Reaching Community Support

[Aisling]

Hi everyone, 

Thanks for all of your messages and responses over the last week on my last post providing some context to the challenges our Community Support team has been facing and what we’ve done about it to ensure we can support you better and quicker. 

I worked with our Community Managers here to collate feedback around Community Support and wanted to share some additional information with you. 

Urgent Non-COVID support 

For any urgent Non-COVID-19 related issues, we have a separate and dedicated team of experts working on urgent safety concerns 24/7. 

If you have any safety concerns, we recommend 2 options designed to support you in these situations. 

• Our Safety Center is a resource for guests and hosts to learn more about how to stay safe on their trip. Additionally, our in-app Urgent Support Line is available to English speaking members of our global community who are on an active trip and would like to talk to a Safety specialist about a safety, security, or urgent matter.
• Our Neighborhood Tool is designed for neighbors around the world to report unwanted noise and nuisance issues related to an Airbnb listing. For those living in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands who want to call our Safety team directly, we also have a Neighborhood Support line available in English. 

Managing future cancellations

As I mentioned in my prior post, we are still working through our backlog of tickets since the WHO announced COVID-19 as a pandemic with the new ways of working. 

Since my last update, we have launched an update about coverage under our Extenuating Circumstances Policy to provide guidance for future reservations with check-ins between March 14, 2020 and May 31, 2020. If you’re a host, you’ll find information in your hosting dashboard. As a host, If you receive questions from any of your guests regarding cancellation requests, The best way is to advise guests to go to their Trips page to initiate a mutual cancellation. Note only guests will have the option to initiate. 

Ways to reach us

If you still need support, we have created tools that allow you to quickly solve many issues using our Help Centre on our web page or mobile app or you can message us directly from the Airbnb app. For more information regarding coronavirus, our extenuating circumstances policy or regarding changing or cancelling a reservation, please visit airbnb.com/covid19. 

Thanks again for your candid feedback, we hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy.

Aisling

[Mike-And-Jane0]

Thanks @Aisling 

Just a thought - Would it be possible for your Community Support Team to challenge a lot of the fake news circulated by certain people (usually negative toward Airbnb)? I suspect the answer may be no as it would put them in the firing line but thought I would ask anyway

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Mike-And-Jane0 ,

I can speak for anything shared on the CC. If you wouldn't mind clicking the Flag to moderator button anything suspect, we can take a look and rectify incorrect information.

Thanks

[Susan17]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

*offensive comment removed*

It's blatantly obvious who you're squealing about, so here I am, out in the open, not afraid to put myself in the firing line (as ever) and happy to be challenged by everyone and anyone on anything I have to say. With a mountain of proof at the ready. 

Aisling knows where to find me. She's welcome to pitch up on my doorstep any time, any day if anyone needs any evidence of the claims I make on here. And bring the entire Airbnb legal team with her, if she so wishes, because I've plenty more to share with them too, that can't be posted on here. I'll put the kettle on.

Now get off my back @Mike-And-Jane0 , and let me get on with trying to help my fellow hosts, however little that may be. 

[Garrett48]

And thanks @Susan17 for your diligence and

selfless perseverance on this - putting your head above the parapet in the interests of all hosts. Please ignore the sychophantic sheep - they're always there, best ignored.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

woah @Susan17  - Very nasty indeed

Am I not allowed to comment on things anymore without a personal attack???

[Susan17]

"Nasty" is running to tell makey-up tales to teacher, just to make yourself look good while sneakily trying to stir up trouble for others, @Mike-And-Jane0 . Well you're wasting your time with that, because  I'm waaay past giving a tuppenny bit about what trouble the things I have to say may cause for me. And here's the thing - nothing I say can be challenged, because it's the truth, and anyone with two brain cells to rub together, knows that  No fake news here. Plenty of fake "nice" over there though.

So here's the deal - you keep your nasty away from me, and I'll keep mine away from you. I have no more to say to you, and won't be engaging with you further. Please do me the same courtesy

[Ute42]

.

@Mike-And-Jane0 

80 years ago in my country of Germany there were people called „Blockwart“. These Blockwarts were living in big apartement buildings mostly on ground floor next to the entrance. The Blockwarts were monitoring everything that went on in the building and reported suspect tenants to the Nazis. Many of the tenants reported ended up in concentration camps.

We have a dedicated expression for the mindset of Blockwarts, the „Blockwart Mentalität“.

Your post upthread shows some of that mentality.

[Pete2785]

The term "Block-Warts" means something totally different from your explanation, but only within my small circle of peers. Because I'm not 'Im-matoor', I'll spare you the unsolicited vocabulary lesson of a vernacular used by just 5 very 'Matoor' middle-aged men who hum the old Toys-R-Us theme song to themselves throughout the day. 

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Jane0  And just what would be your evidence of this so-called "fake news"? You are advocating for Airbnb to start censoring posts on this forum? One of the things most of us appreciate is that the moderators here allow people to express pretty much whatever they want, as long as they aren't personally attacting someone else, making discriminatory comments, and things of that nature. 

Perhaps you should start your own forum where only nice, gushing, sweetness and light positive things about Airbnb are allowed to be posted.  

[Mike-And-Jane0]

Not Censoring @Sarah977  but responding with either confirmation or corrections.

[Albert1743]

Dear Aisling, thanks for your hard work during these days. I have contacted your Customer Support Team many times in the last two weeks,  but they denied (or maybe they did not fully understand  the COVID 19 policies and articles announced by Brian on the Airbnb web} and just kept on refusing to make the refund of my deposit after cancellation, and put the blame on the Host. I have no other ways but sending an email/private message to you here and there since 02Apr. So far I did not receive any of your response.  Maybe you are extremely busy to clear your back log and I am happy to wait further. Just in case if you are not in a position to handle it, just let me know where they should be sent to. Much thanks. Albert

[Lizzie]

Hello @Albert1743,

Thanks for your message and sorry about the delay/confusion here. My name is Lizzie and I am a Community Manager here. Just to let you know, I speaking with a colleague of mine in the CS team about your case. I'll let you know when I have an update. 

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Albert1743]

Thanks Lizzie

[Albert1743]

Hey Lizzie,

I got this from your helpline "We understand that you have been corresponding with a few members of our team, and we have since issued our final decision on the matter. Rest assured that your feedback has been recorded and we would like to seek your understanding that we would have to politely disengage from further discussion of the case."

Is it your answer to my case?

I sent a complain letter via email to Brian on 17Apr and copied to Belinda, Ailsing and Chris. Just in case  if they could not answer me, I shall forward such complain letter to the media like Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, China Weibo  whom might have a way to get in touch of them and report my case in public. I don't want to make things complicated but I adhere to fighting for fair and justice as a normal consumer will do.