Airbnb refusing to let me cancel a booking!

[David6]

Hosted for several years. Over 600+ Airbnb reviews. But across all the various platforms I list on, hosted over 2000 guests.  Been super-host, lost it & got it back. Made no difference  to bottom line profit. 

I have had 3  of my apartments trashed . All involved the police. So I feel I really do know when I see obvious ‘red flags’. 

We mostly host amazing Asian & oversees guests. We seem to have good reviews which are prominent when they book from their country.  Or business people. 

I know the signs of the ‘party types’

* From UK. Even worse if they are from London

* Have vague or no reviews

* book for 1 or 2 nights

* always give some bulls£it reason why they are in london. 

Anyway -  received instant book tonight. The profile photos  is the guest  sticking her tongue out in ‘rude girl’ style . She instantly demanded 5 hrs early check in and late checkout from our listed 11am  until 2pm. She also called me 3 times. Another huge red flag. 

I don’t  want to host her...  I  phoned Airbnb as this guest is making me uncomfortable with her demands, and I know she’ll party and wreck my flat. She one of the snowflake generation who feels rules don’t apply to them. No thanks 

But Airbnb refuse the request to cancel - all because this guest has different skin colour to me! My boyfriend is a black guy. This is nothing to do with race or discrimination! It’s to do with ‘party types,’ and my gut instinct that is telling me this guest will be trouble. She has no reviews and I have several hundred from an all huge global mix of nations! 

So now my case is being ‘investigated’ and they will reach a decision tomorrow. 

And yes, I could turn off IB, but out of 2000 bookings I’ve only had 3 major issues! All the lovely newbies with no reviews. They have all been great!

I’ve spent the past 2 weeks migrating my listings to other platforms, and already I’m getting bookings at higher rates. Airbnb I’m so over the monster you’ve become . 

[Mark116]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  What about VRBO?  At least they have a real security?  Do you use them?

The problem w/airbnb is they get the hosts on both ends.  If they really backed their host guarantee and hosts when damages occur the fact that they push you to rent to total strangers with no name or photo would still suck, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad as what we have which is you are pushed to rent to a blank slate, and then when the blank slate trashes your place as you knew they would, airbnb will still side with them.

[Deb125]

Try VRBO  - they support hosts.. 60 days prior to arrival,.. NO REFUNDS - unless you personally want to refund someone,. you set the refund policy

[Alexander472]

Hi am very surprised they did not cancel it for you. I have had the same issue where a guest was super rude in the chat prior to booking and appeared to be a party animal. I called Airbnb and they cancelled it for me. 

This took a matter of minutes. I'm sorry to hear they didn't help you. 

[David6]

It just ‘flagged’ their ‘we so woke, you can’t decline  guests of different skin tone to you.’ 

The rep was outrageously rude, judgemental and I went at her full guns blazing. ‘If I loose super host, if I get dropped from Airbnb platform,  I DO NOT CARE. THIS  GUEST IS NEVER staying here,  it’s my PRIVATE home and I DECIDE who stays here!’ 

She said there needed to be an ‘investigation.’ I just laughed, told her to do what was necessary and cut the call.

Luckily chatted to a senior rep today. All sorted and they confirmed we have guests from every corner of the world. And finally let me cancel penalty free! 

[Helen350]

@David6 Well done! So glad you got it sorted. Crazy that the issue was you objecting to the profile pic supposedly on the basis of skin tone, when anyone could have analysed the fact that the guest was presenting herself in an inappropriate manner, & the tongue out was the issue.... The script/drop down list taking precedence over common sense!

[Sarah977]

@David6  I would have loved to message her back- "I so woke, I've accepted hundreds of guests of your skin tone, I just so woke I won't accept YOU."

[David6]

@Sarah977  So tempted, haha 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@David6 

‘we so woke, you can’t decline guests of different skin tone to you.’ 

Well, it that's not discrimination then I don't know what is! 

[Patrick1361]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  Good Old Airbnb 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

.

[David6]

 @Branka-and-Silvia0 

You have totally missed the point. And also taken what I said totally out of context. The only reason Airbnb put me on investigation is because the guest was of different skin colour to me. That’s my point. I was quoting the thoughts  of the Airbnb rep in the sentence you have cut & paste above! 

I host EVERYONE. The reasons I declined this guest is because I suspected she was going to party. All the red flags were raised.  If she had been white, nothing would have been thought of by Airbnb. They would have cancelled no problem. And not ‘investigated’ me. Also the senior rep yesterday AGREED with me. Confirmed I regularly host EVERY nationality and have IB so anyone can and does book.

I DO NOT NEED to justify my thoughts to you and I am very suprised you would make such a comment.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@David6 

we didn't understand each other obviously 🙂

What I want to say is that it is ridiculous to accuse a host of discrimination and to forbid him to cancel a reservation if the guest is different skin color. It would mean that the guest is allowed to do whatever he wants as long as his host has a different skin color. This would be discrimination.

[David6]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

Apologies. As you can see I am hyper sensitive about this particular guest, because the Airbnb rep made me feel horrendous, racist and discriminatory. Sorry for firing off at you though. 

it was the reps  sneering & accusatory tone; and informing me I’d be under ‘investigation.’

anyway as we all know; from one rep to the next you can receive totally different dealings/advice/results.

luckily the next day a senior rep was able to cancel with no penalties. Of course there will now be a huge ‘flag’ on my account to monitor I do not follow this pattern again. 

I will - even if it means I quit this platform - because ultimately I will decide who stays in my apartment . 

[Sarah977]

@David6   Whenever you read a post from @Branka-and-Silvia0  keep in mind that they're masters of sarcasm 🙂

[Patrick1361]

@Sarah977  I really need to get over myself 🙂 I was just hyper ott sensitive about this and totally missed their point :)))) 

i apologised to @Branka-and-Silvia0  - as I was well out of order. #overmyselfnow haha