resolution centre / complaints

[Scott1457]

Hi Airbnb Community.      

does this make sense to anyone ?  Im very confused how the Airbnb rep calculated this  (I havent edited her message)  Im having a great deal of dificulty comminucating with this rep &  would love some advice on how to get someone at Airbnb to look into my complaint correctly  (I can go into a lot more detail if required, but Im unable to enter Qld Australia diue to the states covid restrictions & I requested a refund for my booking.  The host refused to refund any more than 50% & this is the calculations from the Airbnb rep)    any help or advice would be appreciated.

The original price of your reservation is A$865, but due to alteration that has been made last September1, the booking price increased to A$1,179.

Here's the computation:
Booking price: A$1,179
50% booking price: A$589.5
Total payment: A$865

865-589.5 = 275.5

Following the cancellation policy, you will be receiving 50% of the total booking price, but since you only paid A$865, and the 50% of total booking price is A$589.5, we deducted A$589.5 to your total payment.

Regards,
Xyreen

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Scott1457 We need more information.

What did you actually pay and did you pay more in September when the price changed (for some reason)?

Typically people who get a 50% refund are refunded per the full price of the stay. As such if you have only paid 50% of the full amount at the point of cancellation you will be refunded nothing. This may or may not be the case but without more info it is impossible to say.

[Scott1457]

@Mike-And-Jane0    Hi, Ive paid $865 but she's only offering to refund $275.5.  Ive tried explaining to her that 50% of $865 is $432.50, but she's giving me this different figure without explaining how she got this figure.   It's really frustrating as Ive asked her to clarify this with her manager or superior but I keep getting the same response back.  Actually, she hasnt responded to me since yesterday when I asked her (out of frustration) to close her 'ticket'  & I'll try and get someone else from airbnb to sort this out

[Sarah977]

@Scott1457  If you are due back 50% according to the cancellation policy but chose the pay half up front option, you are not due back 50% of what you paid. Cancellation policies are based on the total cost of the booking, not on what you paid to start with.

The pay less up front option is only a convenience for the guest, so they don't have to come up with all the money up front- it has no bearing on the cancellation policy.

So to make it simple, if a booking cost $100 in total, and you paid the entire $100 when you booked, you'd get $50 back. If you only paid $50 to start with, you get nothing back. The 50% loss for cancelling is the $50 you paid.

[Scott1457]

serious ?    that's a disgusting policy for airbnb to have.  Im not suprised why so many people are upset & been turned off ever using airbnb again.  I guess all those negative social media reviews are legit now.  The customers get ripped off & then the Hosts suffer coz they dont get the number of guests they aspire to.

[Sarah977]

@Scott1457  Disgusting? You don't understand this at all. Let me make it simple for you to understand.

You book Happy Home on the Lake for one night at $200/ night. You choose the pay half up front option. So you put down $100. You find you have to cancel and are due a 50% refund. Half of the $200 booking cost is $100, so you don't get refunded anything. You are out $100 and the host gets $100 (because your booking blocked their calendar from getting other bookings for that day).

Joe books Happy Home on the Lake, also for $200, but Joe pays for the booking in full. Joe has to cancel. Joe is due back 50%, just like you were. But Joe gets a refund of $100, because he paid the entire cost upfront. So Joe, just like you, is out $100, and just like with your cancellation, the host receives $100.

Both you and Joe are out of pocket $100.

Why do you think that just because you took advantage of being able to pay only half up front, that you should receive a larger refund than Joe, when you both booked the same place, for the same price?

How would it be fair if cancelling meant you are only out of pocket $50 and Joe is out of pocket $100? 

The inconvenience to the  host is the same in both cases- the bookings blocked their calendars and they may very well not have time to get another booking for those dates, resulting in a loss oof income for the host. So why should the host have a loss of income of $100 in Joe's case and a $150 loss of income in your case?

The pay less upfront option is simply a convenience offered to guests so they don't have to come up with the full cost of the reservation all at once. It isn't a method of receiving a larger refund if you cancel than a guest who chose to pay for the entire reservation when they booked.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Scott1457 Yep its pretty clear now. full price is 1179, 50% that isn't refunded of this is 589.50. You have paid 865 so you get 865-589.5 = 275.50

I can see why the above makes sense but am unclear why the price went up - Did you add people perhaps?

[Scott1457]

we has to change the date due to covid restrictions at the destination (we havent been allowed into QLD for months)

[Sherry407]

@Scott1457  Hi Scott, I'm very new to hosting on Airbnb, but my understanding is that your refund will depend on the type of cancellation policy that the host has.  In these Covid times you may want to only book with hosts who have a Flexible Cancellation policy.  Alternatively,  research the various Airbnb cancellation policies and be aware of the time limits if you think you may have to change your booking.  

[Sarah977]

@Sherry407  You are correct that the amount of refund a guest is eligible for depends on the cancellation policy. But the OP here, like many guests, did not understand that the percentage of refund they are due is based on the total nightly price of the booking, not the amount they paid upfront if they chose to pay in 2 installments. If they are due a 50% refund, but they only paid 50% to start with, they get nothing back. 

[Sherry407]

@Sarah977 Thanks Sarah, I'm glad to hear my understanding of the cancellation policy is correct.  I thought your explanation to Scott was really clear too and certainly helped him to understand in this instance why his refund was what it was.