Host increased price after I reserved and PAID

[Alicia205]

Hi all

I reserved a place for my family to stay in NYC.  We planned to surprise the kids with a trip for Christmas.  Several days after I booked and paid the host sent me a request for more money- an additional $400+, stating that it is busy season and she needs to capitalize before the slow season.  Obviously this is a very bad business practice at best; extortion at worst.  The closer we get to our trip, with few lodging options available, the more pressure we would be under to accept her terms.  Even if I did choose to accept, what guarantee would I have that she would not send another increase?  I declined through the website and sent her a message to let her know this wasn't going to work for me.  Now she has asked me to cancel.  Shouldn't she be the one to cancel since she changed her end of the agreement?  Thanks for any insight.  This is my first timme using Airbnb, and it was not a good experience.

[Caleb-And-Liz0]

Wow,

As a host, I must say, this other host has some balls!  That is completly unprofessional and WRONG.  I would absolutely stand your ground and tell the host that they will need to cancel the reservation, as it was their mistake, not yours.  Hosts get penalized on their rating for cancelling bookings, and if this host wants to cancel this bad, let them take the reprocussions for it.  I would absolutely not pay an additional FOUR HUNDRED dollars.  That is INSANE.  Sorry you are having to deal with this.

[Caleb-And-Liz0]

I would also call AIRBNB directly and report it.  This person should NOT be hosting anyone.

[Emiel1]

Hi,

The host is wrong. Once the reservation is confirmed, the price can not be changed. Unless the booking is not correct, like extra guests, other dates, extensions, etc. It's the responsibility of the host to do the correct pricing BEFORE bookings are made.

You could even report this host at Airbnb being somebody violating the rules.

Do not cancel the reservation yourself, it's up to the host to do this. If you want to cancel because you feel uncomfortable with this host and to her/his practices, contact Airbnb, explain the situation and let Airbnb do the job.

Best regards,Emiel

[Matthew285]

@Alicia205, I know I will be saying essentially what everyone is also saying. The reason I am chiming in is so you can get a sense that many many people are upset at the behavior of the host.

1. Once you have a confirmed booking, the host is not allowed to try to charge you more money. (I mean, they can ask, but you are under no obligation to accept the change.)
2. If the host wants to cancel, the host has to cancel. Under no circumstances should you cancel.
3. You should not cancel.
4. You should not cancel.
5. (See points 3 and 4).

I am sorry this is happening with your first experience on AirBnB. This is NOT how it usually goes.

Feel free to report the host to AirBnB. It would serve them right.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Alicia205 That host is a crook. The best thing to do is reach out to Airbnb on Twitter. Request that Airbnb find you another place to stay. Also, DO NOT CANCEL! If the host cancels, it will block those dates out on their calendar and they won’t be able to rebook through Airbnb. Let them know that you know this, it might help.

THIS IS FLAT OUT WRONG AND THESE HOST DAMAGE THE BRAND AND SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE COMMUNITY OF RESPONSIBLE HOST

[David126]

Makes you wonder what these people are thinking, I agree report and hopefully they will be booted off.

[Alicia205]

Thanks for all of the replies.  I am glad to hear this is not common practice among hosts.  I have reached out to Airbnb support and asked them to handle it with  the host.  I will keep you posted.

[Simon237]

Since they said "busy season and she needs to capitalize before the slow season", I guess the host doesn't realise that if they initiate the cancellation, then the dates will be blocked in their calendar and they will get a total of $0 for the period you booked. As other have said, definitely do not initiate the cancellation under any circumstances.

[Alicia205]

UPDATE:  I contacted support and they canceled the reservation with the host.  I will  be getting a full refund.  Thank you all for your input!  

[Jim-and-Marcia0]

So sorry you had this experience! As you know, the host was wrong to do what they did.  It would be good to know if Airbnb penalized the host by not allowing them to book anyone else during that period.  Or if were they penalized by removing their listing altogether.   Did Airbnb help you find another place that was still affordable and more congenial? Will you still be able to enjoy a trip to NYC for the holidays? Bless you!