Excellent experience with Airbnb Host Guarantee !

[Vaishali-and-Nehal0]

I recently had a guest who trashed my guest-room ,Airbnb came to help me recoup the costs of all the damaged items.

How it works: 

You must first contact the guest through the Resolution Center. Once your request is posted, the guest can accept the request, offer an alternate amount, or decline the request. If the guest agrees to your request through the Resolution Center, the amount requested will automatically be remitted to you within 24 hours. If the guest does not accept the request, you or your guest may ask that Airbnb mediate a resolution 72 hours after the request has been published. An Airbnb representative will review the claim and make a determination. In cases where a security deposit award is made, they’ll communicate the amount to be paid and will process a payment to your preferred payout method on file.

Airbnb Trust and safety team is a critical component of Airbnb’s success. They understood my need and helped me to provide a truly great expereience in resolving my case that too in a very short span of time.

Such an assistance from airbnb is truly encouraging and goes a long way in instilling faith of the hosts on airbnb and we feel assured that airbnb is always there for its hosts and travellers alike. I really appreciate the timely assistance provided by the team and assuaging my concern.

P.S - I wont be able to share the amount details with community.

Thank you so much Airbnb. 

Reagrds,

Vaishali & Nehal.

[John1574]

@Vaishali-and-Nehal0   @Inna22  @Zorica14

I like a feel good story just as much as the rest of us, but compare and contrast this story with the Links of Shame threads I provided below detailing problems with CS.

I will use your guidelines and ask others who tried this route how successful they were.  But this almost reads as inauthentic so I don't blame anyone who feels skeptical.

"You must first contact the guest through the Resolution Center.

Once your request is posted, the guest can accept the request, offer an alternate amount, or decline the request.

If the guest agrees to your request through the Resolution Center, the amount requested will automatically be remitted to you within 24 hours.

If the guest does not accept the request, you or your guest may ask that Airbnb mediate a resolution 72 hours after the request has been published.

An Airbnb representative will review the claim and make a determination. In cases where a security deposit award is made, they’ll communicate the amount to be paid and will process a payment to your preferred payout method on file."

I think we will have an opportunity to put this to the test soon enough.

Compare & contrast:  Links of Sham

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/How-Do-You-Rate-AirBnB-for-Customer-Service/m-p/726754#M...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Airbnb-Answers-Easier-access-to-Customer-Service/...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/To-Clara-Liang-Product-Director-Last-min-cancellation-be...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Shockingly-Bad-Service-As-A-Host/m-p/736849#M173804

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Is-anyone-else-receiving-awful-customer-service-this-poor/t...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Cannot-block-guests-anymore/m-p/763289#M182152

[Marnie27]

Sounds simple doesn't it. My guest used a fake name and created a fake profile. Once I discovered the damage she deleted her account so the resolution center was not an option for me. I have been fighting  with Air bnb ever since, trying to get reimbursed for damages. The host guarantee is a joke. 

[Kinga-and-Spencer0]

My apartment was completely demolished on 10th November 2018. I reported this immediately to Airbnb and I still didn’t get any answer from them. I called Airbnb more than 5 times and they are telling me that I have to wait. It was almost 2 moths ago! How long I have to wait? What to do next? I will be very grateful for some advice.

John I followed all instruction and still no answer after almost 2 months. 

[Catherine1073]

I am definitely sceptical!! What a joke their host guarantee is.  We phoned the day after we discovered our damage, asking what we should do...  the person my honest, intellegient daughter spoke to said we had 60 days to send in our written complaint and damage compensation request.  Once we had all the invoices from the builder etc ($1000 worth of damage, broken windows and walls), less than 30 days after our phone call... we were told we hadn't followed the steps correctly, were supposed to do it within 14 days,  and thus no compensation.  (Our guest from the minute he left our home never replied an e-mail, he probably has wild parties with his friends in other peoples properties all the time knowing the host can do nothing and air bandb don't follow up on their promise to intevene/pursue payment from him!!)  We have phoned Air bandb countless times, get the jolly call centre who won't even own up to which country they are in, who have no authority and say how terrible it all is and they will escalate the case and someone will get back to us, because yes our host guarantee should work and we should be covered!! (we also have it in writing from one of the Air bandb help contacts that we had 60 days)  Ha ha ha what a joke!! Every time we phone back we get a different person, we repeat the story, they give us all the sympathy possible and say they will DEFINITELY escalate this case.. no response.  Then finally after I really got angry I receive an e-mail to say conversation closed, they have discussed it and we are not due compensation!@!! I don't understand this, what bullies, there is no discussion to be had surely.. we sent in invoices and photographs of the damage, our guest didn't respond to our requests at all and air bandb host guarantee does not kick in??? This is the biggest con ever, DO NOT believe it.  I do not believe they have ever paid any one out.  And ofcourse you can not phone anyone with any authority!! And no one with any authority ever phones you, it is a big on-line con, with invisible people pulling the strings who will forever be anonymous to the hosts when they really need them.  Such a sad business ethic. 

I do not believe this can go on and on.. sooner or later Air bandb will be paying the price because a big class action of hosts will surely eventually take this up... and I will be there to join them.  I do not appreciate being conned and being told I have 100% Host Guarantee when I don't.

[Marnie27]

Sorry to hear this. It sounds like alot of us are in the same situation where Air bnb wont take responsibility. 

[Fred13]

It is always best to end on a good note and after that upbeat post, perhaps it is the perfect time for Airbnb to end the 'Host Guarantee' policy altogether and replace it with a true Security Deposit alternative.  I love happy endings.

[Jeet0]

Although it seems like Airbnb has been able to refund @Vaishali-and-Nehal0, in another thread related to the same posted by them earlier, we can see that the overall process of reaching out to Airbnb wasn't as straight forward and easy as they have stated:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Guest-trashed-my-house/m-p/766304#M182980

"felt i had no other way to reach to Airbnb team for my ongoing issue...i really wanted to talk or reach to a person who can escalate my issue to the right team."

"This case has been escalated to TNS case manager which is yet to respond  and its been two days now i have not even received  even an acknowledgment mail for the same."

"I know things take time but you should understand  that i have back to back bookings from Airbnb and i cannot host with my broken furniture , stained floors"

" i might lose superhost status"

Clearly, Airbnb needs to improve this process by leaps and bounds so that guests can easily reach out to Airbnb when in an emergency.

I had an emergecy situtation a few days back and I kept dialing the India number just to be kept on hold for hours. Only to later find out that the the helpline is not active 24x7 which the IVR did not mention. 

[Francesca452]

Airbnb doesn't care about hosts. It only cares about guests by favoring them in any possible ways, even when they admit responsibilities for damages, as in my case they did. But because of the unnecessarily strict timeline that making a claim for getting a refund for damages needs, I got nothing while their guests, one who damaged my kitchen top and another one who refused to return the key forcing me to change the lock, had no negative consequences whatsoever, not even a bad review from me.

Shame on you Airbnb! I've unlisted all my rooms on my two houses and have been using Homeaway instead since. So far so good with them, although I didn't incur any damages yet from any of their guests.

[Jennifer976]

I'm glad to hear someone has had a possitive experience with this.  All the negative posts i've seen have had me worried if I would get the support if i ever needed it. 

[Francesca452]

Well, I wish you luck! The person who was allocated to my case, someone called Stephen, didn't even bothered a couple of times to reply to my request of reopening the case for a damaged kitchen top after I missed one of the many deadlines Airbnb dishonestly put in place even if they are not needed, following the death of my father.

They only care about guests. If you want to count on their support you better be a guest instead of a host.

[Francesca452]

Haha, I did follow the same procedure because the guest who ruined my kitchen top and another one who refused to return the key both admitted responsibility... yet... Airbnb gave me nothing of the £300 and the £19 I asked!

They are just thieves in disguise! I don't trust Airbnb anymore and I have unlisted my rooms from it till they'll give me what they so dishonestly promise in their Host Guarantee Policy which is just a scam!

I'm having a much better experience (so far) with HomeAway.

[Marnie27]

Wow, I have had the complete opposite. They dont want to pay for the damages. It has been constant emails back and forth arguing with them. They said they didnt receive receipts when they have. The person that booked used a fake name and created a fake profile. When I arrived on checkout I saw the damages and went to submit a claim against her.  But she deleted her account so I wasnt able to. I dont even want to use Air bnb after this. The host guarantee is a joke. I have now contacted the local news to get some support to help get reimbursed for the damages. 

[Marnie27]

Wow, I have been trying to get reimbursed for weeks. The host gurantee is a joke. I called CBC news for support.