HELP - Pricing Error With Booking

[Joy-Elisse0]

HELP! 

I just received a booking in the middle of the night for nearly 50 percent off what it should've been for almost the entire month of January (28 days). I looked at the price breakdown and the only discount I had was for weekly stay of 5% off.

My average price per night is usually $202, and here is booked this guy for $101.00 average per night. TOTALLY WRONG. I do have a monthly discount of 20 percent, but I did the math and even at 20% off it would've been more money than this, I should've received closer to 4500 for the month, but I only allow stays of 28 days so there is no way anyone can get that discount. I am thoroughly frustrated with this situation and airbnb has been no help, just giving me the runaround that "someone will get back to me" and I don't know what to tell my guest. I would've taken the hit if I KNEW it was my fault that he got this discounted rate, but I am a hundred percent certain it wasn't my fault. I even have a screenshot of my pricing for january from VRBO (I have the same pricing on every platform).  This all happened the same day Airbnb was glitching for other reasons, the automated messaging wasn't working, someone tried to book on Airbnb with me and couldn't and they sent me a message on VRBO to let me know the website was glitching, I also noticed my listing wasn't bookable 3 months in advance when I searched for it on another browser not logged in so I had to message them about that (I checked my availability settings and it should've been bookable 12 months out).

The fact that I can't control my own prices with Airbnb but then Im obligated to honor them or be de-platformed, really puts me in a scary position. I can't risk them discounting and entire month of mine by accident again!! I feel like they should be on the hook for this. What do you guys think? What do I do??

 NO discounts except for weekly stay

[Emiel1 · Accepted solution]

@Joy-Elisse0 

First you need to check if you have set fixed prices for specific months (which is frequently the cause of this). These custom prices (if any) can be found in the (monthly) discount section of the listing.

added:

I looked at your listing, it is bookable 12 months out. I simulated a few bookings for 28 nights and longer, they look normal and show indeed a monthly discount of 20%.

So seems to be a "januari" issue. As mentioned: check if weeks (or the month) in januari have custom price set.

[Joy-Elisse0]

THANK YOU!!!! This was the problem, I couldn't find that section anywhere I had to call Airbnb and they explained how to find it and remove the monthly discount. They couldn't explain how that got in there either! It's so bizarre, I couldn't even find the section so how could I have set that rate for the month? Totally strange! This was sooo helpful! They also said I could cancel without penalty since it was an instant book, so that's wonderful too 

(I tried to ask the customer to cancel and they were not happy about it, then they asked to meet me halfway on price, which i reluctantly agreed too, then they said they wouldn't pay it unless airbnb confirmed it was their fault. So I told him we are just going to cancel his reservation!)

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Joy-Elisse0 When a similar thing happened to us it was as @Emiel1 suggested a fixed price for a week that came from nowhere and isn't visible in your calendar.

We contacted the guest and explained it was a pricing error and gave them the choice of cancelling within the 48 hr period or we would have to cancel under the Instant Book 3 cancellations allowed per year. We further explained that if we cancelled we would have to say we were uncomfortable with the booking which might stop the guest booking with us in the future.

Both guests cancelled graciously but it took Airbnb an age to work out what the problem was and to this day I don't know how the rogue weekly price got set.

[Elizabeth1079]

Absolutely frustrating and disgraceful. I have just realised that I have been duped of the same as you by Airbnb. I had a monthly discount of 34 percent on. A nightly price of 40euros. A client booked for 40 nights. Airbnb had used a nightly price of 26.40 euros for the entire 40 nights instead of only for 28/30 nights. Even their own breakdown account does not tally...... Booked from 18 April to 28 May.  However, their calculation states 40 nights at 26.40 euros from (18 April to 17 May)???? What in the world is going on??? Would someone please tell me how to sort this out please