Does Airbnb Charge Guests a Fee for Alterations?

Answered!
David632
Level 5
Plainfield, IL

Does Airbnb Charge Guests a Fee for Alterations?

New guest instant booked today for 3 nights in a room where a current guest was supposed to be vacating. Current guest asked to extend AFTER the new guest already instant booked. 

 

I showed the new guest an alternative listing in the same home. New guest agreed to change rooms. I submitted alteration request for the same days, adjusted to same price as original booking and ONLY changed the room for the listing. My summary page shows zero change in fees. 

 

New guest says he is being $14 for the change and sent me a screenshot of it. Why would the new guest have to pay any fee for changing rooms if there is no change in the listing price? If anything, the guest did me a favor (and the current guest thats extending)... so if there is any fee at all, it should be assessed to me as the host.

 

But more importantly, why would a guest be charged any additional fee if the length of stay didnt change, the price is the same and the ONLY item that changed is the room for the listing?

 

Thanks,

David

 

 

1 Best Answer

@Helen3

 

I try to be a bit sympathetic to folks who are looking for the number for airbnb.  I know the first time I tried it took about 3 hours and a LOT of frustration.  I noticed today that when you google airbnb contact number USA the number is no longer listed as it was.  I had to look at another site to find it.  Not everyone is familiar with how the community center works and I believe you can be looped into a post through the help section of a reservation that you have a query about and completely by-pass the page with stickies.

 

I believe the issue is that guests are now being charged a fee to transition from one room to another within the same property.  This would be unheard of on other booking sites.  You are allowed to modify reservations an unlimited amount of times without a fee to the property owner or the guest.  Next they will be charging to add extra guests to an existing booking...  I think that this is a bit uncalled for on top of the round about 15% they already get - soon to be more when the new cancellation policies come into effect.

 

I think it is about noticing the greed rather than assigning who is to pay actually.  It is about noticing that they are not offering the guest as much as other booking sites do AND are charging unreasonable fees!  Hopefully this is a mistake that will be fixed. which is why it would be nice to hear the outcome @David632.  It's easy to just slip into conforming all the time but this seems to be about policy change and not for the better!!

 

Appreciate reading your replies as I know that you are one of the most informed contributors and have a lot of help to offer. Come January, airbnb will be getting more in commission than booking.com or expedia and I am not sure that the guest or host are getting anywhere near the level of service that the others offer so to be adding on other non conforming fees is really over the top and unwarranted to me.

 

Just my perspective.  Regards, Lisa

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16 Replies 16

@David632

 

Thank you for the update.  Very good to hear that there is no fee and we can advise guests of this in the event they are relocated.  Perhaps this will prompt them to accept the alteration to keep the calendars correct and review the correct accommodation.   It was a mystery to me why the alterations were never accepted.  Glad it all worked out.

Lorraine14
Level 2
London, GB

I had a charming guest book for 38 nights. 

With monthly discounts the fee came to £60 per night. 

They stayed for 34 nights and extended another 11 nights. 

Air bnb removed the monthy discount from THE WHOLE booking including the nights already agreed and paid for and added the additional cost to their bill. 

It took me 2 days to get someone to understand that you cant alter a price once its agreed and paid for and the guest has already stayed for the nights. 

it was never fully understood. 

Imagine if you went to a hotel and stayed for a week at £100 per night, you wanted to stay an extra two nights and the hotel told you the price was £120 a night, you agree but they then charge you an extra £20 a night for all the nights you had already stayed. Madness!

I have now received an email saying there is a problem taking the payment for the remaining nights and asking if i want to cancel their stay as Air BnB are not responsible for the payment if its not made. 

They have been staying since March 24th and extended on the 11th of April to include 24th of April until 12th of May. 

Air BnB did not take the extra payment at the point of reservation.  On the day the reservation extends Air BnB are now encountering what will likely be a clerical error but are suggestng that I throw the guests out because Air BnB are not responsible for collecting the payment.

Air BnB are responsible for collecting payments they are an intermediary between guests and hosts and collect a fee for providing this service.

I've been part of this community for ten years but honestly I dont recognise what it has become anymore.