Instant Booking

[Carol138]

Hi there, I messed up and didn't get my advance calendar right for 9 months in advance, and had an instant booking confirmed today for 3 nights in June 2017, that I've had to cancel.   Totally my fault, no question.  But although I realised immediately and cancelled within the hour of Airbnb informing me, the person who booked it claims she made the booking over 24hrs prior to my cancellation, and she has now paid for flights from Austraila to the UK on the basis of it.  Is she just trying to guilt trip me, or does Airbnb really sit on bookings that long before informing us?  I feel TERRIBLE now, and have disabled the instant booking facility to be sure this never happens again.  Please, please can someone let me know what she claims is true?  

Kind regards,

Carol 

[Carol138]

I should mention, the period she booked was over the busiest time of the TT Isle of Man races, and EVERY WHERE on the isle is usually booked out over a year in advance, so she is unlikely to find any alternative accommodation. 

[Karin36]

Carol, don't you have a friend or family somewhere who could put her up?  I usually have a back up plan for crazy scenarios like this...

Sorry about this stress, for sure!!!  No idea how long airbnb takes to notify you.

[Carol138]

Hi Karin,  thanks for replying.  Sadly, no, anyone with a spare room rents out over the TT - we even have government broadcasts over the radio urging all residents to throw open their doors over that period, because there is a chronic lack of accommodation over race weeks.  What I really want to know is how long does Airbnb take to pass confirmed bookings on to hosts?  All the ones I've received in the short time I've joined have been passed on virtually instantly.  Thanks again for getting back to me.

[Wendy-and-Frank0]

Is the guest confusing a credit card charge with an accepted request?  Hmmmm.....

[Ira4]

@Carol138 I suggest you to contact Airbnb and ask about your case. 

You can use this thread:

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728 …

I have completed over 80 bookings and I have seen that Airbnb always informs us at the same moment about the reservation. Maybe your connection to Internet was lost for a while? You can check your personal emails (not the Airbnb notifications) and find the email from Airbnb which informed you about the instant booking of that guest. There you can see the exact time that she made the booking.

Anyway, I can't imagine a host to be charged for a guest's flight tickets, but it is a really difficult issue and I think Airbnb can help you to solve it. 

Only have mind in the future to make anything to avoid cancellation by your side.

You don't need to turn off Instant Booking. You can just go to your Calendar, then to "Availability Settings", then to "Booking Window" and select "3 months into the future" (or 6 months, but I prefer 3). 

I wish you the best!

Ira​

• For anyone who wants to contact Airbnb, see this thread:
  

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M728 …

• Let's all give thumbs up to hosts that help us!

[Carol138]

Ira, can't thank you enough, thanks for the link, I'm off to chase it through (and will be sure to post the end result).  You're a star!

[Lisa293]

Don't feel badly, she should have had insurance in place for travel that far out.  

This is one of the areas that airbnb actually protects hosts so it should be embraced.  Bigger online agents make you find alternate accommodations with similar facilities and pay the difference if there is any and extra transport costs.  I spoke to a rep who told me about an overbooking for superbowl and the hotel had to pay for flights to another city for the family and the difference in the nightly rate.  Be glad airbnb does not have this policy! 

We made a mistake with our calendar once and someone was able to book 10 nights at Christmas for half the normal rate with payment on arrival and a 24 hour cancellation window.  Guess what?  They cancelled the day before.  It works both ways and you have to just work within the policies that are in place.

Both the host and the guest should just graciously work within the terms that they booked under.  Don't feel guilty!

[Carol138]

Oh wow, Lisa, what a nightmare scenario this might've been, that never even occurred to me - eeek!  Yes, I do believe (and have heard) Airbnb are very supportive of their hosts, and do offer protections many other on-site booking agents don't.  I've contacted their help line and am now waiting for their response.  The main issue is the time window between the booking and the cancellation, I am hoping they can confirm I cancelled within an hour of receiving their booking.  If not, then the party involved does have good reason for greivance - but if it is otherwise, they very obviously couldn't have booked their flights the night before I cancelled on them.  Thank you for your sage advice!

[David126]

Let ABB deal with it, when a host books they penalise you and give the guest a bonus. Let them earn their money.

As an aside ABB have stated they are moving to a more flexible cancellation policy, seems it is being trialed in Italy, so the days of booking well in advance and being held to it are likely to be well behind us.

I have been to the TT races, we camped, super busy.

[Carol138]

Hey there David, oooh, you are balm to my troubled heart!  Hands up, I'm at fault, and yes I've been penalised for it too.  I lean towards this would be guest is chancing her arm, but the jusry is out.  So nice to hear from a fellow biking enthusiast - we are slap bang on the Quarterbridge Road, right by Aggo's leap - brilliant views of the wheelies past our drive!  Not too safe, though.. but urm,  let's not go into that, eh?   Really appreciated your feedback, thanks a ton. 

[David126]

Chancing her arm or not, there is in reality nothing you can do and it is a long way away.

They did show highlights on US TV last year, has been a very long time since I went, Mike the Bike's last year but I know where you are.

Also bookings and cancellations are pretty instentaneous so I do not buy that time delay.

[Carol138]

Ha!  Just checked out your profile.  My hubby was born in Brentwood (though I never told you he's an Essex boy, ok?)..

[David126]

Essex Girls got more stick, I can only say in my defence I was not born in Essex.

[Carol138]

Ach, he boarded out, but I still love to rub his nose in it (wink)!  Give me a shout if you are ever likely to pass this way again, yeah?