Host increases price 28% after reservation confirmation...

Sammy27
Level 2
Naperville, IL

Host increases price 28% after reservation confirmation...

Has anyone ever had an instance when the host increased the price after the reservation was confirmed?

 

I booked a trip on 11/27/17 for Venice, Italy from 7/10/18 - 7/13/18. I know Venice is a hot summer spot, so I intentionally made my reservation MONTHS in advance for my family (party of 6). Then I get an email on 6/1/18 saying that there's a new tax and that I have to pay 28% more ($327 more!) or else my reservation gets cancelled.

 

I've never heard of anything like this happening before. I know for a fact that something like this would never happen if you booked through a hotel. I'm annoyed because I made these plans more than half a year ago, and now they're trying to change things about a month out from the trip. In this scenario, I don't think the burden of new expenses falls on the consumer.

5 Replies 5
Sammy27
Level 2
Naperville, IL

My friends and I have used Airbnb countless amounts of times in the past, and in general, we've been satisfied with our experiences. However, changing costs on already confirmed reservations makes me a bit apprehensive about booking trips way in advance with Airbnb. It almost feels like every reservation is a gamble then. I don't think a customer should have anxiety about having to pay a different price for something he's already purchased... That's the whole point of booking a travel plan ahead of time.

Sammy27
Level 2
Naperville, IL

When you go here on the Airbnb website: https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/1505/can-i-change-the-price-of-a-pending-or-confirmed-reservation

 

It clearly states: "You can’t change the price of a confirmed upcoming reservation."

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

 it's against the rules for a host to change the price after a reservation is made-- and BTW, if they cancel your reservation, they will incur serious penalties and *not* be able to rebook your dates. But I'm not sure about the rules if the locale tax law changes. You should contact Airbnb customer support.

Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

Hello  ,

I think the host should explain more about this "new tax". It is known from the media Venice is struggling with overload of tourists and work on charging (more) tax. So if the host will be forced by the local governement to charge more tourist tax ("city tax") on visitors, the host has no other option to charge you for it. But seen the duration of your stay and being a party of 6, i can not imagine it comes to $327,- . If the host simply wants to earn more money, it's a violation of Airbnb rules and you should report this to them. 

Letti0
Level 10
Atascosa, TX

If you do not agree with these extra charges and you should not, you can decline the request for money. Do not cancel you will be penalized by still paying the service fees. If the host chooses then to take the hit on a cancellation you will get a full refund. Make sure to keep all communication in the AirBnB messaging system, so AirBnB can see it. Do not use texts or phone calls.