Smartlock and Airbnb stopped communicating?

[Carlos-and-Sarah0]

We have been hosting since May 2017 and the smartlock we are using is with Connect by LockState.  Our experience has been positive; however, we recently noticed that the last time Airbnb communicated directly with LockState about a new guest reservation was November 24, 2017.  This means that all of the new guest reservations have not been issued access codes or received the automically generated email with home access instructions.  We've contacted LockState and they said that they haven't received a booking from Airbnb since Nov. 24th.  We then contacted Airbnb and the person I spoke with seemed not to understand how smartlocks work.  I have yet to hear back from Airbnb.  Has anyone had this issue?  If so, how did you resolve it?  We've had at least 15 new guests book since late November and I've started generating codes myself so that guests will get their access information before their stay.  Help!

[Joanne-Flynn0]

I’m researching smart locks for my property and found your question. This is concerning if they stopped supporting.  

I’ve read from other hosts that they’ve have good response rate from Airbnb if they tweet them. Not sure if you’re on Twitter but if so you may want to try.  

Also if I come up with anything on this in my research I’ll reply. 

[Matthew285]

@Carlos-and-Sarah0, the most difficult problems to get help with involve connections between two companies. Since there are two entirely separate companies involved, the temptation is for each to point the finger at the other and say "The problem is on their end. Our part is working."

You should mainly work with LockState (because they are a smaller company, and whatever customer support person you get will definitely know more about the locks than a random AirBnB support person).

While it may not be LockState's fault, they at least might know what steps you need to take to fix it.

Is there a way for you to UNlink your AirBnB account from the LockState lock, and then re-link it again?

[Carlos-and-Sarah0]

Thank you!  Yes, we’ve had more support from Lockstate thus far, but no solution.  And yes, we disconnected the lock and re-connected, but that did not help with subsequent reservations.

[Matthew285]

@Carlos-and-Sarah0, we use smart locks also (ours are the August locks), and there was a brief time the connection stopped working, as you describe in your situation now.

It turned out to be something on the August side, and they fixed it, and then it started working again.

Don't give up! It is extra hard to convince a company to fix something when they are sure the problem lies with someone else.

[Carlos-and-Sarah0]

Thanks for the encouragement!

[Jill274]

Hi Matthew, 

I'm currently researching my options and leaning toward the august system. Do you use the keypad? Any other words or wisdom?

Thanks in advance!

[Matthew285]

@Jill274 (by the way, to make sure people see your question, you should use the '@' to tag them)

I do use the keypad. I have 3 of the August Smart locks now, but only use the keypad on 2 of them. I think they are a must, as not all guests install the app.

Are you on the property with the guests? Or are you some distance away?

Even though the August Smart Lock does not require Wifi to work, having the Wifi Connect thing lets you reprogram the lock from pretty much anywhere in the world.

I really like the feature that lets you know when the door is locked or unlocked. It gives you a great hint as to when the guest checks out (so you can start cleaning).

[Madison17]

That's strange, not sure how something like this could have gone on for so long now without any solution yet. We just got this new lock earlier last year and we've never had any issues like that with ours. If you're unable to fix the problem with your current lock, I'd suggest checking this one out if you decide to switch. It syncs directly to my AirBNB calendar, sends guests emails with key code and instructions as soon as they book a stay, disables codes at time of check out (and accurately lol), and auto updates itself for me. I don't have to do a thing or have to worry about keys or anything myself, it's awesome.

Here's a link to check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/AirLocking-Smart-Lock-for-AirBNB/dp/B0759NPC5Y/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=airloc...

[Cheryl273]

I am not getting notifications for listings all of a sudden.  I have a great location in Hawaii and this is very suspicious.  What is SmartLock?  

[Cheryl273]

I am almost to the Superhost classification after only 5 months of operaton and all of a sudden have not

not received any inquiries about booking since my last guest on May 31.  Please help.

[Cheryl273]

I am not getting notification requests.  I am in a great location in Hawaii for $50 per night.

This is very suspicious can anyone help me?  I alson cannot get a phone number for Air BnB to even speak to a rep.  Can anyone provide a number?