Covid 19 cancellation issue

Answered!
Marina710
Level 2
San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain

Covid 19 cancellation issue

Hi,

I have 3 guests who had checked in on 13th march in my apartment in Malaga, Spain. At this point WHO has already declared the pandemic. After 3 hours of my guests checking in, they had decided they prefer to return home after all, due to uncertainty with virus situation. (They returned to another part of Spain) At this point Airbnb had no new policies regarding cancelations. My cancelation policy obviously doesnt give full refund once the guests have checked in. On 15th of march, Spain declares state of emergency and Airbnb issues the new Covid19 cancelation policy, which gives full refund to all guests with stays starting from 15th of march, if they are not traveling within same country. My guest is denied a full refund from Airbnb and advice to consult me if i would refund at least one part. I explain to her how cancelation policies apply in her case but propose to refund the night they didnt stay in my apartment. (This was a two night booking). After a few days without her answer i write to her again with a proposition to donate the money of their second night to a charity as i dont feel either of us deserves it really. She replies that she has already talked to Airbnb again and they have agreed to give her the full refund. At this point, extenuating cancelation policy says *** (copy of policy in the bottom) - which still doesn't apply to their check in date (13th of march), especially since they had already checked in. I have tried to reach Airbnb support but I can't contact them regarding her booking because now it has been deleted from calendar as if it was canceled long before the check in. Also i can not contact them in any other way, that option doesn't exist at the moment, probably due to too many questions both from hosts and guests. 
So in this situation, i have no say in managing my property, it seems Airbnb is overwriting both my cancelation policy and their own extenuating circumstances policy.

I hope i have explained the case well enough and i hope someone has advice on how i can procede with this situation.

Thank you.

 

***
What reservations are covered Reservations made on or before March 14, 2020

 

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and April 14, 2020, may be canceled before check-in. This means that guests who cancel will receive a full refund, hosts can cancel without charge or impact to their Superhost status, and Airbnb will refund all service fees.

 

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date after April 14, 2020, are not currently covered for COVID-19 related extenuating circumstances. The host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual.

 

If a reservation has already begun (the check-in has passed) this extenuating circumstance does not apply.

1 Best Answer
Alvaro312
Level 2
Catalonia, Spain

Hola Marina, they have to pay you for the first night and also for the cleaning fee. If agent does not agree, ask for supervisor 3 times, supervisor should give you the money according to their procedures. Also mention the Terms of Service, where it does say so.

View Best Answer in original post

18 Replies 18
Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

Hello @Marina710 in Spain, firstly my sincere thoughts are with you all over the other side of the word and mass losses of life and health due to Covid19.

 

You may like to look up other related Covid19 information here in CC as there's some very useful information - use related Keywords in the search box.

 

Meanwhile, good on you for suggesting to your guest to donate the monies to charity, maybe they to however are facing financial uncertainty to as there are many unknowns  going on in people's lives - job losses, increased worries where and how one will cope without one's livelihoods or someone they may know who has been hit by Covid19 as a direct relation of this barbaric act we have had thrust into our lives that was created in Wuhan, China.

 

Take care

Central To All Home & Location

Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand

Marina710
Level 2
San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain

Thank you for your reply Helen.
I agree, i can can not tell people what to do with their money, and i can not know their situation and needs. Obviously us host are experiencing a loss also. Regardless i am referring more to the fact that Airbnb is unreachable at the moment (which i understand) and that they seem to disregard both hosts' and companies cancelation policies. Saying - if these (new) rules would be followed i wouldnt have an issue with this particular cancellation as i dont have with all the other bookings that have been canceled. Obviously this situation is out of our hands and affecting everyone. But i feel like Airbnb are maybe not paying attention on specifics due to overload at this point. This doesnt deny the usefulness of platform at all. I would just like to have the opportunity to clear out this issue at some point.
Stay safe!
Marina

Jacqueline842
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

Hi there i had 3 guests booked  for 3 weeks on 14/04/2020 .This reservation was made and paid for on 10/01/2020. The guests then cancelled this reservation on 18/03/2020 due to the covid 19. Will I be able to receive 25 percent  of my booking back from airbnb. 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Not sure why you posted in the middle of someone's else's thread about a different topic @Jacqueline842 but the answer is that it sound like you will get 25% of the 50% cancellation fee IF you have a strict cancellation policy.

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Marina710 airbnb is now doing everything to please guests including overruling cancellation policies and giving refunds outside their own guidelines. There are several posts on the matter on the forum. Pursuing this issue by trying to contact airbnb I believe would be a waste of time and effort.

@Jacqueline842 you might be refunded if you qualify. You would then get 25% of the otherwise 50% you would get under a strict cancellation policy.

Lindsay311
Level 2
Michigan, United States

When are we going to get the 25%?

Alvaro312
Level 2
Catalonia, Spain

Hola Marina, they have to pay you for the first night and also for the cleaning fee. If agent does not agree, ask for supervisor 3 times, supervisor should give you the money according to their procedures. Also mention the Terms of Service, where it does say so.

Marina710
Level 2
San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain

Hola Alvaro, gracias, that one is helpful ad hopeful 😃

Marina710
Level 2
San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain

Hola Alvaro, gracias, that one is helpful ad hopeful 😃

Kelly1227
Level 2
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Hi! I need advice!
 
I have a guest that booked my Airbnb June 21st-August 29th and they just called me to cancel their reservation due to Covid-19 canceling their research trip and therefore asking if I could do free cancelation. Due to it being a long term stay the cancelation policies says, "More than 48 hours after booking, guests can cancel before check-in and get a full refund, minus the first 30 days and the service fee."
 
Also, I tried to call Airbnb but it's impossible since it is due to Covid-19 does Airbnb help out but since it's passed June 15th they don't?
 
Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

What is your cancellation policy? A strict policy - guests have 48 hours to cancel without penalty; 50% 14 days or more before check-in and no refund 7 days or less to check-in.

Maurizia17
Level 1
Shingle Springs, CA

Airbnb cancelled a March 20 reservation prior to the guest arriving.  Airbnb refunded their money $349.20 and to pay for it, they deducted that amount from our recent payment.  They "graciously" gave us a $130.95 credit.  So we are out $218.25 for a cancellation they made and they profited off of covid 19 to the tune of $87.30

Leandro268
Level 2
Bath, United Kingdom

Airbnb has been making it extremely difficult to receive a full cash refund. they keep updating their extenuating circumstance policy but making it harder for guests to receive a refund. they keep ignoring certain points I bring up and keep replying with the same pre-written responses. the experience has been extremely negative, especially considering the circumstances. they have been asking a multitute of documents to prove that I cannot travel. How am I supposed to prove that I don't have a (student)-visa anymore (university has cancelled exchange programme) and cant apply for a visa? There is no option for me to select for these circumstances. Furthermore, my host has been very understanding and is willing to cancel but Airbnb is telling her that she will incur charges and affect her Superhost status. This is absolutely not true as the policy clearly states: "hosts can cancel under the policy without charge or impact to their Superhost status". Additionally, my flight to the destination has been cancelled. But Airbnb is now requiring all flights to the destination to be cancelled by the airline. Am I supposed to travel for days on end and make an infinite number of stops just to make it to Singapore, to then be placed for 14 days under quarantine in a government facility? My university has cancelled my exchange programme and thus will no longer have a student visa. I have no reason to travel to Singapore and risk exposing myself to the virus by making all the stops needed to get to the country. 

Alison97
Level 2
Altea, Spain

To say I am unhappy with Airbnb is an understatement!

Their policy and management of the extenuating circumstances policy seems wholly unfair on the host (partner, well that parts a joke!).

I have 6 individual properties in Altea, Spain they are all listed with Airbnb, as with all hosts, at the start of the pandemic my phone pinged constantly with cancellations, all were refunded under the extenuating circumstances policy. I had no problem with this we were in a severe lockdown and no one could travel, airports were closed and we were not allowed outside the house.

However I had two long stay bookings starting in mid July to mid August (30 days each), the guest were sisters and staying in neighbouring properties. I reached out to them on a number of occasions to check they were still coming, as I was unaware of the Covid situation in Kazakhstan, their home county, but I was informed that they still planned to come. I told them to check the Airbnb policy on long term cancellation as I didn't want any last minute cancellations and needed time to refill the dates if they were not coming.

Surprise, surprise they cancelled yesterday with only 2 weeks to the start of the month long bookings and even worse Airbnb gave them both full refunds without even contacting or discussing it with me. The quoted "extenuating circumstances" but this isn't clear, if the borders are open at the start of the booking, why can't they travel and fulfil their obligations?

If they choose not to come, then they should claim on their travel insurance (which is one of my booking rules) or work with me to find a solution (reschedule, part payment etc)

Unfortunately I wasn't given this opportunity! Airbnb say there is no compensation and they cancelled within their policy, but won't state what the policy is or what the guest said/produced to get a full refund.

My questions are....

Why are they issuing refunds before the end of the booking? If borders are open the Guests have an obligation to either cancel, reschedule or make the booking at their expense. If at the end of the booking they couldn't travel due to lockdown restrictions or sickness then with documentary evidence they should be due a refund. Any payments to hosts on these bookings should be delayed until the end of the booking.

Why are guests not encouraged to claim on their travel insurance? That's what it's there for! Although insurance companies would not be so quick to issue a full refund.

What are the extenuating circumstances and what do guests have to do to get a refund? the only reasons I can think are sickness due to Covid or lockdown/borders closed. Cancelled flights, no visa, no pet sitters, car needing new brakes, lost my job.these are not reasons to cancel, I'm not offering a holiday package, just accommodation with agreed booking terms. Which are now being trampled over by Airbnb!

Why do they keep extending the deadline for extenuating circumstances, they can't have a one size fits all policy, it has to be assessed on the status of travel in each country, if borders are open and guests can travel, then why are they entitled to a full refund?

Airbnb just keep saying they are shorted staff and have had to lay off 700 staff, I'm not surprised by their bad mangagent and would be surprised if this doesn't wipe them out completely.

I'd love to hear your comments...