Airbnb cancelled the reservation like Host did it without talking to host costing loss for host

[Rajaprabhu0]

A guest checked in started complaining about everything from cleaning, hot tub, kitchen with a lot and a lot of messages. I tried to help but guest had unrealistic demands. I gave the options to leave with full refund on day 1 but didn’t leave and stayed until the last day. I didn’t any notification expect “cancelled by host” I didn’t have a clue and called Airbnb with no additional details. I’m told investigation will happen I was impatient and called after 5 hours at when I learned Airbnb did it without giving me an opportunity to share my side of the story.

did anyone experience this before? Does Airbnb choose guest side without hearing the host perspective? I have collected all the documentation to prove that everything was clean and complains are just a scam. Now i didn’t get any money from the reservation but also charged with penalty for cancellation.

please advice.

[Fred13]

This forum is filled with similar stories touching upon to what extend Airbnb favors the guest vs. the host.

[Sarah977]

@Rajaprabhu0  Sounds like a typical move by a clueless CS rep. You'll have to be persistent and patient to get the "host cancelled" removed, but sometimes a wrong decision is overturned if you keep at it.

In a case like this, if a guest's behavior  is such that you get a sense they are trying to scam a refund, but won't accept your offer of leaving, since they apparently aren't happy, it's probably a good idea to get out  in front of it by contacting CS  right away. Ask them to make a note on your file that the guest started out with a ton of complaints, refused to accept your offer of leaving with a refund, and that you have a feeling the guest is going to stay for the entire booking and then try to scam a refund.

[Clara116]

@Rajaprabhu0 

@Catherine-Powell  Hello Catherine, can you please help out this super host that was unfairly treated by CS. Raja was not contacted by CS or given any opportunity to share his side of the situation. He tried to fix things but the guest was clearly not dealing with him. Raja didn't get paid, didn't get to speak to Airbnb and he was penalized. What a shame. After all the wonderful new feature roll outs this week such post is so disheartening. Can you please have your staff escalate and assist this host? Thanks in advance Catherine. Best regards, Clara

[Christine615]

Ditto to @Clara116 's comments @Catherine-Powell  This third party customer service stuff isn't working. Are they getting incentives to favor guests over hosts? Are they reading from a manual. Airbnb needs dedicated support that works for Airbnb not a third party vendor.  I was on two focus groups where a host talked about quitting the platform because customer service is so bad. Then when I tried to report a host I thought was fake, it took two weeks to hear back and not a single one noticed I had already cancelled my reservation and booked someone who was legit.

This is not rocket science. Too many guests are scamming the system (as are some hosts). Make Airbnb harder to qualify for and we'll get better quality on both ends.

[Mark116]

@Catherine-Powell  Let me add my voice here.  These kinds of things should NEVER happen. How or why would any CS rep ever put down a 'host cancellation' without communicating with the host directly?  

I was happy to see some of the new policies Airbnb rolled out, presuming they will work as advertised, but the truth is, with the CS staff being so incredibly poorly trained, and with at least from the outside very few checks and balances, good policies won't help if those responsible for their implementation remain incompetent and ignorant about the rules.

[Quincy]

Hi there @Rajaprabhu0, I've just read this, and passed it on to the team! 

[Fred13]

Here is a good one for you all, along similar lines. We normally encourage our guests to book for only two (2) and then add whomever they wish along the way or even up to the day before their arrival, up to 6 people total, the limit. This prevents a lot of changes along the way with bookings 1-3 years ahead of time.

This last summer just before the 2 guests were scheduled to arrive in 3 days, they tell us that 6 in total (4+) are now coming but hadn't changed their reservation yet, but right after that we get a notice of cancellation from Airbnb (with a full instant refund!) that our 2 guests are not coming because 'someone in their group' tested Covid-19 positive. 

What was not so odd is that that same guest had asked just a few weeks prior, we are on Super Strict 60  cancellation policy mind you, whether they could cancel and get a full refund because 'they now needed the money'. We offered to postpone their stay, as always.

Slick move. It is events like this that reminds one every so often that the Airbnb CS department can't be trusted.