@Lee150 - Wow, welcome to the forums, glad you could join us. As a level 10 contributor and Superhost for 2-1/2 years, oh, and by the way, I'm a Business Analyst working in web D so I know more than your average bear, it's clear to me that you need more hand-holding. Please, let me help you:
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/990/i-m-a-host--what-penalties-apply-if-i-need-to-cancel-a-reser...
https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide-UPDATED/m-p/413245
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320/what-is-airbnb-s-extenuating-circumstances-policy
You couldn't find a "chat" function because one doesn't exist. ON PURPOSE. Because hosts come onto the site without doing any due diligence and then expect someone at the help center to give them a pass for their ignorance. You need to get up to speed right away and a simple search in the community forums would have pointed you to this since it's posted multiple times. But for you, here's some help:
1. Complete the tutorials here: https://www.airbnb-toolkits.com/my_toolkits
2. Read all the big topics here: https://www.airbnb.com/help
| How does Airbnb handle security deposits? How do I cancel my reservation? I Still Need Help |
3. Join the Community Forums and read as much as you can, specifically regarding bookings, cancellations, and getting paid: https://community.airbnb.com/t5/New-Hosts/What-tips-would-you-give-to-a-new-host/m-p/215615/highligh...
4. Bookmark this: https://community.airbnb.com/t5/Community-Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide/m-p/16165#M2339...
5. Then take a mental inventory of your own personality and determine if you actually can handle people in your space, touching and ruining your things without being sorry (because it will happen) and how you will resolve conflict as it arises in your dealings with guests.
Good luck to you. And to make sure you understand, I don't think you're an idiot, but lashing out at me like I am certainly smacks of your personality and how you might act as a host. Hosting isn't for everyone and being a "web designer and WordPress developer" might just make you too frustrated at working in an Agile environment where things are not waterfalled and perfectly designed. If you think you can adjust, I personally hope everything works out the best for you! It certainly has for this idiot.