Why must hosts pre-approve or decline an inquiry email?

Why must hosts pre-approve or decline an inquiry email?

It would be best if the email system between host and guest only identified that the host replied to the guest in a timely manner. Guests do not read the listing properly. Why should it be necessary to send a pre-approval, or to decline the guest when in many instances the guest asking questions is not suitable for the property? We have been advised that hosts in Melbourne have had their listings suspended because they declined too many inquiries. This should stop.

11 Comments
Kelly149
Level 10

@Ursula16 yes, this has come up before,

 

search:

Respond to Guest Inquiry

Status: New

to see that short thread, there are probably others... if you look under Related Ideas over to the right sidebar when you're on this page you'll see there are several

 

@Lizzie how about the idea of admin compiling ideas so that Tech has a better picture of what Hosts are looking for??

Mike127
Level 2

Totally agree. Airbnb should only delist dishonest guests or hosts. It should be up to the host if they want to answer stupid questions by guests or not.... Airbnb "STAR" rating system also sucks...so many guests book cheap accomodation and expecting/demanding to get hotel services. If they don't they complain AFTER leaving. So the hosts rating will drop, without the host being able to rectify the matter.

Loretta2
Level 7

Yes, having to either Pre-approve or Decline an enquiry completely ignores the fact that so many would-be guests don't read the Description, House Rules etc- and then ask questions which are already answered there. Why not just a 'Reply' ? I always reply within the time frame, but have to decline too many people who should be weeding themselves out.

Marie82
Level 10

Never understood that either why we have to answer Q who are already answered in the info we gave or something who is against our Rules 

 

Mike i agree with u i had a guy who gave me 3 stars on communication as i did not gave him the floor nbre and flat number which was not true as when i send info this is the 1st thing who appear

 

i copy and paste the info who was still visible on ABB page but still complaint and gave me 3 stars 

so bad review because he did not read the info correctly 

 

The review the way it is without ABB monitoring and between fact and guests lies 

 

They should revemp the whole review system and make sure to inform guests that all false claim will be deleted or flagged 

Cormac0
Level 10

@Ursula16

 

I completely agreed Ursula, Airbnb would be better off monitoring how many inquiries lead to a booking, rather than punishing host for rejecting nonsensical inquiries.

 

For example:

 

I had an inquiry from a person wanting to know could he check-in at 11:00am to have a shower my previous guest was only booking out at 12noon the same day and apart from this my check-in time is 15:00 and we’re expected to reply to this nonsense.

 

He obviously had not read any of my booking requirements.

 

Regards

Cormac

The Explorer’s Club Krakow III

The Explorer’s Club Krakow VIII

 

Amy38
Level 10

You have to reply to every idiotic thing.  Instead of declining innappropriate guest, I approve and write them why the place is not right for them.  The preapprove really is just a reply form inmy experience.

 

recently, abnb doubled booked me !,,  I pre-approved the party and explained to the guest and that was the end of it.

Lois-and-Darryl0
Level 10

I totally agree @Ursula16.  Your question hit the nail on the head.  If it's an Inquiry, why do we have to approve or deny?  More and more, potential Guests don't read our listings.  They ask questions whose answers are clearly found in the listing.  Now, if Airbnb would give us the OPTION of Pre-Approving or Denying, that would be very helpful.  The person may be asking a question that can be clarified and then we Pre-Approve and they book. We should not be forced to say Yes or No on just an Inquiry.  That's not fair.  Airbnb may say that there is no consequence to Declining, but you know that it is a metric and they are keeping track for some reason.  And for some reason my house is lower down the list now that I've declined 3 Inquiries in the past 2 months because they wouldn't read the listing! Not fair!

 

Lois & Darryl

Mtn Haven

Lady3
Level 2

I'm in this page because In this month I have to declined more  than 4 guests because 2 of them don't complete the verifications like government ID and 2 because they found another place and they acknowledged how to cancel their inquiries. I'm question my self why the Airbnb puch me to approve o denied the inquires that the guest doesn't have complete the verification and additional it doesn't have any reviews because are new?
I suggest that the host only have to approve or denied the guests who MUST complete the verifications.

I agree completely.

 

The fact that I must respond to a general question with  a binary choice between Pre-Approve and Decline doens't work.

 

Often potential guests are simply asking if the rental is appropriate for their needs.  This needs to be changed. 

Andrea1063
Level 10

This is a problem for sure - how about an Inquire button and be done with the drama and unfairness to hosts.

Others have figured this out and its imperative that ABB does as well.