Cancelling for extenuating circumstances?

[Susan136]

We are Super Hosts in SC, but are travelling to Cuba in November, and staying in 3 different Airbnb's. We are getting reports of fuel shortages more severe than usual because of the collapse of the Venezuelan economy. Cuba gets its oil from there. This is resulting in a transportation crisis with long lines at gas stations, bus route cancellations, limited taxi service. There are also rolling blackouts throughout the country. Food shortages are also mounting because of limited transportation of goods. Some resorts are already closing for 6 weeks because of the situation. We are considering cancelling our trip until this situation changes and oil is once again in supply. My question is this; would this situation qualify for a full refund as an extenuating circumstances?

Thank you,

Scott

[Linda108]

While the information you have is certainly concerning, can you make a direct line between your concerns and what is happening?  Extenuating circumstances are unforseen so it is possible your concerns do not rise to the that level.  Are you cancelling your transportation as well?  Air BNB does not want to penalize guests but your issues are not specific to the shared economy.  The same issues would exist if you were in a hotel.

[Inna22]

@Susan136 were you not aware that you are travelling to a third world country with volatile economy? And that it relies on another even more volatile third world country for fuel? If not, this is the price you will pay for not doing your research. And if you were, have you purchased travel insurance? Why will your hosts have to pay for this? Your a superhost, you should know better. 

[Sarah977]

@Susan136  One of the things that one faces when travelling outside of one's own cushy first world lifestyle is that in 3rd world countries, these sorts of things can happen at any time, with or without warning. Last January there was a fuel crisis in many parts of Mexico. No car gas and no propane. My hot water and stove run on propane. I only had enough gas to drive to the gas station once, so I had to network with those who could tell me if there was any gas available that day. Everyone just made the best of it and helped each other out. My guest at the time was totally understanding- I was out of propane in both my large cylinders, but had a small barbeque-size tank that I had to keep moving back and forth betwen the stove hook-up and the hot water when one of us needed to shower. So she had to let me know 15 minutes before she wanted to shower and we both took super quick showers.

Another time the city water pumps broke down and I didn't receive any water for 10 days. When I was down to the last half-day's water supply in my storage tank, my guest helped me hook up 3 huge long hoses to reach to my neighbor's outside faucet, as they are on a private large well, to fill my tank.

40 years ago I was in Guatemala when a huge earthquake struck, 30,000 people died. Most tourists hightailed it out of there ASAP. The Guatemalans were so appreciative to the foreigners who chose to stay and help out where needed.

It doesn't seem like something that may or may not be a problem in November and which may or may not affect your travel to any major level, is an extenuating circumstance. Sounds like you just don't want to be inconvenienced.

[Susan136]

Just to answer a couple of assumptions. We have lived and traveled in third world countries. Our Airbnb is in a hurricane prone area and we have lost revenue when guests have had to cancel due to extreme weather, as well as for other extenuating circumstance such as illness. We also have already done enough research to understand that staying and traveling in Cuba in the best of times will include shortages and possible outages of power and water.  We understood this prior to booking and have been preparing for these possibilities while we are there. This was a straightforward question regarding options should things deteriorate as much as some fear prior to our trip. IF we are forced to cancel it would be for the entire trip, rescheduling when things improve, rebooking with same hosts where possible.

Thank you.

[Rachel177]

@Susan136 As a host you understand that the extenuating circumstances cancellation policy means that the refund of your travel costs comes from the hosts, not from the pockets airbnb which is a billion dollar company (talk about short arms and long pockets).

So if you  need to cancel then I would hope you have adequate travel insurance that covers your flights & accomodation costs and you are not putting the reimbursement of your trip back onto your hosts.

[Gordon0]

Personally, I think the risk comes with the choice, so no, I don't think it is likely to fall under the extenuating circumstances process.

And, for the record, I think you'll wait a considerable time until 'things improve'.  Venezuela is on its knees, and the very last thing they need to be doing is handing free oil to the Cubans.

[Anonymous]

@Susan136   Yep, that sounds like Cuba. I can understand that you're getting cold feet as the travel date draws closer, but as you said yourself - you were aware of the risks when you chose to book your trip there as opposed to a more stable and resource-rich destination. If you wish to cancel your bookings, the only ethically sound course of action I can see for you here is to honor the hosts' cancellation policies. 

Airbnb doesn't generally regard it as an "extenuating circumstance" when guests change their minds about travelling to a destination where conditions were already volatile. The issue does not seem to be whether your journey will be possible, but rather whether you will find it adequately comfortable. If your travel insurance provider is lenient about these circumstances, you can attempt a claim with them. But the people renting out their rooms to you are not your bloody insurance plan. If an "extenuating circumstances" claim were granted to you, it would be ripping much-needed income out of their pockets in an already difficult time to compensate you for reversing a questionable travel decision and remaining in a far more comfortable environment. 

I can't imagine why they would want to welcome you again.

[Linda108]

@Susan136   Wow! I don't think you got the responses you were seeking.  I think you were just asking a question about the Air BNB extenuating policy in reality versus what the pollcy stated. Fair question in that we have all seen how Air BNB has unfairly appied the policy to the detriment of the host.

You seem to be adventuresome travelers and choosing Cuba would be an adventure.  I like  @Sarah977  share about how guests made helping out as part of the "living there" as promoted by Air BNB.  I would imagine you would probably do the same once you were there.  But if that is not possible at this time, perhaps cancelling would be the best option.

[Kelly149]

as an alternative viewpoint, maybe hosting wouldn't be a blessing right now... maybe it would be stressful.

Your hosts are already living under these conditions, how about ask them??

"hey, news reports look like things are difficult right now, what do you think about our trip?"

last year, we had a major issue that affected all municipal water. I do certainly think that not having access to utilities falls under an extenuating circumstance and I would not have been unhappy if the guests had cancelled

[Inna22]

@Susan136 some  hosts pointed out that you were just asking a straightforward question. So to answer that, to qualify for extenuating circumstances it is enough to have sniffles or a broken radio in your car. They will pretty much refund you for any random reason. So you’re free to claim it and will most likely get your money back. The ethical question is should you be doing that. That’s for you to decide

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  Or a fake death certificate. Not funny, I know.