Consistent messaging across the platforms, please.

Consistent messaging across the platforms, please.

I just experienced the first short term cancellation from a guest we were due to host next week. Already had strict cancellation policy in place. My host experience went like this: Received a message through the airbnb app on my phone from the guest saying 'sorry, we've had to cancel'. So I went in to my airbnb dashboard online to check out what happens next, what the cancellation policy is at this point etc. I check 'my reservations' and it shows me the option to 'issue refund' next to this reservation so  I click to check what that means. The message said 'you can offer [this guest] at ££££ refund leaving you with a payout of ££££' so I click 'refund'. Then I went and looked at a couple of other pages, what are the other reservations this month and next etc. I came back to the original reservation to double check its status. Now the reservation is showing that the whole blinking amount has been refunded to this guest, not half the amount as per the cancellation policy'. Going to 'help' to find out what the heck has happened, now I'm informed that the refund actually happens automatically and the 'issue refund' button is for ADDITIONAL refunds. So CHEERS for wrong footing me on that, Airbnb.  Now I have an empty house with hardly any time left for rebookings. And when I call airbnb to ask what's going on, they say 'oh but it explains in the email we sent..' but I wasn't in my email system at the time, I was using the app and the dashboard and they did not say the same thing. 

 

So PLEASE make the user experience for this consistent across the platforms, especially for something critical, irreversible, and uncommon. That's just basic user design principles!

 

At the very least, make the button say 'issue additional refund' not 'issue refund' because the actual refund as per T&Cs has already been issued! And don't assume that I am going to go from my phone to the app then to my email and then to my dashboard and then to the help forums just to understand what the heck is going on with my account. Basic Ux design.

2 Comments
Cormac0
Level 10

@Wendy

 

Airbnb's software is a complete "dog’s dinner" it even has difference option between platforms.

 

Write a review using the following

 

Windows 10, Edge browser,

 

after completing you Guest review its ask you "have you anything to report about this Guest".

 

iOS 10.3.1, Airbnb app,

 

it doesn’t ask this question.

 

Regards

 

Cormac

The Explorer’s Club Krakow III

 

Sean119
Level 10

"the refund actually happens automatically and the 'issue refund' button is for ADDITIONAL refunds"

 

That's valuable information.  Thanks!