BEWARE - deposits are not being refunded

[Normand-and-Stephanie0]

My wife and I made reservations a couple of months ago (June 2020) for a one week stay in a home in Wells, Maine for the last week of June of next year, 2021 totaling over 5K and place a 50% deposit.  Of course, as life would have it, a conflict has come up for that week.. So yesterday we went online to cancel the trip not knowing any better - we found out that our deposit of 2655.02 that was given to Airbnb is not refundable. They've calculated that our return deposit would be only $117 dollar and the rest is not refundable... This is robbery and fraud.. We've use Air bnb a number of times in past with the comfort knowing that if something were to happen we could get our deposit back..NOT THE CASE.  We tried calling the customer service line several times to try to resolve this, but we are unable to get a REAL person on the line to help us...Is this normal business practice?  We are reaching out to see if we can have someone from Airbnb to help us with this issue..

The Host says that it's out of her hands to help us with our refund - If fact, she said that she has no access to the funds.  Then why is there a process to request the refund from the Host - The response - THE HOST DECLINED OUR REFUND... 

 For AirBnb to keep 2,500 dollars of our money and have the ability to rerent the house to someone else is totally unfair.

A plea for help.

Normand and Stephanie - A disappointed Airbnd customer

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Normand-and-Stephanie0 Do I have this right:

1) You contracted to stay in a property with a Strict cancellation policy

2) You agreed, by booking, that only 50% of the full amount would be refunded if you cancelled

3) You now want to cancel and don't want 1) and 2) above to apply.

Now, If I were that host I would offer to refund IF and ONLY IF I got another booking for the last week in June. I would not refund the money however until I received it (which will be June 2021).

[Alexandra316]

@Normand-and-Stephanie0 Every Airbnb host chooses the cancellation policy that works for them and their property. Your host selected either Strict, Super Strict 30 days or Super Strict 60 days. See the details at: 

https://www.airbnb.ca/home/cancellation_policies#super-strict-30

All are viewable at the link... just click through at the top

When you book a property, you agree to the cancellation terms in place on that particular property at the time you book. You may not have noticed it: however, it's part of the booking process. Sorry that you feel that you have been misled, but you did agree to it. For what it's worth, your host does have the power to refund you in full: it's not up to Airbnb. Although they don't have access to your money at the moment, they will get it after your check in day. They can't refund the booking fee you paid to Airbnb, but they do have the power to refund you what they are owed for your booking.  You could ask them if they would consider refunding the money if they are able to rebook their dates. It sounds like it will likely be a no, but may be worth a try. 

[Lisa723]

@Alexandra316 it could be just plain old strict:

https://www.airbnb.ca/home/cancellation_policies#strict-with-grace-period

[Alexandra316]

@Lisa723 You could have a point there. I thought Strict had been relaxed more, for some reason. 

[Lisa723]

@Alexandra316 just with the addition of the 48-hour grace period, I think.

[Alexandra316]

@Normand-and-Stephanie0  for reference, you agree to the cancellation policy right before you complete your booking: it's directly above where you click Confirm and pay. 

[Sarah977]

@Normand-and-Stephanie0  " Then why is there a process to request the refund from the Host?"

Because it's an option for the host to refund or not. That doesn't mean they have to. Cancellation policies exist for a reason, and as others pointed out, you agreed to the policy when you booked.

That said, for a reservation so far in advance, many hosts would be willing to refund if they are able to rebook those dates. Have you even asked your host about this?

[Elena87]

@Normand-and-Stephanie0 

Why not request to change your reservation to a different week in 2021.?