Help with this case!

[Irene26]

Hi everyone. 

I have a guest that has been giving me lots of trouble with her future reservation. 

Out listing is set to strict and our guest wants to cancel her reservation (hasnt yet) due to her party not having enough people to support the cost. ($242) 

I informed her that we stick to our cancellation policy however in the event it gets booked I will refund her the 50% in that case.

What I felt was generous and I didnt have to do that. 

She feels that she should still have the opportunity to stay should we not be able to book. Is asking me to accept cash for the remaining 50% in the event we dont find someone to rebook. Clearly not something I want to do outside of Airbnb policies and insurance. 

I kind of just want her to cancle now, I really dont feel confortable with her and her friends staying in our home now given the situation. Like who knows what they might do in here to our personal property. 

Any thoughts? Who can I call? Is there somewhere I can relay this message of feeling unsafe and not get charged a cancellation fee?

Thanks for your prompt help. 

-Irene 

[Shadley0]

Hi @Irene26

You handling it correctly, under no circumstance should you even consider cash outside of the airbnb platform. i would contact airbnb on airbnb.com/contact  or calling this number: +1-415-800-5959. Get their take on the situation and ask them for their advice.

[Irene26]

thanks! 

The only issue is she hasnt calcelled yet so technically she still holds the reservation. 

ps. that number doesnt work for me. i'm trying to find a canadian number but it doesnt seem to be listed anywhere. Any idea where I can find those. I keep going in circles on the site trying to find contact numbers. 

[Eileen4]

Use Google to find the number. 

[Lisa7]

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Tips-Tricks/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728

[Svenja1]

I had an issue once with a guest - first time for me (they wanted part of the money back because the grandmother died and they left 1 day earlier). I wrote a message to Airbnb telling them my situation and they called me within 1/2 a day to help me resolve the issue. I also get replies to emails very quickly. In both my problem cases they were very reactive. So writing in and asking for a call could maybe do the trick.

[Debbie106]

google contact airbnb and a list of numbers come up, I would ask the guest to cancel and offer her a full refund just because you should trust your gut and you want peace of mind.

[Eileen4]

I would call Airbnb, explain the situation, and ask for a cancellation without penalty.

I had a guest who was acting strangely before a booking too. I started to worry that if I had a conflict with her I was going to get a sketchy review and lose superhost status. So I phoned them, told them what I was concerned about, and they agreed to let me cancel without penalty.

I don't think this is something you can do frequently, but honestly, if something is concerning you enough, and it sounds to me like this guest might be a problem, I would call. The thing is, if she doesn't give you cash, what will you get? A guest who gets to stay at a 50% discount! 

[Irene26]

I know this is concerning! I really dont know what more I can tell her to have her understand the process. 

Thanks everyone. 

i tried calling the 1855 number and it just keeps ringing and ringing. 

So strange! 

[Kristi0]

Irene,

First off stop communicating with this person. Call the 855# again. Try the links others have been giving you. Join Twitter and post you need help on the Airbnb Twitter page. 

I had a guest e-mail me the day of the reservation he was very sick and couldn't get on the plane to fly here. I called Airbnb right away and she reached out to my Guest and canceled the reservation. I only had him pay that night even though I have a Moderate cancelation policy. He re-booked in 3 weeks after and they came a few weks ago and I was impressed what wonderful people they were. So it all worked out for me. 

Your situation is very diffferent. They are deceving you. I am frustrated with just how difficult it is to connect with someone at Airbnb. There has to be a better way. 

Keep us posted as to how this works out.

K

[Clare0]

@Irene26 there are a variety of ways to contact Airbnb:

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Tips-Tricks/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165/highligh...

The phone number you are looking for is: +1-855-424-7262 (toll-free)