Refund denied by host

Chiara774
Level 2
London, GB

Refund denied by host

I want please to file a complaint because,despite extenuating circumstances like a pandemic,my host refused to refund me,not even a penny!this is outrageous and such poor judgement. It's not even possible to fly to any destination in this moment. Your hist stole this money from me,despite I said to her I wanted to book again when this crisis is over. I'm really so furious,rhis ia a rip off. Please help with this.

17 Replies 17
Elena87
Level 10
СПБ, Russia

@Chiara774 

 

To be sure, it's difficult to untangle a garbled vague angry rant.

 

Maybe stating some basic facts would help relating to your booking. 

 

When did you book, start date of the booking, duration, hosts cancellation policy, when you decided to cancel.?

 

 

 

@Chiara774   "File a complaint"? Of the billions of people who have been affected by this crisis globally, how on earth did you get the idea that your situation is somehow special or worthy of anyone else's time? But here it goes anyway..

 

Fact:  Airbnb does not transfer your money to the host until after the scheduled check-in date. If that has not yet occurred, the host does not have your money - Airbnb does. There's nothing to gain from bugging your host about it.

 

Fact: There is such a thing as trip cancellation insurance with "Cancel for any reason" (CFAR) coverage. You could have bought this if you believed that you were entitled to refunds when circumstances change - as they always do for millions of people every day, even when not in a time of pandemic.

 

Fact: The time window eligible for full-refund cancellations is posted here:  https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...  . If you're not eligible, that's because your booking is over 2 weeks away. That means you have time to wait until the window extends to the scheduled date of your trip.

 

Until then, you can rest at ease knowing that the money out of your hands for the time being is only the budget you'd dedicated to your trip - one way or other, you weren't going to keep it. Meanwhile, during the shutdown of travel, your host is likely to lose several months of expected income which their family may be dependent upon. Try to have a little perspective; it's not all about you.

 

Chiara774
Level 2
London, GB

You should be ashamed. All of us are losing job and money. It's not all about YOU and people with properties!

That money would be very important for me in this moment!

Airbnb sent me a message saying that due to Covid19 the host can decide to refund me FULLY. Not only she did not refund me fully,not even the half of my deposit which other companies like booking.com are are doing.

So please keep your bullet points and facts for youeself.

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Just wait until the EC policy for the virus is extended and cancel then. @Chiara774 

 

And try not to insult people you are asking for help and advice, it makes you look mean spirited.

I did not insult anyone.

Someone came to me with a patronizing attitude, which I don't allow.

I know what I'm saying and my refund has been already refused by the host.

Hopefully complaining here will help to have part of my deposit back!

It's poor judgment to say the least,to refuse to refund a client during a pandemic. 

I hope other hosts are more compassionate than the one I found.

 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Complaining here on a forum of hosts and guests, will do nothing to alter the options in front of you. 

 

Cancel now and do so within the hosts cancellation policy or wait and cancel penalty free when the policy gets extended.. 

 

But as we say in London 'crack on'. 🙂

"keep your bullet points and facts for youeself [sic]"

 

I'm pretty sure that was a rejected slogan for one of Murdoch's "news" outlets.

@Chiara774  If this is how you communicated with your host, it's easy to understand why she didn't find the idea of you re-booking in the future very appealing.  

 

If you decide to never book with an Airbnb host again, I support your decision 100%. As veteran hosts might say, "better suited to a hotel."

 

 

I actually explained very nicely my concerns and asked more than once a reply which never arrived from the host.

She just let airbnb reply to me saying that she refused to refund. So don't make assumptions. you're really cocky and I don't like this attitude. It's rude and annoying.

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Chiara774  Hosts are losing jobs and a lot more money than one trip. 

 

If you couldn't afford to lose any of the money, why did you choose a place with strict cancellation instead of one with free or flexible cancellation policies?

So it's fair not to consider at all even a partial refund. That sound very greedy.

And how rude is talking about my financial situation? What do you know about it?what do you know about how this pandemic i affecting me or others?

So someone is "greedy" when they observe the terms that you agreed to when placing the booking ? When you booked property with a strict cancellation policy instead of a refundable one? 

 

And the money you spent is Very Important to you, but you couldn't be bothered to take out appropriate insurance to protect your investment?

 

Your losses are unfortunate, but they were entirely preventable. Don't worry, if you have enough patience, Airbnb will eventually update its policy and coddle you. But it would be a shame if in this whole process you didn't learn something about how to plan your trips and manage your expectations. This entitled attitude is not going to work out for you everywhere.

 

Nanxing0
Level 10
Haverford, PA

Host "can" decide to refund you fully doesn't mean he/she is obligated to do so. Warren Buffet can also decide to give all his money and share to you but do you ask him to do that?

Scott1159
Level 2
San Jose, CA

Ok, but I don't understand why a host would refuse a reschedule request. Would not a host rather get the full property rent later than get half now? And besides get a better rating as a cooperative host who will work though a bad situation? My host would not even return my emails or calls. I had to find out from Airbnb that he refused to even reschedule the reservation. This is not "I'm loosing money too" behavior, this is FU I got mine, sucks to be you behavior.