more. There is no University Housing that they say for just medical students or students with medical conditions. I explained this to the case manager that I was looking into it and I requested that she also ask for confirmation and information from the University but she refused and said that they validated his medical certificate which he actually provided me as well. And then she sent me the rules for extenuating circumstances. I read them and I told her that under Airbnb Zone rules for extenuating circumstances a medical condition needs to be deemed as an impediment to travel. In his case he is still traveling and going to school and moving into an apartment it's just University Housing. I am out $1,700 and I don't do this for profit so I'm so disappointed by the callousness displayed by the case manager. When I asked her for the reasoning as to their approval and how and under which section of extenuating circumstances that his situation fall under she replied that she doesn't have to explain anything and just it was enough that she said it was an extenuating circumstance. I also asked why they did not wait for me to receive a reply from the University as this complaint and request for refund began only today. They took less than 24 hours to decide a case or $1,700 was in contention and did not even wait for my side of the story and for me to provide the evidence that I was telling them that I was in the middle of getting. Meanwhile this guess just signed up to Airbnb in July and I have been a host who has gotten high ratings and I'm almost a super-host for 4 to 5 years. Airbnb has just gotten worse over the past couple of years and the way they treat their host is absolutely unacceptable to say the least. They are basically telling me to deal with it even though they did not stick with their own rules regarding what constitutes an extenuating circumstance. I have never felt such a distaste for being the reason or part of the reason why Airbnb is such a success. If it wasn't for their standout hosts Airbnb would not be who they are today. They know they have the most popular platform and so they don't care. However they cannot go on like this forever and I do plan on continuing to appeal my claim and perhaps take it to small claims court. Because this also does not follow the city laws for long-term cancellation. More of us need to speak out about how callus Airbnb treats their hosts when their hosts go above and beyond to provide the unique experiences that Airbnb claims to give their guests. We are the reason and the face of the kind of experience Airbnb claims they want to share with the world.

[Roger103]

The "extenuating circumstance" clause is certainly being abused and it seems that agents don't have a good understanding of it or what it is really saying.   Then the managers seem to just standby poor decisions rather than actually making an informed  and educated decision.

[George-And-Cathy0]

I write asking the same question. ABB just refunded a lodger without evening reading my and the lodger's conversation and without speaking to me. ANN also told me the decision was final. #1 Can I have a copy of what my lodger said?  And #2 Can I appeal? 

[Kenneth12]

I would think that an arbitrator would be highly unlikely to view a refusal to talk to a direct supervisor positively.  Record the call:  make a clear and polite demand:  repeat it,  be forceful,  else "Hang Up Call Again."
If that fails,  the Arbitration process is published and seems to get the attention of adults in ABB's legal department.

[Ken281]

 I live near the coast and we have a hurricane that is coming. I have had three guests this week but my entire house, and they have waited over 24 hours and then they have canceled the reservation, and Air bnb has given them full refund. Despite the fact I have a strict cancellation policy, they have allowed these people to tidy up my house for two entire days, and then they allow them to walk away Scott free. 

[Roger103]

Ken,

Just imagine having a home that is over 300 miles from the coast, at an elevation of over 3000 feet and your guest cancels and they are given a full refund....happened to me today.

Still waiting on someone to actually call me.

[Roger103]

Yeah that's kind of a pet peeve of mine too.  It seems that the guest can lie, cheat and steal and there is very little or no recourse for the hosts.  

This needs to change.  If there is an issue such as you described you should at the very least be given a chance to tell your side and provide proof or whatever.  

[Win3]

I had the worst experience with Airbnb, the host guarantee is a lie!  It all started during the end of "BURNING MAN" when it was over someone made a reservation to stay mid week and I accidentally forgot my phone at home. I set my alarm to the house, but left my back door open. To my surprise,  I arrive home and There is a car parked Up my driveway next to my garage. On my listing I clearly state  to park in front of the house only. Of course to my dismay, I  look for my phone and realize it was in the house.  I walk in my house and I knew my alarm had gone off.  Pass the bedroom and see two people sleeping, do not wake them up, go in my room, check my phone and see if there is a reservation. There is no instructions to walk into my house unless they speak to me! I checked my phone and the police department had been dispatched out. I am waiting for a false alarm bill! The reservation was for one person, there's two people and per his request he was saying there were going to be three. He doesn't pay for any extra guest. He got my dog high off of some edibles, his female guest ruined my sheets with some kind of oil, she stole two Rainbow Cookware pots but left the tops, I Actually arrived home one day when she was going through my kitchen, but I didn't realize that anything was missing till she was gone. To make this "THE BURNERS FROM HELL" they were late in checking out,  I had to help him pack, she was sitting in the car doing something. So I filmed them at the time that they were leaving and document the car filled to the max where they had no rearview mirror access, I then went I to my house. Anyway, they ran into my garage door and  without a doubt, her car did the damage. Airbnb is not paying for it. Their host guarantee is garbage, do not trust Airbnb. I have stopped  my listing and  I am going to see if I can sue them for my garage door and my pots! The  Lady handling the claim with Airbnb said I didn't see it happen so there is no proof. I have a video where there is no damage to the garage door prior to them backing out, and there was nobody else visiting me and nobody else can park upstairs. They clearly made the damage because they backed up into my garage in order to get out of the space they were in and The back of her car had dividers on her bumper and the marking Was left on my garage door. Airbnb shame on you!

[David126]

@Win0

The garage door would be something for their Auto Insurers to pay.

[Rosetta5]

I guess it different rules for everyone. I was a guest at a home which stunk of cat urine. Had to leave after avfew days of a long term stay. Airbnb said I could not prove the  home was stink (they wanted me to prove it was stink but couldn't tell me how I could). When I told the host of the smell she never acknowledged me. This was my first time using this service and the case worker continued to tell me everything indid wrong in the situation. No refund for me, called airbnb worse customer service experience. I feel like I was scammed, it's unfair I had rented the room so my son can go to university.  I am committed to sharing my awful experience to everyone and on every platform. I have never felt so taken advantage of.

[Susan1028]

apparently Tweets work 

[Luke166]

Looks like this thread has more traction than mine (https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Airbnb-not-co-operating-with-me-on-dispute/m-p/847327#M1828...

It seems that Airbnb relies on relative anonymity, decentralisation of its users and lack of accountability of its staff. 

The only way ive ever heard of anything being done is to cause a ‘stink’ on (social)media but this only seems to happen with individual cases. 

Perhaps we need to start clubbing together behind a # or a petition to get some real globalised change happening.

airbnb is a monopoly and it need to either self regulate, be regulated or at least be subject to independent arbitration (it seems there’s something in US but not UK.

Ive been trashed by Airbnb’s ‘we’ve closed your case now suck it’ so many times over my 6 years of doing this. They facilitate scammers and there’s no way of tracking them down if you are even able to do the leg work yourself.

[Susan1028]

for better or worse,  Tweets get attention