Canceling a booking without uploading a government ID

[Alberto569]

Does anyone out there know how to cancel a booking without uploading a government ID? I made a reservation, all the way up to giving payment information, and then suddenly I can't do ANYTHING AT ALL on AirBnB without uploading a government ID! I can't cancel the reservation, or review, or send any messages to the host, review the receipt for the reservation, check my account settings, delete my account. On every page a message appears at the top saying account access is limited until verification is complete. I have absolutely no intention of giving AirBnB unfettered access the highly sensitive information like my government ID to be stored indefinitely and so insecurely. I would have no problem showing ID to a host when checking in to a location, like one would do at a hotel, but really, to give my ID to this website and whoever else they decide to share it with? Nowhere did it require me to give the government ID before giving payment information or completing the booking. Only after all that was done, did I suddenly have to provide a government ID. No where was I informed that I would have to give that ID before the booking was made, or that I would have to provide it to AirBnB in order to cancel the booking. This is all happening the same day as I made the booking. I should be entitled to a full refund, but apparently AirBnB can hold my money hostage until I give them my government ID? This whole experience has turned me off Airbnb entirely. I want to cancel my entire account. My wife has an account and she has made reservations and has never had this problem. She has never once been asked to upload her ID. Is there anyone who can help me cancel a booking without giving up my ID? I have sent several messages to AirBnB. 

[Victoria567]

@Albert111o

Why are you concerned about giving your ID to use air bnb , as hosts we share our homes with unknown guests and it’s really based on a large element of trust for both host and guest providing government ID which is verified by air bnb.

As a potential guest I want to know if the strangers home, I am staying at, is a genuine person with government ID.

As a potential host I want to if the stranger I am inviting into my home is a genuine person with government ID.

Trust us a two way street and not a one way street.

[Alberto569]

If you want people to provide ID, fine. Inform people first. Don't take their money AND THEN FORCE them to GIVE UP personal information to an untrustworthy site in order to EVEN CANCEL. Do you see the problem? I can't even cancel the reservation, THE SAME DAY I MADE IT, without giving information I don't want to give and that WASN'T REQUIRED AT BOOKING. If I had know I would be forced to give government ID to a website, to store it indefinitely, I wouldn't have made the booking in the first place. Besides, if you read my question carefully, you would see it is not all about the reservation either. I can't even check messages or review my account settings without uploading a government ID. How will that help protect anyone? Ever heard of Equifax? Cambridge Anyalytica? I am not ever going to trust that AirBnB is going to keep my government ID image safe from hackers who would use my persoal goverment ID to steal my identity and all my assets. If hosts want to require guests to unsafely give up their IDs to the AirBnB website, so be it. However, they should clearly state that before booking is complete. And it is beyond ludicrous that no where was I required to give goverment ID to make the reservation, but now that I want to cancel--well within the host's cancellation policy, mind you--I cannot do so without uploading my ID.

[Victoria567]

@Albert111o

I do instant book and a guest cannot complete a booking for my listing unless they they have government verified ID.

Yes of course I’ve heard of Cambridge Analitica harvesting people’s data from Facebook.

Thats why I don’t use Facebook, Twitter, instagram etc.

NOTHING is safe from a determined hacker, that’s why I don’t use internet banking.

I would phone air bnb, explain your dilemma and see if you can cancel via a phone operator or else get in touch with the host directly, through the air bnb platform and see if the host can cancel without financial or other penalties to their listing.

[Alberto569]

My wife did try to get in touch with the host directly via her (my wife's) acocunt (my Airbnb account will not let me view or send any messages to anyone without uploading the government ID). So far the host has not responded to my wife's messages. The host has also not canceled the reservation. If the host is trying to contact me directly, like I said, Airbnb will not let me view any messages without first uploading the government ID. I also tried to cancel my entire account with Airbnb because the terms of service indicate that doing so will force cancel all your reservations and any refunds should be up to the host's cancellation policy. Again, Airbnb will not allow me to even cancel the account without uploading a government ID. How is that keeping hosts safe? Please tell me why it makes sens that I would have to upload a government ID just to cancel the account?

[Alberto569]

Additionally, I was able to complete the booking, including paying for the reservation, but now I am blocked from using any features on my account, including sending or viewing messages to the host, unless I upload my government ID. So, now the host cannot communicate with me, and I cannot communicate with them. Again, how does that help protect the host? It seems more like an unethical way for the host to collect the money for the reservation without actually having the work of me staying there. Is that what hosts want? To basically steal money from people? They should have asked for the government ID before they asked for my payment information. 

[Helen3]

I am not sure why you are getting annoyed at your fellow guests and hosts on a community forum.

It is not us but Airbnb which decides how to manage its business.

Just give Airbnb a call explain what has happened and ask them to resolve your issues.

Then book on your wife's profile.

However , going forward, you will find an increasing number of hosts now only accept guests with verified government ID.

I am sure there are other listing companies you could use who don't required ID when booking as this is a concern for you.

[Alon1]

Helen,

He can't easily book on his Wife's Profile due to Airbnb rule v. 3rd Party Bookings. 

See T&Cs 4.14 and Help. Copy below.

• 4. Prohibited Activities
• TERMS & CONDITIONS 14
  unless Airbnb explicitly permits otherwise, book any Listing if you will not actually be using the Host Services yourself;

Airbnb 'Help'

Can I book on behalf of a friend or family member?

Transparency and trust are vital to the Airbnb experience. People rely on information in Airbnb profiles, reviews, and other verifications when deciding whether to host or stay with someone.

We require Airbnb reservations booked for personal travel to be booked by the person who's going to stay at the listing.

[Victoria567]

@Alon0

Yes you have a valid point here regarding 3rd party bookings but I assumed he’s travelling with his wife.

[Maureen251]

eI have had many third party bookings.... People book and then someoneelze stays, mostly the person booking advises that they are booking for someonelze.   I don't really see any problem with it, and AIR BNB doesnt have any apparent way of detecting this.    If I report it ot Air BnB, I would loose the customer .....

[Alberto569]

Yes, there are plenty of sites that do not require you to upload your ID to their dubious servers. I have booked some for this same trip. They usually say ID is required upon check-in, and that reservations made in names that do not match IDs will not be honored. I have no problem complying with that. Showing your ID to someone in person for verfication is vastly different than uploading an ID to a website that millions of people access every day and that is so rife with personal information that it is a hack waiting to happen.

[Alberto569]

I am annoyed becasue airbnb is extorting me for my highly sensitive personal information. I do not understand how this behavior can be defended. As I mentioned in reply to the previous comment, I cannot even cancel the reservation or even my account without uploading a government ID. How does that protect hosts?

[Lisa723]

@Alberto569 call customer support. They can help you, we can't.

United States and Canada

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

[Sarah977]

@Alberto569   I totally understand your reticence in giving out your ID to Airbnb. We are all at risk these days with hacking. And yes, the necessity to submit official ID should be the first thing they tell a new guest before they go through a booking process. Airbnb is not known for transparency, they seem to like to practice trickery.

But you asked of what benefit it is to hosts. There are scammers out there who have had their accounts removed from Airbnb because they were horrible guests, destroyed property, stole, and so on. Then these people get someone else to book for them who has a valid account. But 3rd party bookings are against Airbnb's Terms of Service. So if hosts have no confirmation that the person who booked is one and the same as at least one of the people who show up for that booking, it is a security risk for us to allow an unverified person access to our homes. And without govt. ID, how can Airbnb check to make sure a guest is not a wanted felon or has a criminal record for say, child molestation. If you were hosting in your home and had children, wouldn't you want to be able to have access to that information, or hope that Airbnb would?

[Alberto569]

I understand hosts have some bad experiences with guests. I understand that hosts want some guarantee of security as well. In my case, there is a picture of me on my profile. My name is on my profile. When I check in, could not the host view my ID and see if matches my profile picture? And my account name match the name on my ID? If a 3rd party booked something for someone, comparing the person who shows up physically to check-in with the profile of the account that booked should offer some verification. If no one checking in matches the information presented to host the at reservation, hosts should be able to prevent entry to that person without forfeiting the reservation fees or having to provide a refund. If an account's profile picture does not show a person's face, a host should be allowed to refuse that reservation. Just like I should be allowed to refuse a reservation if I don't want to give my ID to a website.