Reservation requests without vefications

[Lorrie17]

Hello,

I have received 2 recent reservation requests with either only a phone number verification or a phone and email verification. I have instabook turned on with verified government ID required so I assume that is why these come through as requests. However, when I have reached out to them asking that they please provide additional information on their profile and verify their government ID through Airbnb, I never hear back from them. I have tried to nicely explain that having this additional information is a requirement for booking and asked that they contact me if they have any questions or concerns (I even provide the link to verifying government ID through Airbnb). I have also explained that if I do not hear back from them, I will have to decline their request. As you know, we are penalized for not either accepting or declining within 24 hours so I will, eventually, have to decline their request. I typically try to contact them about 3 times before declining their request. I have had this happen before but these last 2 were within a couple of days of each other. Of course, now I am not meeting the basic requirement of accepting 88% of requests. This is also incorrect since Airbnb does not seem to factor in all of my instant bookings into this number. It seems a bit shady that they request to book but then never respond once I ask for additional information to verify their identity, etc. Since I have found this to be a problem, I try to reply instantly after their request in order to "catch" them while they might still be on the Airbnb site. 

Any thoughts or suggestions on this matter? 

[Emiel1]

@Lorrie17 

You can also ask them in your mesage to withdraw the request. Then a decline or accept is not nessecary.

[Lorrie17]

@Emiel1 That is definitely something that I can add to my messages. Since they don't respond at all, I have doubts as to whether they will do so but it is worth a try! 

Thanks!

[Ana1136]

@Lorrie17 let them know that you will accept their request unless they remove it and unless they don't fill their profiles they can not stay and have 48 hours to cancel penalty free. You don't have to be punished because some people don't know or don't care how to use Airbnb. 

[Kenneth12]

I've had many guests not respond to my requests for info but simply cancel / withdraw because I mentioned that they should if they were no longer interested -- and of course,  many of these requests aren't interested (in handing out more info about themselves).

Best,  Ken

[Emilia42]

@Lorrie17 , this has happened to me a few times. I was actually going to remove the government ID requirement because I was so sick of it. Then I found this magically little box, which I clicked, and it hasn't happened since. I am not sure if this is/was the reason but you should try it.

Search 'Verifications' in the help section. Then follow the steps.

[Lorrie17]

@Emilia42, I found that little box too! Thanks so much for the tip! 

[Willene1]

@Emilia42 Thank you Emilia!!  How did I not know this before.? Thank you, even years after you posted. 👍 Just found the box now. 

[Simone473]

@Lorrie17 The same happened to me on three reservations — two guests without ID and one without a photo. I will try your suggestion @Emilia42 Thank you so much! : )

[Thomas1033]

@Lorrie17 exactly what happens on our end too.  Every question or inquiry comes through from persons who barely meet requirements.  I have gone ahead and pre approved with the stipulation that we are shown their is upon arrival and not a single one has booked.  Even more so what angers me is the ones that ask to break one of our rules and I concede to their request (bring esa, too many people etc) and they also don’t book or even respond back.  People waste my time all the time.  We have instant book on.  We are pinned on the map accurately.  Why do I have to figure out how far they are from the pool in the next town over?  Yvonna (cohost)

[Ruthie12]

When asked for govt ID as a guest, I couldn't do it on my laptop.  I'd have to take a photo of the drivers license front and back, with another device, email them to myself, download the pics, move them to the desktop, then upload them to the verification screen.  ( I thought when I started that I'd just be able to enter the information from my license as you do for e-filing taxers.)  Fortunately I remembered I had the app on my rarely used ipad, and was able to do it easily from the ipad.  

I wouldn't assume that the potential guest just blew you off.  It may be that a rookie guest without the app just gave up.