Host not responding

[Matthew92]

Hi,

I have a booking to go the Greece for 9 days in 7 days time in September 2021 and I have already paid over half of this and I asked my host when they will have the 2022 schedule open to love my booking back in June and they said they would have it open in July 2021 so I have reached out to my host since then through Airbnb messaging, email, WhatsApp, phone calls. Airbnb have tried to reach him multiple times as well and have said they cannot do anything. My 2nd payment was due to come out last week but I cannot even travel to make the booking in September 2021 and just want to move my booking to next year as the host and I had previously discussed but the host just won't respond to any medium of conversation from myself or Airbnb.

To make things worse my card that is being used on Airbnb has expired and the booking automatically got cancelled even though when talking with Airbnb over the last few weeks I have stated why should I pay fully for this reservation when the host has not responded to me for months! 

I am now out of pocket 2k because the reservation is cancelled which is not what I wanted and only wanted to move the booking to 2022 which the host had eluded to as being fine back in June 2021 when he said he would open up the schedule in the following month!

In the worst case scenario that the host just never responds is there a refund process you can lodge through Airbnb without the hosts say so? Or can the host reinstate the booking after the original check in and check out dates have passed??

I have always been an amazing communicator on Airbnb & generally as I believe it is the key to making most things work well in life. I have never had an experience on Airbnb like this and this is extremely frustrating because now I am out of pocket 2k with no booking of the villa we wanted and have my family all meeting in Greece in 2022 and this is the only accommodation we have not been able to change!

This is currently with the specialist Airbnb team but any other help/experience would be amazing on this matter.

Thanks in advance ☺ 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Matthew92 Is it really fair to move a booking 7 days in advance of the trip? The chance of the host being able to rebook is pretty slim.

[Matthew92]

Hi, I 1st tried to move this in June 2021 to which he said he would open up 2022 in July 2021 and he has not responded since, sorry if this was not clear. 

[Matthew92]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0  He tried to reschedule the dates back in June. The host told him the calendar would be open for that in July, and has now ghosted him. The host is the one who has behaved unprofessionally here. These guests have a history of great reviews.

@Matthew92  What a crummy situation. All I can suggest is that you be persistent with Airbnb- if you have messages from the host to point out to Airbnb, as well as showing that he hasn't responded to any of your messages since July, maybe you can get your money back.

I would have contacted them back in July when the host did not follow through with what had been discussed and cancelled the reservation then.  I wouldn't want to stay somewhere the host behaved like that. A host has no obligation to allow a date change, but saying he will, and then reneging isn't okay.

And it's unfortunate that the credit card expired. That complicates matters, as Airbnb cancelled the booking over payment failure.

No, a host can't reinstate a cancelled booking. And it doesn't sound like this host would be cooperative anyway.

[Matthew92]

@Sarah977  thanks for clarifying, yes this is the case the host has completed ghosted me. I did contact Airbnb back in July & August and September and they have also been trying to contact the host and he has completely ghosted them as well!

Airbnb have seen all the attempts at contact plus texts, what's app messages and emails and also them trying to contact them, it's actually a bit beyond a joke now. It's just so frustrating he said he would open up 2022 in July and then nothing until I am meant to he checking into somewhere in less than a week and I cannot even go more than 10k let alone get out of the country because we live in Melbourne Australia and our state is **bleep** and also Australia's International borders!

Thanks for the advice, I guess all I can do is persevere with Airbnb on the matter. But the fact he has done this surley is a breach of T&Cs on some level?!

Matt

[Sarah977]

@Matthew92 "But the fact he has done this surley is a breach of T&Cs on some level?!"

Not really.  Verbal agreements, even when written in a message, aren't binding. And as I mentioned, hosts are under no obligation to agree to alter booking dates. There are unfortunately bad hosts out there, just as there are bad guests. Guests have gotten burned by hosts who tell them they will give them a refund, because there was some legitimate issue, like the guests arrived to find the place filthy, or the appliances didn't work, and the guests don't realize that in order to insure that they receive a refund, they actually need to cancel and leave, not trust the host to do what he said. I should hope that most hosts are trustworthy, though. I would certainly never promise a guest something and then renege on it.

But a host who ghosts you for months, refusing to respond, and even ignores communications from Airbnb, shouldn't be allowed to remain on the platform. It's pretty outrageous that Airbnb didn't offer to cancel your booking and refund you when they also couldn't get a response. (It occured to me- maybe the host died? Do they still have an active listing, with recent reviews?)

But customer service is abyssmal these days, staffed by outsourced, know-nothings who give out incorreect information and advice- they are next to useless, and often worse than useless.

You aren't meant to be checking in to this place in a week, though. Your booking was cancelled. You no longer have a booking there. 

Try contacting Airbnb through their Twitter account. They don't like their dirty laundry aired in public, and you might have better luck there.

[Matthew92]

@Sarah977 yes I feel he has breached it somehow for sure! You are right good and bad hosts and guests but it's very annoying because I have always been a good guest!

If my card would not have needed updating then technically I would have not cancelled for this year I would have just been charged more for a holiday I could not go on until 2022 and I would have just have had to hope the host came back to me.

The issue is I need this moving and the host has somehow missed everything (which seems unlikely) or I need my money back to book somewhere else because this whole situation is bang out of order!

I did actually think is he dead but Airbnb have confirmed he is responding to other guests which is even more frustrating! Also my family and I are not able to go now because of lockdown in Australia but my parents from then UK are actually staying next door to this villa right now and people are in the villa this week! Also the reason I booked it is because one of my groomsmen and family stayed on there when we got married in 2018 and we have been to the island many times and no the area very well which again makes it even more annoying because all our family have re booked next year in 2022 to meet up and we will not have seen each other for 2 and a half years due to Covid!

I like the Twitter idea! I don't want to go there yet or be forced into this but it does feel like it could end up being the only option it this does not get resolved soon! It is all documented as well which makes it even more annoying and I have been nothing but polite and attentive with the host!

I also have a few friends in the area so I am going to ask them soon to do some investigating too. We are staying next door at the apartments prior to the villa next year and in Athens twice, all of these people have moved the dares to 2022 in around 24 hours!

Thanks for your support on this ☺

[Sarah977]

@Matthew92 

Using the Twitter contact isn't some last ditch option- it's one of the accepted ways to contact Airbnb, just like phoning or messaging. I've just heard that sometimes it gets better results.

[Matthew92]

@Sarah977  Thanks for that I will have a try at Twitter then if nothing gets resolved this week.

Appreciate the help 🙂