Airbnb payout clawback 18 months later

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

Airbnb payout clawback 18 months later

My latest payout has two downward "adjustments" for reservations from Oct/Nov 2017. One reduces my payout for the associated reservation to zero. Airbnb CS has been unable to explain this except to say that it's a correction for a previous error. Has this happened to anyone else?

18 Replies 18
Jim40
Level 3
Mashpee, MA

Hi Lisa.  Possibly a correction for a double payout?  Happened to me as well about a year ago, but the error was caught within a day or two, and I could see it clearly when I checked my account.

@Jim40 No. One is a total reversal of payment for a two-night reservation that was canceled by Airbnb (extenuating circumstances) after the guests stayed the first night. The other is a completely unexplained $30 deduction for a reservation that was extended by the guest resulting in an additional payment. Airbnb CS seems to be unable to explain/document either one.

@Lisa723 

Wow......that is totally crazy!!! That Airbnb can just *adjust* payouts at whim without clear evidence or proof or reason!!!!!!!

 

Please keep us updated on how it turns out. 

Susan17
Level 10
Dublin, Ireland

@Lisa723 

Taking money from you, with no explanation or documentation, is not an adjustment. In any other scenario one could possibly imagine, that would be classed as theft. 

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

@Susan17 @Jessica-and-Henry0 @Jim40

 

Airbnb closed both of the support tickets I opened on this without explanation or resolution. Facebook and Twitter contacts resulted in promises of follow-through that did not materialize. 

 

I have filed a case against Airbnb in small claims court.

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Lisa723, please keep us posted, if you can.

@Emilia42 @Susan17 @Jessica-and-Henry0 @Jim40 

I have won the small claims judgment, by default-- Airbnb never responded. Now to figure out how to collect.  😕

Susan17
Level 10
Dublin, Ireland

@Lisa723 

That's fantastic news, Lisa! Well done to you for challenging the vague, undocumented "clawbacks". How appalling though, that Airbnb should just blithely take any host's money without giving them a clear explanation as to why, then shut down all further communication on the issue, leaving the host with no other option but to take their case to the small claims court in order to reclaim what's rightfully theirs. And even then, Airbnb hadn't got the decency or respect to respond.

 

Let's spell this out for exactly what it is - a $38 billion global corporation taking hard-earned cash directly from a regular person's pocket, then repeatedly refusing to clarify why they feel entitled to take that money. It's immoral. It's unethical. It's unconscionable. And it sure as hell can't be legal. 

 

At this point, we're all painfully aware that Airbnb cover their own arses every which way, by forcing hosts to agree to their ludicrous T&Cs, in order to gain access to their accounts. However, much of what is written in Airbnb's T&Cs does not comply with local laws in many of the jurisdictions in which the company operates, and indeed, legal professionals in many regions worldwide, are already calling foul on the terms of service under which Airbnb is forcing its users to operate. 

 

In July of last year, the EU Commission ordered Airbnb to bring certain clauses in its terms of service into conformity with European law. Press release below, see paragraph under the heading

"Clarification of terms or removal of illegal terms" 

https://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-4453_en.htm

 

Although a number of the enforced EU changes do also loosely relate to - and have associated impact on - the hosting community, the primary focus of the investigation, and subsequent changes, was mainly on how the company's terms of service affected users from a consumer (ie guest) standpoint - which is perfectly understandable, given that it was the Norwegian Consumer Authority (Forbrukertilsynet) that took the case to the EU, and initiated the joint assessment into Airbnb's business practices. 

 

There absolutely needs to be another in-depth EU investigation, but this time, scrutinising the legalities of Airbnb's T&Cs from the service providers' (ie hosts') standpoint. Broadly speaking though, authorities will only act upon complaints brought to them by affected parties, so if we want things to change, we need to collectively ensure that our voices are heard, loud and clear, by the relevant bodies in our respective countries, that do have the power and governance to initiate the processes that will eventually bring about the change we seek.

 

If the tens of thousands of hosts who have completely wasted their time and energy airing their grievances here in the CC, on various other Airbnb groups and forums and via the black hole that is the utterly worthless Airbnb "feedback" link, had instead brought their complaints to the official small business and local enterprise protection and advocacy channels of their respective countries, there's no doubt whatsoever that many of the punitive and exploitative T&Cs that Airbnb uses as a stick to beat us with, would have been challenged and outlawed by now. But it's never too late... 

 

Thank you for posting about your successful outcome @Lisa723. This particular "clawback" issue has come up again and again in recent months, across all the various Airbnb-related groups and forums, but most affected hosts have been completely unaware that the small claims court is an option for them to reclaim their misappropriated funds (or indeed, to challenge unfair or unethical treatment by the company) Hopefully, your post will open many eyes to the fact that we do have options, and we do have many official (external) avenues available to us, through which we can challenge - and overturn - Airbnb's more deceptive and host-punitive policies and practices. 

 

Let's follow Lisa's example, and start having the balls to stand up for ourselves, people. We've all been bent submissively over the barrell for far too long now. 

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

@John2940 That does not apply in my case. Guests were not refunded.

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

@John2940 @Susan17 @Emilia42 @Jessica-and-Henry0 @Jim40 

 

Update: yesterday Airbnb asked me for a W-9 so they can send me a check for the full amount of the judgment, which is 2X the original clawback.

Good! but you still were not given any explanation as to why the money was withdraw right?

@Emilia42 nope.

Susan17
Level 10
Dublin, Ireland

@Lisa723 

Excellent news - well done, Lisa! Let's hope the cheque doesn't get "lost in the post"... 😉 

 

Hosts - take note. It can be done! 

 

Did you receive any sort of explanation/apology from Airbnb at all? 

@Susan17  explanation/apology?  Hahaha... 🙂  No. Airbnb never communicated with me or as far as I know the court. The person who asked me for the W-9 was obviously in an accounting department and had no idea what the payout was even for. My guess is that their standard procedure is probably to ghost hosts they do this to and assume that most will never take legal action, and for the few that do if the amount is small their cheapest action is to spend no time on it and just pay up. Maybe if more hosts did take action their calculation on this would have to change.

 

And yes, it's not over until the check is deposited in my bank account.