Horrible customer service

[Adam1697]

I am a guest who has been charged for a property that i did not stay at.  The customer support agents have told me at least twice that i would get a full refund... then when it doesn't come through, the next person says no i will not.  They have "escalated" a couple of times, but when i explain the situation(all documented in their chat) the "escalated" level responds with a no before they even have time to look at evidence.

I booked late one night trying to "instant approval" and check in (first time using Airbnb).  Then realized that i couldn't actually go straight there.  worked with the host a couple of hours to try to find another location that they managed and could not.  I ended up asking them to cancel.  They then directed me to Airbnb support to cancel as they could not.  So i called Airbnb.  The support ambassador told me that he would cancel and was sure i would get a full refund.  I asked him to verify that he was certain and if he was, I would book another site.  He confirmed.  I booked another site and drove a few more hours to reach it.

At then end of my stay (same timeframe as the original booking) I get a note from the first host asking how my stay was.  I explained that it had been cancelled and that i did not stay.  I sent a screenshot from the support ambassador's confirmation chat... She stated that they did not cancel my reservation and that their property had been designated to me that week (4 nights).  I reach out to Airbnb and the guy says no...he did not cancel... and he never notified me!  So obviously, the host shouldn't be out their money because Airbnb did not cancel... but neither should i...

I have confirmed multiple times with the host on Airbnb's chat that they would have allowed me a full refund if Airbnb would have cancelled when i requested it.  The second to last ambassador that i spoke with agreed and told me that a full refund would be processing and that i could keep that on top of an already issued partial refund due to i'm now accruing interest on the charges... follow up 15 days later (max time that they say it should take my bank) and am told that in no way will they offer anything up... 

How do i escalate this further?

[Adam1697]

To clarify:  When i said, "I booked another site"; I mean another Airbnb property.

[Huma0]

@Adam1697 

Airbnb CS is a bit of a shambles, so your story doesn't surprise me that much in that respect, i.e. one rep telling you one thing, another telling you something else, them then going against what they said...

However, the whole thing seems like a mess to me. The reason the host would not cancel is that Airbnb heavily penalises hosts for doing so and a host should not be penalised because the guest wants to cancel. That is all fair and square.

Then there is the cancellation policy that was in place when you booked, which is what you agree to and are bound to, so if that policy (the details which will be accessible to you before booking and after) states that you do not get a refund, then that is what applies. If you were entitled to a refund under the cancellation policy, why didn't you just cancel?

If you were not and the host wants to offer an additional refund outside of the policy (which they don't need to do), they could still do that once you cancelled. Unfortunately, you both got Airbnb CS involved and then it just became a shambles.

After you spoke to CS, if they had cancelled, you would have seen your reservation as cancelled not as active. It is also up to you to keep an eye on these things.

[Adam1697]

I understand the policy would have been that i could only get x amount back. 

My question is... I told the host that i wanted to cancel... i tried clicking it in my booking on my phone, but it was grayed out...so i call airbnb to cancel for me.  He assured me that he could and sent me a message on airbnb's chat stating that he would cancel it... but then didn't.  So.. i could not cancel via the website on my phone (grayed out) and CS said that they were going to cancel it... assured me (knowing that i was going to book another one ONLY because they were going to cancel it)

I also spoke to the host again (on Airbnb's chat) which they stated that they would have given me a full refund or at least credit it towards another stay...if airbnb had cancelled when i asked.  Which would have been up to the host since it was their cancellation policy... But since they didn't, the property had to remain "booked" for that entire time, so i understand why it wouldn't be fair to the host to have to pay for that.  I just don't think that i should have to at that point either.

[Helen744]

@Adam 1697 you can initiate a cancellation thru Airbnb and Airbnb can cancel if it is clear in the messaging that both parties wish it . I am not sure of the time frames here or why this cancellation did not go through in time for you to receive a refund but the answer lies in the time frame. You must cancel before the hosts cancellation policy kicks in but at no time are you entitled to a full refund plus a partial refund. I suggest the host told you to cancel and offered a partial refund as per their cancellation policy . Many guests expect that it is okay to book and then cancel willly nilly without checking the hosts cancellation policy . Some hosts have strict cancellation policies and some flexible . Can you tell us which your host had .? When the message asking to cancel was sent and when you contacted Airbnb? H

[Adam1697]

The host had a partial refund policy for cancelling within 24 hrs. All of this from booking to first cancellation request and all took place within that time frame.  First cancellation request to host within a couple of hours (booked at 12:46am; cancellation request at 3:21am)...one from airbnb at 5:34am.   Their property would have literally been off the market for 2-5 hours between 12:45am to maybe 6am.

Again though, that's why i reached out to the host (convo with Kate pasted below) and asked if they would have allowed a full refund if Airbnb would have cancelled when requested.  Her (host) response was that yes they could have.

Airbnb CS has seen this chat and also confirmed with me that i would get a refund more than once.

The last CS person that i spoke to told me that they would go back and listen to the call where CSA Jeronne told me this and would then call me back.  She sent a response in chat less than 10 minutes later (my call with Jeronne was over 30 minutes long) and told me they would not consider it...then closed the convo.

I know this is a wierd situation... and i understand from the host perspective that their property was held off of the market, but it shouldn't have been.

[Helen3]

Sorry this just does not make sense @Adam1697 

1. You say you spoke to the host and told him you couldn't travel and he advised you to cancel (after working with you for a couple of hours to find an alternative listing)

2. Then you say you spoke to customer services and they said they would cancel (Airbnb CS doesn't cancel booking either the host or guest needs to do this) (As the host advised you).

The only exception would be Airbnb would cancel if it was proved that the guest or host had broken the house rules/key amenities were missing/the listing was unsafe. They wouldn't cancel the booking because you made a mistake in terms of the location.

3. You didn't receive any confirmation that the booking had been cancelled and didn't check on the platform or with the host to make sure the booking was cancelled.

4. Then you say the host who you didn't stay with who had worked with you for hours to find another listing had completely forgotten your conversation re cancelling the booking and asked you for a review

In this situation, you unfortunately will be out the money because you did not cancel the booking. This is your responsibility to do. Not the host and not Airbnb.

I'm sorry if you receive confirmation in writing from CS stating that they cancelled the booking. If you have this you can argue with Airbnb they mislead you as a new guest and ask for a refund.

Going forward it's good to understand in this sort of situation the host would have had to voluntarily agreed to refund you. Do you have anything in writing from the host stating that they would do this?

[Adam1697]

Hi Adam, the stay is not showing up as canceled, it is still an active reservation.

Adam4:05 PM

I hit cancel in here and with airbnb support. Sorry if that didn't get communicated

Kate4:14 PM

Hi Adam. Thanks for sending over that screen shot. I would message airbnb support again to let them know that they never cancelled your reservation officially as it is still showing confirmed. Thank you!

Jul 7, 2022

Adam4:52 PM

Kate/Joseph,
Quick question. Airbnb is stating that you will not allow full refund. I understand this from your point of view because they did not cancel with you...so you couldn't rebook...

My question is...if they would have cancelled when i asked them...right after booking... would you have allowed a full refund since you could have put this property right back on the market?

Or at least a credit towards a stay at a property in the future...?

Kate5:18 PM

Hi, Adam. I am so sorry that Airbnb never confirmed your cancellation. Had it been cancelled we could have offered a full refund or a credit toward a future stay. However, since it was never cancelled and the calendar was held I cannot issue any refund or credit. I am so sorry for the inconvenience.

[Helen3]

Hi @Adam1697 

As already mentioned,  unfortunately the management company you booked with advised you badly. They should have told you to just hit the cancellation button on your booking form and the management company would have been able to give you a voluntarily refund (less Airbnb fee) . Had they done that it would never have become an issue.

so three issues

1. you didn't cancel the booking

2. Airbnb CS  and your management company shouldn't have advised Airbnb would cancel the booking

3. You didn't check to see the booking had actually been cancelled.

[Adam1697]

1: I tried to click the cancel button in the booking, but it was grayed out and would not let me.  That's the point where i asked the host to cancel...then on from there.

2: Right - they all advised me incorrectly.. and as a first time user...i'm paying for it

3: CS told me he was cancelling and i informed him that i would be booking a different location at that point... which he again confirmed.

Main point of this whole post is that their CS is horrible and I don't think I've seen anyone argue that.  

My main question is how do i escalate beyond CS who apparently can't follow once you go off of their script?  I do not mean that to be rude to them, but i work in IT and understand how the people working these call centers tend to get thrown off when an issue doesn't seem to fit in a proper category.