I am a new Air BnB user, and unfortunately, things haven't gone smoothly. My first ever reservation was cancelled - but it was by a lovely host who had an unexpected change in plans, apologized, and gave me plenty of notice. She recommended that I try booking with her friend, who was going to reactivate her account. Wonderful... until it wasn't. When the host contacted me about checkout, I asked if it would be possible to leave mid-afternoon (explaining that I would be returning from a race and hoped to shower before hitting the road). I didn't think it would be a problem, as her profile at the time showed a midnight check-out. I got back a very curt text saying that I only paid for one night, and 11 am was more than reasonable, since that's what nearby hotels went by. I tried to (gently) point out that I had asked for the time based on her profile (hoping she might read between the lines and change her profile), and explained again that I was hoping for just enough time to snag a shower and depart. We agreed on a 12:30 departure, and I all seemed to be well, even if the tone of the communication made me a bit uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, after all that, I had to cancel on her due to an unforeseen family issue. In was just outside of the 24 hour cancellation period, so I was fortunate enough to get a refund. In the text of the cancellation message, I sent the following:
I'm so sorry to cancel last minute, but we had a minor family emergency arise, and I'm no longer sure when I'll be arriving for the race (the night before or the morning of!) - or if I'll even be travelling at all. This had absolutely nothing to do with you or your listing; it was an entirely unforeseen circumstance. I hope you have more luck with your next hosting!
I received in return:
So sorry to hear you can't make it because of a minor emergency! BUT I have changed my schedule-cancelled my trip to go to my son's ball games in Indiana, purchased extra groceries like airbnb said to do oj, fruit, etc. SO I AM OUT MONEY INSTEAD OF MAKING SOME! AGAIN SORRY FOR 'YOUR' SITUATION & I had no idea of flexible cancellation but I have changed that! Good Luck!
I'm torn. I really do feel badly about the short notice, but was a bit taken aback by the letter. She has a right to be unhappy, but I did follow procedure. Do I offer to somehow refund her for the cost of incidentals as a sort of goodwill gesture? I'm not inclined to, as I'm feeling a bit attacked myself, but I'd really rather not build a reputation as a crap guest.
