Instant book cancels

[Felicia5]

I left my instant book on by mistake
Someone booked 1 night in the middle of 4th July weekend
I don't want this reservation
What should I do?

[Paul0]

...Cancel it and turn off Instant Bookings.

You may be penalised by Airbnb for it but you are responsible for creating the situation... even if by honest mistake (lot's of us have done it or similar).

Cheers,

Paul

[Richard-and-Prescilla0]

I am showing an Instant Booking on one of my listings and do not seem able to turn it off... any suggestions?

[Dede0]

@Felicia5 Instan Book or not, if you didn't want 1-night bookings for the 4th of July weekend, you should've set a custom minimum for that date range. Do that proactively for all special periods (holiday weekends, festivals, and so on.) The issue as stated really has nothing to do with Instant Book. (Which I strongly urge you to turn off, by the way.)

[Raymond-and-Elaine0]

@Felicia5  Hosts who use Instant Book may be able to cancel up to 3 times, penalty-free, if they have concerns about a guest’s behavior. Calendar inaccuracy, confusion about pricing or availability, and extenuating circumstances are not covered by this policy.

You made a mistake on your calendar so if you cancel this reservation now, there will be penalties :

More than 7 days before check-in: You'll receive one penalty-free cancellation every 6 months. Then, for every additional cancellation within a 6-month period, you'll be charged $50 per cancellation.

• Automated reviews: An automated review will be posted to your listing's profile indicating that you canceled one of your reservations. These reviews can't be removed, but you can always write a public response to clarify why you needed to cancel.
• Unavailable/blocked calendar: Your calendar will stay blocked and you won't be able to accept another reservation for the same dates of the canceled reservation.
• Loss of eligibility for Superhost status: You won't be eligible to earn Superhost statusfor one year after your most recent cancellation.

[Clare0]

@Felicia5 Even if you cancel, you won't be able to rebook those dates so there is no point in cancelling.  I'm afraid you'll have to take your medicine this time and learn from your mistake.  

@Raymond-and-Elaine0 Well, well, look who's here! So nice to see your wise advice!

[Raymond-and-Elaine0]

@Clare0   Hi Clare, as it 1st June and the groups are still active, I came here to see if an update had been added. I can't find one so I'm still unsure what is happening.

A little worried though that a Co-Organiser for Melbourne's Finest... Hosts can advise a host to cancel a reservation without explaining the consequences. Especially as she has already cancelled a reservation in September 2015. I hope that now Felicia has a little more information she can make a more informed decision.

[Clare0]

@Raymond-and-Elaine0 Agree, hopefully hosts will filter the responses to arrive at the right decision.  I try to correct where appropriate.  But nice to see you hear with your sage advice!

[Raymond-and-Elaine0]

Thank-you @Clare0 and I'm better looking than Yoda, (not by much )

[Paul0]

Thanks for your concern @Raymond-and-Elaine0. I clearly stated Felicia may be penalised during the cancellation process which will be revealed by doing. 

[Raymond-and-Elaine0]

@Paul0 Yes you did Paul but it's too vague. if she is asking about cancelling, then I'm not sure she is going to go to the Help Page to see what the penalties are. As she has already cancelled, then she will not only have her calendar blocked but will also receive a fine. Maybe send new hosts the links to the relevent text might help the Help Desk develop quicker ( or is that just a dream I have) No harm was meant.