Corona cancellation

[David7389]

I made a 13 day reservation in the evening by the next morning i was informed that i had been around a person with covid.  I canceled immediately , lets say within 15 hrs or less.   I was then informed that cancellation was accepted but my refund of a bill of $1081 was only eligible for a $469 refund.  I am a 60 year old man that recently (3 months ago) had a stent put in one of my heart arteries and I’ve with a wife and child.  Certainly this is pure thieving on the part of the host?  I have read blog after blog of customers receiving full refunds.  In good faith i even offered to take full credit for future stay.  Really upset about this.  

Dave

[Krista211]

 @David7389 David, I really hate to hear about your situation. My experience as a host during this pandemic has been that when guests had to cancel reservations, there was a specific protocol or link they utilized in order to cancel for a full refund. Not that I was at all opposed to this (I would have given them a full refund anyway), but for reference - at the time my cancellation policy was set to strict, and when they received their refund I had zero involvement in the process other than communication. The entire refund transaction and process took place without any necessary approval or actions on my part. One situation was an exception, however- I had a guest cancel due to having been hospitalized; she sent me a message to explain, apologizing for the cancellation, etc. and I of course responded with full kindness and understanding. I did not realize until I received a payment during the time that would have been her reservation that she had not been refunded for that cancellation, so then I understood why she explained her situation in such detail and apologized so profusely. SO- I don’t know if her illness was Covid related or not; I don’t know how she went about cancelling her reservation, or if Airbnb only extended that unconditional full refund for a limited amount of time, etc. I just wanted to share this information in case it could help you out. In my opinion this really is “thieving” on the part of the host, as you say. Your cancellation was made in plenty of time for the space to be re-booked, and there should be some recourse you can take for sure. Have you contacted Airbnb about this? I feel like they are always extremely helpful.  Obviously as a host, as a mother with a family, bills, stress, and debt to consider, I certainly understand the unfortunate nature of the situation- but we are all dealing with this crisis, and it is our responsibility as hosts (and as fellow human beings) to provide hospitality and respect for our guests’ needs.. no matter what the circumstances. This is supposed to be a community, that’s what makes Airbnb special and what benefits all of us. I wish you all the best in dealing with this situation and again I am so sorry for your trouble!

[Emiel1]

@David7389 

When you make a reservation, you are informed about the cancellation policy attached. Some cancellation policies have an option to cancel within 48 hours (*with addional terms) to get full refund.

It seems your cancellation policy does not apply for this (or the terms are not met) ?

If you cancel, the host does not know the reason for it. So you can also contact the host, explain and maybe the host is willing to give some  more refund. Or contact Airbnb.

Then there is the "COVID extenuating circumstances" policy, but this one will only refund if the guest or the host is actually infected by COVID. 

Hope this helps,

Emiel

[David7389]

So your saying i need to have covid to get a refund.  How about common sense.  

$600 profit with no service accepted or offerd

alaska airlines 100% refund 

car rental.          %100 refund

airbnb                 % 45% refund 

there must be some way to talk to an airbnb manager.

i feel I’m being punished because i made a decision to be ultra cautious in not possibly spreading covid 19.    

Dave