Host Cancelled 6 hours before Reservation

[Paola1013]

Hello, 

I made a reservation for today several weeks ago and the host just messaged stating he had to cancel the reservation. My check-in time was at 3 pm today and he messaged me at 9 am to inform me that due to an emergency he had to cancel. He wants me to cancel the reservation on my end in order to get a refund. However, when I searched for cancellation the Airbnb app states that if the host is cancelling they are the ones that need to submit the cancellation request. The host is saying he does not have the option to cancel. 

I have two main questions:

1. How to I get a refund for this cancelled reservation?

2. How do I report this host

[Alice595]

@Paola1013 The host was lying. He did not want to cancel because he did not want to be penalized by canceling your reservation. 

You may call Airbnb support to have the cancellation done and Airbnb will relocate you to new place without additional charge. But you may want to submit the screen shots of your conversation with the host.

Airbnb support number are below

+1-415-800-5959 +1-855-424-7262 (toll-free)

[Paola1013]

Alice, thank you for your help. Where do I submit my screenshots to?

[Alice595]

@Paola1013 You will need to go to the Help menu in airbnb mobile app. Try to message to Airbnb support there where you can attach images. I saw that your conversation with the host is through Airbnb message. Airbnb CS should have access to your comvesation messages as well.

[Paola1013]

Thanks again, Alice. I was able to get in touch with Airbnb and as of now, it appears I will be getting a refund. I have to wait a few days to ensure it gets processed. 

[Linda1617]

AirBnB did not "relocate [me] to new place without additional charge" when my host cancelled less than 24 hours before my booking (a booking that was six months old).  In fact, they ignored me completely, despite my many desperate emails, and only finally contacted me after I returned home. 

It was a disastrous experience as I couldn't find decent accommodation at that late stage and had to book awful (but expensive) accommodation that spoiled my trip and that of my guest.  When I persisted, they finally contacted me and authorized a payment for the balance -- ie. what I had to pay extra to stay in Dublin during that time - but cannot give me back those days. 

I just discovered that my host (who texted me privately that she was going through personal troubles and wanted to be in her own home) was able to cancel all my days without penalty by submitting documentation that AirBnB had made an error by overbooking on at least one of the days; yet even though AirBnB was at least partially responsible, they abandoned me completely while I was in a strange city. 

The penalties that hosts incur for cancelling at the last minute are not a deterrent.

And the token AirBnB coupon for $120 "compensation" I was first offered, which had to be used  within 30 days, was ridiculous.

I had used AirBnB before successfully, but will never trust them again.  I'll use VRBO or other sites in future.

[Shreyans0]

I had a similar situation recently with my 19days trip to London. 

3 different hosts cancelled on me last minute or kept delaying check-in or simply stopped responding, my holiday became a nightmare.

Airbnb support is super bad unfortunately, expected a lot better, when u email support, they close your case without any response, several emails, many many calls for hours on hold have led me no where.

When called i ended up to a call center in phillipines with an hour on the phone still couldnt get credit for 3 fraud listings amounting to over $10000!

[Ana1136]

@Shreyans0 how did you manage to book 3 fake listings? Maybe in the future only book with Superhosts, they are less likely to cancel on you. 

[Shreyans0]

I had a run of bad luck i guess, but i booked all through AIRBNB thinking that their systems are solid that if there is a fake listing, i would be entitled to a refund, that would be the point of airbnb earning their fees.

This summer London seems to be full of these fake scams, apparently they lure guests to book and get paid the day of the checkin by airbnb, while guests are trying to get in touch with the hosts who have fake telephone numbers and just cant be contacted.

Airbnb refunds takes days and hours and support simply chooses not to respond, its a miserable system. 

There should be a delay in payment to the host till the guest checks out or there is a confirmation that the guest actually managed to check-in. the guests unfortunately have very little leverage to get support and refunds.

i am very unlikely to book again with airbnb after this ordeal.

They are supposed to refund you/ rebook you, but probably after 1-2 months of the actual event! other sites like booking.com and onefinestay worked like a charm!

[Ana1136]

@Shreyans0 actually hosts get paid 24h after check in. You definitely had bad luck especially since Airbnb are very helpful in these situations, they refund the guests immediately and even add a percentage extra to the fee for their next booking. But as I said, you should have booked with hosts with many reviews, there is less chance that they could be fake. 

[Linda1617]

It is not helpful to be refunded (which they tell you will take 10 days to show up in your account, by the way) when there is no suitable accommodation left in that place.  When I tried to book a replacement, AirBnB's Dublin site announced cheerfully that 92% of their listings were already booked for that period. I had booked six months earlier for exactly that reason and was stranded with NO help from AirBnB and no replies to my urgent emails.

[Shreyans0]

its a very weak system.

Host can make a fake listing, like 2 hosts did in my case - Erling / Liam Lyons

One of them kept delaying check-in, with hindsight, probably to get paid and then say cant host us. We have paid in full without anyway to get a refund as airbnb support makes us hold for hours and even then their support agent cannot cancel the reservation cos *someone higher up* needs to look at it, while my chat with the host has clear facts that they are unwilling to host us.

Another guy Liam Lyons has a fake telephone number which doesnt exist, stops responding after getting us to pay, then just disappears, again, causing hours of stress and no response from airbnb support on phone or msgs,

Airbnb simply stop responding to msgs and close our case without any solution.

Imagine, landing at from overseas, expecting to reach the host who says he cant host u, booking another place and the same thing happens over and over again, while airbnb just keeps u on hold and doesnt respond to msgs.

I think its the worst illusion of security to use this platform. a basic refund is not possible by the agent on the telephone who can see all the chat and knows whats happened, forget getting an extra compensation.

I had to pay 3times more for new bookings made last minute to replace the existing fake reservations with no support from airbnb through any means.

Wouldnt be surprised if they simply erase this conversation of mine to save face!

[Mark116]

@Shreyans0   Three fake listings all in a row seems very, very unusual.  But, you should be able to get your refund, especially if you never checked in since airbnbn doesn't release the money until at the earliest the day the guest has checked in, sometimes not for a few days afer that.

[Alice595]

@Shreyans0 Are you sure that you booked all three through Airbnb site? There were fake Airbnb listings in some phishing sites. If you booked there, you would not have luck to get money back. If you booked through Airbnb, even though the host canceled your booking, you would get full refund without asking Airbnb support. Just as other hosts mentioned that hosts would not be paid until 24 hours after a guest checked in.