Why Are Instant-Booking Guest Requirements Not Being Enforced For AIRBNB PLUS??

John1512
Level 3
Nashville, TN

Why Are Instant-Booking Guest Requirements Not Being Enforced For AIRBNB PLUS??

Can someone please explain why Airbnb isn't enforcing host mandated instant-booking Guest's Requirements for PLUS hosts? For starters, they are allowing guests with only one verification to book when standard requirements clearly dictate otherwise. And, furthermore, why isn’t AIRBNB including the Guest Trip Information pre-booking questions anywhere in the instant-booking process as they claim they do? I was told by a number of customer service agents that the questions were still included, but upon finally getting through to a supervisor yesterday (after getting numerous bookings where this was clearly not happening), he confirmed it’s not actually part of the PLUS instant-booking process...even though AIRBNB advertises that is. The supervisor was supposed to get back to me immediately after our call with a case #, but 24 hrs later and three calls back to customer service to follow up, I’m still waiting. What exactly does Premium Customer service mean if it's anything but? Overall, Airbnb's customer service is poor, but I had held out some hope that it would improve with PLUS. Why isn't AIRBNB held to the same standards as other companies when it comes to professionalism and transparency?

8 Replies 8
Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@John1512 

You're booking questions are still very much there. I think it's just whether guests choose to acknowledge them or not.

 

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@Emilia42, I noticed messages along with my recent bookings are not offering answers to my pre-booking questions set up long ago. Airbnb inserted several and I added a few of my own. Today I saw that both Airbnb questions and my added questions are no longer inserted in my pre-booking message.

Must a host manually add all questions now?

@Anne226 These are the questions I see when I go to book either one of your listings:

 

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The message/questions are there. In my experience, the biggest issue is that some guests don't think the questions apply to them and you will only get your answers after further prodding. 

John1512
Level 3
Nashville, TN

Thanks Emilia!! Much appreciated. Could that possibly be a timely fix on their end as a supervisor went through it with me on the phone and couldn't find it. It certainly shows up now. I'm curious, do you ever find that agents resolve issues without notifying you that it's been resolved? Our earning numbers and views have been acting glitchy lately with dollar amounts changing from second to second and multiple view numbers for the same day showing up. When we notified them and asked for a fix / explanation, they just fixed it without ever getting back to us with an answer for why it happened. Thanks again. Cheers

@John1512  In my experience, no, they do not notify you when when they have fixed something, even if they tell you they will. It's par for Airbnb. Just like they make changes to the platform without notifying hosts. The only thing they like notifying us about is how many other places got booked and that we should lower our prices 🙂

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@John1512 

It could be a timely fix but honestly, and more realistically, I doubt CS knew how to answer your question. When it comes to the tech issues, they give a lot of misguided information. They usually give different answers or "solution" depending on who your talk to. It will be interesting to see if any of your upcoming bookings successfully answer all your mandatory questions. I have similar questions and maybe 1 in 5 guests answer them completely.

John1512
Level 3
Nashville, TN

Agreed, it will be interesting to see. Before we switched to PLUS, however, I'd say we had a 90+% answer rate for all the questions and then it all but stopped once we upgraded and we've lost a couple bookings once we had to inquire about rules. Thanks again. Cheers!

Susan727
Level 2
Columbia, MO

 My Airbnb is in a community that has zoning regulations that limit the number of unrelated people and our community is   Struggling with trying to write Regulations for Airbnb’s.    While my listing is on 10 acres we do have a very quiet neighborhood and I do have neighbors, at least one, who is adamantly opposed to Airbnb‘s.  Hence, not only for these reasons, but also for the protection of my fairly expensive home that is not designed for large groups of partiers,  I really need these questions to be answered all the time not simply when the guest feels like it. It was my understanding that with instant bookings,  that they would be required to answer them.   In my experience I get them about  Half of the time. I had to allow instant booking or they told me that I could not have the business  traveler badge?? I very much miss and per for inquiries.  In my case if I want to remain in business and not have fines and court challenges my livelihood depends on it.   I have learned that you absolutely cannot trust guests to read the whole property description, and the rules and

regulations. If they did many people would not book because they would realize that their group does not fit the zoning for the property. They were also realize that events and parties are not allowed, and that they cannot shoot off fireworks and clog up my pool pumps!!!  But now I’m just dreaming.  My frustration is if answering these questions are required then why isn’t it like every other very simple website where it says  “Booking incomplete”  and highlights the questions and you can’t finish until you finish what you’re required to do. This is exceptionally  frustrating because the threat that is clearly printed in the detail section of every booking where it says you can lose your super host status for canceling the booking.   Fortunately I was successful,  But about a week ago I got an instant booking  for two nights for only one guest  and the only comment  Was;  super psyched to celebrate my 21st birthday at your place the pool looks awesome. There were two recent reviews on the young man no other information.  I politely said,   Please read the property description the rules and regulations and the zoning restrictions on this property, You will need to cancel within 48 hours to receive a full refund.   Anyone who comes to the property to either spend the night or swim must be a registered guest and you must include them in your reservation.  I am going to assume that you were not going to spend your 21st birthday alone so if you do comply and everyone is either related by blood or marriage or your group is four  or less unrelated people  please rebook with the correct number of people.  He Put in an alteration request for six people  but did not answer any of my questions or trying anyway to explain who was coming. So of course I pushed him on the issue. He then responded that he was the only person in his family that had an Airbnb account and yeah everyone was related by blood or at least marriage. I Facebook stocked him and found out that he lived in a neighboring town and then did a  case net search and found that he had in the last two years been arrested and convicted twice of drug possession with intent to distribute.  ( maybe it’s time to require people who want to instant book to agree to have Airbnb do a criminal background check they are practically free and I realize it wouldn’t without everyone but it might do something ?)  I also had a couple of overlapping connections on Facebook and I had someone’s mother in that town called the other mother and an aunt and of course none of the family knew anything about  any kind of party.  In fairness this might seem like a lot of stocking but when someone tells you They want to celebrate their 21st birthday with five other family members that seems, as a mother of four children who have passed their 21st birthdays,  suspicious?  Luckily Airbnb Support backed me up and said that I would not lose my super host status and they would cancel the reservation and I saw that they refunded him his money.  Well, if that is where the story and that that would be great, that’s where it ended for me , But not as lucky for the guy and his place that he booked a day or so later,  

It won’t let me post pictures of the review and of course it won’t let me copy or paste the review that would be too easy maybe I’m just technically challenged, but a host name Matthew said “Chase and his guests  we’re not truthful when booking my place my cleaning people called me , we had a short turnover, That the home smelled so badly of marijuana that they could not get it aired out and that there were so many pot seeds and debris  that there must’ve been an awful lot because they weren’t concerned with how much they left behind. Apparently there was so much pot smoke and damage that they had to quickly replace all the pillows and bedding .  So my question to all is, did Airbnb after learning that this young man had two recent drug arrests with intent to distribute,  and after knowing that he falsely booked a place for one person when all indications are that he was planning to have a party,  owe any warning  to Mathew the super host? Or was this an invasion of Chase’s  privacy or unfair to not allow him to book?