Being forced into host only pricing with no good reason!

[Lesley132]

I am in my 4th year with AirBnB as a Superhost and apart from a few hiccoughs with AirBnB Support, (the quality of which is diminishing by the year), things have been running very smoothly until I received an email on the 7th October saying that my listing will be moved to the 'simplified pricing' service fee structure on 7th Dec 2020. This was apparently due to 'having a listing in a selected country' and connecting to AirBnB via third-party software. I'm not sure what a 'selected country' is (nor were AirBnB support) and we have not connected via third party software since we disconnected from IGMS after a week trial.

On raising this with support, after long delays, I received the usual condescending responses and associated links alongside the most bizzare, unhelpful and poorly argued responses.

I was asked to check with IGMS to make sure that their system was now disconnected. This was confirmed to me by IGMS today. On advising AirBnB support of this, they have now changed their story. They now tell me, and I quote: "Upon investigation, I see as you are hosting a service apartment and you are one of the business host thus the service fees structure has been changed." Apart from the incomprehensible grammar, nothing has changed, I run a small annexe next to my house in Cornwall as holiday accommodation. So this last response is complete nonsense.

I have no real issue going with 'simplified' pricing, (although it's nice to have the flexibility of both structures), but I really object to being forced into this with no good reason. If AirBnB are simply trying to adjust their pricing structure to provide a level footing with other platforms, why don't they just tell me!

Has anyone else experienced this?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Lesley132 If you also list on booking.com the new pricing structure will help. If and when they change us to this pricing I will be more inclined to use booking.com alongside Airbnb.

Not sure what your cancellation policy is but as the guest no longer pays a service fee they have little skin in the game unless you move to a strict cancellation policy.

[Lesley132]

Many thanks for this. I am still in conversation with a 'support ambassador' (I think this is AirBnB code for 1st line support), hoping to get an answer to why I have been selected to move to host-centric pricing ('simplified pricing' in old speak). At the moment they can't give me a straight and consistent answer!

[SmokyStays0]

Hi, did you ever end up getting anywhere with airbnb support? the same thing recently happened to me, and I am not sure why - I am technically in one of the 'exempt' countries.

[Lesley132]

Sorry to hear you're in the same situation. I gave up trying to convince them I did not come into any of the categories that meant it was mandatory to move to the  host-centric pricing system and prepared a new tariff. When I was due to change to the new system, I contacted them to ask exactly when, so I could upload the new tariff. They then told me I don't come into the group that this new system applies to! Unbelieveable! I did get an apology and some compensation but nowhere near enough to offset the aggravation this caused. Incidentally, if you get your tariff adjusted the end result is the guest pays nearly the same and the host doesn't lose either. Though by my reckoning AirBnB are losing a few points.