Block People

Wei-and-Ting0
Level 10
Victoria, Australia

Block People

Not sure where to send feature requests, so sorry if this is the wrong place to post. Anyways, I really think Airbnb should provide a way to block specific users, to stop them from booking (if instant book on) or contacting you. Of course it should work both ways, so guests can block hosts who keep bothering them too.

 

Hosts shouldn't be able to block confirmed guest in case there are emergencies, also blocked users should ideally be kept in the dark, with their "blockers" simply disapearing from their interface and search results (just in case some people get really offended or something).

 

Do you think this would be a good feature to have?

134 Replies 134
Miriam33
Level 5
Glasgow, United Kingdom

I do.

 

I've just had my first bad hosting experience. A lady requested to book my room for the weekend only last night late on. I am busy and have plans today plus I'd had guests leaving only yesterday so I wasn't sure I could make it work. I asked her what time she'd be arriving etc. It was very late and actually I had plans (Friday night!) so I wasn't able to answer her request fully until this morning. I declined it and spent a message saying sorry and I hope she finds somewhere soon having at no point said anything more that asking arrival times etc from her. I wasn't going to be able to make it work. I also assumed that as it was so last minute she'd have looked at various options not just me. She then sent me a really rude message saying how short notice it was (she was trying to book the night before!) and that I could have let her know last night! I said I had been busy and was working out from her times whether it was do-able and I'd decided it wasn't due to prior commitments. She then followed on with a big message about how she was going to report me to Airbnb "for them to deal with it"!? I'm glad I didn't have her to stay now! What a horror!

 

Anyway, it's so unnecessary and I want to block her as I don't want to have to read abusive messages. I definitely think it should be an option!

It would also protect us from scammers. I had a woman book 4 nights about 6 months in advance. She kept shifting the days around--first earlier then later, etc, but always 4 days. Then she started saying that I owed her for one night given that Airbnb had somehow dropped a night. She said she would pick it up in cash after she arrived.

 

I told her I didn't do cash paybacks and to sort out the over-payment with Airbnb. (Not that there was one that I could see.) She ignored my messages--several of them stating I owed her nothing. 

 

When she ignored my final message, I contacted Airbnb and asked them to cancel the booking. I told them about the requests for cash and said I suspected a scam. So it was cancelled. In the meantime, this woman started contacting me periodically asking for her money back via the resolution centre! It just happened again this past week, 6 months after her first message to me. I wrote to Airbnb again and reiterated my belief the woman was a scammer and asked them to please block her.

 

The thing is, a really busy host might just pay the woman (she's always asking for reasonable sounding amounts) because they're too busy to be keeping track. The switching around of the bookings WAS confusing ultimately. Those with multiple units would be most at risk. 

 

Lilian20
Level 10
Argelès-sur-Mer, France

@Eileen4 guest are not supposed to organize cashflow and decide how things will happen. Anything to do with booking, i don't deal with it, because ina a way i pay airbnb to do that.

 

On another booking platform, i had a guest sending me too much money, it took me months to send back the difference..

Had one of my first guests stay all 4 days they booked, then apply for and get a refund for 2 days they said they did not stay. I did not see the message from AirBnB telling me of their refund request, since I had not installed the app on my phone yet.

 

So, they stayed 4 days and I only got paid for 2, with AirBnB telling me I responded too late.

Debbie210
Level 10
Huntington Beach, CA

I have heard Airbnb is always for the guest!!!  Not the host. The Hosts provide all of the homes....They should take care of us.

@Miriam33 You should flag the rude/threatening messages. AirBnB will review them and possibly take action against the user.

 

Just click the little flag in the upper right corner of each message.

I had a guest of hell after she left,  I complained to airbnb that her hair dye stained my white pillows and pillow case and some of the bed spread,, the guest admited to doing so,, Airbnb wants receipts of me trying to clean the mess up... but now the 2 guests have gone a tyrant rampage on Facebook,, talking bad about me and my 2 rooms in my home and It seems I cant do anything about this fast enough!! Ive had enough of this f.... ladies and want someone to make them stop!!! Even though they live in Utah and I live here,, I still dont like their childish behavior!!!  Anybody dealt with this kind of Crap?!!!!

facebook page so I can post a glowing review for you?

Lilian20
Level 10
Argelès-sur-Mer, France

@Miriam0 - you've been very lucky to miss that one !

I had 2 similar experiences.  Both have messaed me really nasty messages.  One keeps trying to book over and over each week.  I think this is harassment.

I just figured it out. You CAN block a troublesome Airbnb guest! Just discovered it by accident. And I've now blocked the very nice guest who purchased a whole new cable package for us.

 

Click on the Airbnb message string you have with this guest.

Click "Report" (located with "About this guest")

Select "Something else"

Click "Next"

Click "Yes, block now"

Boom. Done. #outayourlife

That only blocks them from messaging you, not from booking again.

It now says it blocks them from booking again. 

Thank you for this!!! I left a guest, a not so wonderful review. I was not rude or mean I just said they left the house messy, because well.... they did!  I have now been dealing with angry messages and insults. She will not let it go so I’m so happy I found this and was able to block her. It’s a review not the end of the world, wish she would move on and let it go!