long term refund

[Sherry229]

Hello, my son is in college and is doing a summer internship in maryland- this is his first time using AirBnB and he was looking at two different rooms.  One room was an hour from his job and the other was 20 mins.  When he went to book he made a mistake and booked the one an hour away.  He immediatly contacted the host and AirBnb who said they would contact the host.  Later that day my son got a message from the host saying "of course" she would cancel and refund and she hoped things would work out.  We were happy- son got another room- fast forward a week and 3 days later we get a message from AirBnb saying that they contacted the host and no refund will be issued.  We have the messages- is there anything we can do?

[Sarah977]

@Sherry229  It was up to your son to cancel the booking, not the host. If he had cancelled within 48 hours, he would have received a full refund. The refund would have been issued by Airbnb, not the host. Hosts receive serious penalties from Airbnb for cancelling reservations, and they would only do so if it was a host issue that they had to cancel, not a guest issue.

And at this point, the host doesn't have the $ for the reservation, Airbnb does. Hosts don't get paid until 24 hours after a guest checks in.

So yur son needs to contact Airbnb, explain what happened, and find out how to proceed. If he hasn't cancelled this reservation, the host's calendar is still blocked for these dates. So no one else can book them. Hosts are often willing to refund a guest (which may be the only option now, as your son missed the free cancellation window) if they are able to rebook those dates, which they can't do until your son cancels.

[Sherry229]

Thanks for your response- he did cancel the reservation less that 6 hours from when he made the reservation.  She agreed to refund and we thought all was well until we got an email from AirBnB today that said she denied the refund.

[Lisa723]

@Sherry229 as @Sarah977 says she can't deny a refund if he canceled within 48 hours-- the host has nothing to do with that; it's entirely between the guest and Airbnb. Your son should call Airbnb.

[Sherry229]

Last question- does this include long term stays as this was for 3 months.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Sherry229 

My understanding is long term bookings do not have the 'cancel with full refund within 48hrs' applied so per the long-term cancellation policy the host will recieve the 1st month's payout on the intended check-in date of the cancelled booking. 

I host a lot of long-term guests and have been strict about my cancellation policy but if the cancellation did take place that quickly (within 6hrs of the booking being made) and my listing calendar became open immediately, then I think I'd make an exception and provide a refund BUT not 100% because rules are rules even if it was only 6hrs and imo mistake's should cost something too. ALSO as @Sarah977 points out the host hasn't recieved anything so technically there is nothing for the host to refund as of yet. 

If a host made a mistake, got dates mixed up and accidentally approved a guest then cancelled later... it wouldn't matter if it was 6 minutes or 6 hrs later. Hosts are still penalized heavily for host cancellations (unless it's an extenuating circumstance) because rules are rules.

[Sherry229]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 

Thank you for clearning that up for me- I do know he booked at 11 and by 4 he had already called AirBnB to see what he could do to correct the mistake and i also agree that he could/should pay something but 577 is alot for a mistake especially by a 20 year old who is just starting out.  The thing that really upsets me though is that she sent him a message saying she would give him a full refund so he counted on that money being returned and he went ahead and booked another place that was closer.  If we knew we were not getting the money back then he would have bit the bullet and made the place that was an hour away work for at least a few weeks.  I feel like her word should be worth something...smh...

[Jessica-and-Henry0 · Accepted solution]

@Sherry229 

Imo, maybe the host will refund later after recieving the payout???? It wouldn't hurt to contact the host directly and simply apologize again for the inconvenience and you (your son) understands since the host hasn't been paid yet so there is nothing to refund YET but he would really appreciate if the host refunded later, after recieving the payout. Maybe add a few nice words saying except for the distance, everything else about the listing was really nice and he hopes the host is able to book those dates soon?

The tone of these types of messages really do matter 🙂

[Sherry229]

Thanks for the suggestion- he is going to try that!  It really was a terrible mistake on his part and I am just hoping that the host sees that, notes how quick he tried to fix, remembers that she said she would refund and honor her word.  The only thing after that is that we will have to chalk it up as a life lesson- an expensive life lesson but a lesson none the less- thanks again!

[Christine615]

Does he have her agreement to refund in writing? Make sure you get screen shots in case she tries to erase it.

Small claims court then. Airbnb has the money - hosts don't get it until the day after check-in. It's pretty easy to file in most jurisdictions. She would lose. He should do it and she would also have to refund his filing fees. It's why I tell my own children to have things like that in writing. If she agreed, she can't then say later she isn't offering a refund.

What is stupid about this is all the stories from hosts who have guests who actually stay, then leave and Airbnb gives them a full refund (false claims about dirt, lies, etc.)

So not sure what is up - but escalate this to Airbnb and demand to talk to a Customer Service Manager. If he has proof she agreed to the change, she can't keep his money. And they don't want a court case in the news.

By the way - if she gets the money and doesn't give it back - he should still demand it through the resolution center and push Airbnb. If they give your son a refund after paying her they'll just take it out of her future payments.

[Christine615]

You know what? I had another idea. If he has her written agreement to refund his money and he really did cancel within a few hours - call the local news. They usually have an advocate who investigates stuff like this. Not all hosts are honest.

[Sandra126]

I think the 48 hour window only applies to bookings at least 14 days away, or some such. Not sure re long term bookings. And it would be automatically refunded, no need to ask host at all. Just a payment reversal. I am not entirely sure what is happening here? I hope all works out for him.

[Sarah977]

@Sherry229   Yes, it's too bad your son has had this experience, hope he can get something back.

As you seem to be trying to help him out, and he is young, you could impress on him that when he books an Airbnb, it's really important to thoroughly read the listing description, scrolling all the way down the page, clicking on "Read More", reading all the house rules, and noting the cancellation policy and how that policy works. You'd be surprised how many guests, not just new and young, don't bother to do that and then find out the place isn't what they thought it was, or that they'd be able to use the washing machine every day, or think it's fine to invite friends over, etc.