Can anyone clarify Covid EC?

[Inna22]

Group is coming at the end of June from WI (open state) to me in IL (will start opening on Friday). They are driving from 1.5 away, so no flights to deal with. Not coming for an event. Way to far out for someone to claim sickness (and they are not). So far 100% of my guests received full refunds for June. Clean calendar again. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Inna22 

Many, many guests are enquiring about this prior to booking. They want to know whether they get 100% refund due to Covid if they need to cancel. Reasonable question...

The best you can do to encourage bookings is say that 'as far as you're concerned they can have 100% refund of your fees if they are restricted in travelling or staying', but Airbnb will still take their Service fees of around 20%.

New bookings exclude Covid as a reason for cancellation under EC so what is written and what actually happens may be two completely different things.

Are your guests on old or new contracts. I'm guessing 'new' as you say you're starting with a new calendar?

[Inna22]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 sorry, I did not do a good job explaining myself in the post. I guess just too frustrated to think straight. The group was just one example of somebody who got full refund. They booked in February and somehow managed to qualify for EC. @Lisa723 I have read the policy but I just do not see how this group would.

[Lisa723]

@Inna22 

“Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and June 30, 2020, may be canceled before check-in.”

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Inna22 @Lisa723 

New policy wording makes it more difficult, but not impossible to falsify evidence for a COVID cancellation:

Reservations made after March 14, 2020

Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made after March 14, 2020 will not be covered under our extenuating circumstances policy, except where the guest or host is currently sick with COVID-19 COVID-19 related circumstances not covered include: transportation disruptions and cancellations; travel advisories and restrictions; health advisories and quarantines; changes to applicable law; and other government mandates—like evacuation orders, border closures, prohibitions on short-term rentals, and shelter-in-place requirements. The host’s cancellation policy will apply as usual.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Inna22 @Lisa723 

I may have an insight into this.

These are from the Guest side cancellation options

The booking was made prior to March 2020

The cancellation was for 19-25 July

I'll air my full opinion later, but that whole scenario is misleading and deceptive with the intention of encouraging guests to cancel at the expense of Hosts.

The devil is in the detail.

[Lisa723]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 since @Inna22 's cancelled reservation started in June, none of this needs to come into play.

"Reservations for stays and Airbnb Experiences made on or before March 14, 2020, with a check-in date between March 14, 2020 and June 30, 2020, may be canceled before check-in.”

This is unconditional.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

Hi @Lisa723 

You’re quite correct.

It is pretty conclusive from my post that AirBnb do not contain their full cancellation refund Policy to only those dates they specified.

In fact, quite the opposite. Dates seem to have no bearing on the policy at all.

[Inna22]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 thank you for posting this. It makes it clear that any reservation till end of the year can be cancelled as long as guests are willing to take a credit

[Lisa723]

@Inna22 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid1...

[David6824]

Can anyone clarify Covid EC?

@Inna22 for sure, please ask a friend of mine, he is so funny likes to be called google ahah and query him "covid ec airbnb" then see if he replies you back, very busy my friend those times. He could take say, 0.70secs rather than usual 0.22secs, but much faster than expecting a reply here after hours or days.

I'll tell you're gonna contact him maybe he's gonna be quicker for you, please tell I'm gonna bring a prosecco next time I'll catch up with him. Thanks!