Fake advert? Host responding to messages but not taking actions.

[David1946]

Hello all. I booked a cottage in Feb and a week later the host contacted me to say she was unhappy as she had sold the property in December 2017. As the lising was setup with automatic confirmation/payments, my account was debited immediately.  

I asked her to cancel the booking and refund me and suggested she take the advert down. 

The host hasn't done this and just claims she is sorry and has tried to email air bnb. 

Having looked at the host help pages, it would appear very simple to cancel bookings and remove adverts, neither of which she is doing. 

It's my optinion this is blatent fraud as they are falsely advertising a service and taking payment for a property they don’t allegedly own. 

I have emailed air bnb but had no response. My next action is to contact PayPal and make a complaint. 

I could cancel my booking but i have paid non refundable service fees and I still cant guarantee I will get my payment back. Sadly this is my last dealing with airBnB as i have lost all confidence in the service. 

Any suggestion for further action. Thanks. 

[Ria16 · Accepted solution]

@David1946

From my readings on this forum David, there’s a button on your itinerary that you can select that says host has cancelled this trip. That way you should be fully refunded. I take it everything was done via AirBnB and not an outside agent. 

[David1946]

Hi Ria, thanks for the reply, I've just found that. Sadly the refund ammount is minus the service fee so i'm still potentially out of pocket.. Yes, everything was done via Airbnb. Here's hoping i get a response and my full payment back.

Thanks again 

[Ria16]

That sucks, there might be someone on here with a better understanding of how you can get that back. I do understand that the host will be penalized though.

[Ange2]

@David1946  All the ways to Contact Airbnb it may well refund the service fee, no reason you should take the hit.  UK Number:  +44 203 318 1111 

[David1946]

The advert is still live and I fear many will be booking the cottage and losing money as the calendar has lots of dates blocked out. 

[Sarah977]

@David1946  Just so you understand, the host does not receive any $ until the guest checks in, airbnb holds the payment until then, so it is not like this host is receiving money by cancelling bookings- they actually get penalized for cancelling, which is why she just ignored doing it and made you do it from your end.  I would contact airbnb about this, as you should receive your full amount back in this case. You have documentation re the messaging with the host that they refused your booking but didn't actually cancel it, and airbnb can see that. You should not have cancelled- it was up to the host to do so, and in this case, the thing to do is contact airbnb, rather than cancel your booking yourself, just so you know for the future.

If you go to the host's profile, you can also flag them, which will cause airbnb to give them warnings or delist them.

[David1946]

Hi Sarah. Thank you for the clarification, thats very helpful. I have used the option thats asks the host to cancel using the drop down menu that is available. I have emailed air bnb about this but no response as yes. I have archived the messages in which she has clearly stated she is unable to honour the booking and will ensure i get a refund. 

Did make me wonder why she has been able to log in to reply to my messages but couldnt do a simple thing like cancel my booking. If it were me and i was a genuine host, I'd delist my property immediately to avoid any further issues.

Thanks again  

[Marit-Anne0]

@David1946

What you have done is the correct way to go in this case and I do believe you will get your full refund, fees and all. When the host accepts your request, you will get a cancellation confirmation.  The host has from 24-48 hours to accept or decline this request.  

Now you will have to play the waiting game until the host can get her act together and either accept or decline your request.  If this does not happen within the time frame, the booking will be cancelled automatically and you will be fully refunded. 

[David1946]

Thank you Marit. The host no longer owns the property in question so is unable to honour any bookings. As properties like this are rare in the area, I wonder how many people are still paying the fees then having to do as i am doing

This is what I despise about  dealing with companies online. Exceptionally easy and quick when they are taking your money, and quite the opposite when things go wrong. 3 days and no repsponse to my email. Customer service - pathetic. My entire trip (surprise birthday for my partner) has been ruined as I cant get accomodation in the area now so have had to cancel everything. 

And the advert for this property is still active - what a joke!

[Diego346]

that sucks!!!

Check what happen to me!

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Appliances-not-Working-amp-Neighbor-Entering-Apartment/td-p...

[SkinRiria0]

Hi, I booked a place in Waiouru New Zealand and i was debited $15 for the night and then was sent a link by host asking to enter my details of every guest, passport photos and it seemed to have been connected to Japan! The house was named 0628test.

the host is not answering my messages and the phone number looks like one not in New Zealand where I live.

HELP SOMEONE