Unbelivable Bad Customer Service From AirBnB

[Oscar206]

My name is Oscar from Malaysia. I have been both a host and as a guest with AirBnB since 2015.

Everything went smoothly without major issues but recently i had a very bad experience with AirBnB's negligence and their customer service and i have lost confidence completely with AirBnB.

On the 6th December 2018, i received a booking from Germany and as i was new to Instant Booking, the guest paid in full even i have not accepted his booking. I was shocked as i was unable to host him during that period and the location of my homestay is not so near his preferred location.

He called me and i explained to him politely, admitted my mistakes and apologised but understandably he was furious and made a complaint to AirBnB Germany. 

Two days later on the 8th December 2018, i received a call from AirBnB Germany customer service informing about a report lodge against me and i explained my position. The Customer Service later informed me the case has been promptly resolved and the payment of RM2,463 was duly refunded without penalty.( it was also reflected in my invoice)

On the 15th March 2019 i received another booking and i hosted without issue. But i have not received my payout after a month and when i enquired about it,  the response i got was shocking. The customer service said this:

"It's Lance again from Airbnb. As I checked here on my end, the reason why you weren't issued the payout for reservation code **is because there was an adjustment on your payout. You were overpaid on your previous reservation with Maximilian. That's the reason why we didn't issue a payout for your reservation".  

Without proper investigation they concluded that i was overpaid and promptly deducted from my payout without notice. If they'd notified me earlier, i would have stop hosting until i sort out this issue with AirBnB, but NO, no notice or communication at all.  

I immediately furnished all the proofs that i have not received a single cents and the account shown very clearly ZERO payout and the RM2,643 payment was refunded. Even with all the proofs, Lance, the customer service guy from AirBnB went silent for a day without updating me any status.

When i demanded an answer this is his classic reply:

"Hello there! 
Just following up with you. I am hoping all is well. I want to make sure you are taken care of completely and that you have no unanswered questions.
Please be informed that I will be out of the office for 2 days, so if you have any urgent questions, please call our hotline at +1-415-800-5959.
Thank you for your understanding and being such an important part of the Airbnb community.
Have a wonderful week ahead!" 

And this is my reply to him:

"How do u expect all is well when I have a current guest with me and I don't even know whether I can get my payout. And Airbnb contra my previous payout without informing me. And now u just sent a msg saying that u won't be available for 2 days without updating me the status. Yes all is well indeed. Congrats Airbnb of your fabulous customer service 😞

And you want me to call u from Malaysia....? Will u pay for the bill??

I want the answer by tomorrow else I will cancel my guests stay in May and let them know the truth what happened"

Yes, i am hosting a guest now and expecting a new guest In May but i am not sure i will be getting my payout for these 2 bookings 😞 

And if i cancel the bookings now i will be charged USD50 penalty and to waive it you must have valid reasons, which doesn't include

AirBnB's negligence...LOL

How to protect our right as a host when we are helpless in this situation?

Anyone with similiar situation can please advice the next course of action as i don't see AirBnB resolving the issue and they will just wash their hands off. 

Such pathetic and terrible Customer service from AirBnB. I won't be hosting again anytime soon.

My conclusion, when you encounter issues with guests or booking, AirBnB will just turn a blind eye and expect the issue will go away and send you messages such as : "Have a wonderful week ahead"  without resolving it.......

**[Reservation number hidden - Community Center Guidelines]

[Ton11]

Hello Oscar,

Allow me first to say that I agree that the response that you received from the agent Lance was not very fortunate and that he could have elaborated more in detail with his explanations.

As for the issues that you described, and if I understood them correctly, I would like to clarify the following:

1. If you receive a reservation with Instant Book, the reservation is automatically accepted. This means that you agreed with the acceptance without first having received a reservation request. If this reservation was cancelled by you, the guest receives a full refund, which is only fair. I do understand the frustration of a guest when his reservation is cancelled, especially if this happens very close to the check-in date.

2. What I understand from your story is that the reservation was cancelled after the payout was released. In that case you received a payout for a reservation that was cancelled. Obviously, Airbnb then adjusts your payouts for that amount. You should be able to see that adjustment in your transaction history.

3. You can be assured that you will receive the payouts for the following reservations, but not until the total amount of the pending payouts has reached an amount higher than the adjustment amount. This is because the already paid out amount for the cancelled reservation first need to be "paid back".

4. I understand your concern for having to call a telephone number in the States. For assistance in Malaysia, you can also call a toll free number: 1800 889 814 or a local number: +603 7724 0164.

5. Lastly, I would like to add that, if you feel that you have not been assisted correctly by an agent, you can always ask to speak with a supervisor. If you do, upon your request, a supervisor is expected to contact you within 24 hours after requesting.

I hope this helps with motivating you to continue being part of the Airbnb community as guest and host alike.