Guest Cancellation, but guest won't cancel

[Brianna31]

We are new to airbnb (Feb 2018), live in a small community, and have our cabin available for guests. 

We have a guest that is scheduled for Sun-Wed and we have a moderate cancellation policy. Our guest emailed me 4 days before their scheduled arrival asking to cancel. I responded by asking if they'd like to rebook or cancel all together. The guest responded with "cancel all together". After looking into the cancellation process, I sent the response to ask the guest to cancel.

We rely on our reviews for bookings and are looking forward to the superhost status Apr 1. 

After not hearing from my guest all day, I receive the following message at 9pm:

Not f***ing coming. Keep the f***ing money! Do not send me another f***ing e-mail! Do you f***ing understand!? Keep the f***ing money! Don't give a f***! But, if I get another email

Not sure if we should take the hit and cancel the reservation on our end? Do I refund the money? Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks,

Bri

[Steve143]

Hello @Brianna31,

You should contact Airbnb support and ask them to cancel the reservation.

When you say the guest "emailed" I hope it was via the temporary email address that Airbnb gives guests and not that you have somehow given the guest your real email address. If the messages were via the temporary address then Airbnb will be able to see the contents.

Point the support rep to the messages from this guest. Have the reservation number handy when contacting them.

I've found that they're responsive whenever I contacted them on Twitter.

Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide

Steve.

[Roberta2]

Hi @Brianna31

The gest is the one that needs to start the cancelation process.

They need to go to the booking, click on "Amend or cancel" and then click on Cancel.

They should have done this from the start, and you could have told him to do that.

If the guest iniciate the process, you will NOT be penalized and you will NOT loose superhost status.

You just loose if you, as a HOST, make the cancelation.

He is pushing this to you so he will receive full refund.

DO NOT CANCEL. Tell them to start the process.

Always talk via the platform.

Any issues, tell them to talk to airbnb

[Gordon0]

>>Not sure if we should take the hit and cancel the reservation on our end?<<
No, you shouldn't
>>Do I refund the money?<<
No
>>Any advice is appreciated!<<
Do not click agree if Airbnb send you a 'do you wish to cancel this booking. If you do, it'll be you that is penalised.

Take the money, move on. But report to Airbnb.  

[Brianna31]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! I was contacted by the guest via the temporary email through Airbnb.

I will contact Airbnb for the cancellation.

Thanks again!

Bri

[Fred13]

Considering the way this animal expressed himself,  like a cave man, I would not agree to refund him one cent. 

[Robin4]

@Brianna31

My, what mastery of the English language that guest has! Can see another poet laureate in the making here!

With the sanitising of message content that the Airbnb system does, how exactly did that message come through Brianna....was it as you typed?

Let him chase Airbnb for any refund, have no further contact with him. All you need to do is click that flag that you will find on his profile and when asked for a reason state 'abusive language' and Trust and Safety will deal with him from there!

Good luck Brianna.

Cheers......Rob

[Brianna31]

No, the message was not as I typed. The message came through with full use of the "F" word.

[Matthew285]

@Brianna31 I don't interpret the message as being a guest trying to avoid doing the cancellation to save fees.

If they really cared about saving AirBnB fees, they wouldn't have said "Keep the f***ing money!"

I think it is just a guest who is accustomed to staying in hotels, where the protocol is to just tell the hotel you want to cancel.

It really sounds like they feel they DID cancel by telling the host, and they think the host is just trying to be annoying by sending more emails to them.

So I agree with the advice of asking AirBnB to do the guest cancellation.

If that can't happen, the guest did say to just keep the money... so leave the reservation in place and the money will be paid to the host as the guest requests. They just *really* don't want to get another email.

[David126]

I would not do anything, up to the Guest to cancel and Guest has said they are not coming and want you to keep the money, so I would.

No need to complicate things.

[Fred13]

^^ Aye, file this one under the 'Case of the Cave Man Who Hates E-mails'. Next.

[Alexandra316]

@Brianna31 Wow, this guest sounds like a special fellow.

I'm with @Robin4: I wouldn't contact Airbnb. The guest says he's not interested in cancelling or any further communication. Take the money and let sleeping dogs lie.

[Helga0]

Let the reservation stand, enjoy a paid holiday, it’s what he asks you to do. That way you can review ;-)) Mention his communication skills.

[Brianna31]

So, what came of this - The guest contacted me after the nasty message wanting to move some things around on her schedule so she could make it. We weren't comfortable with hosting after all of this so I contacted Airbnb. The guest received a full refund and we took a loss for the 4 days she had booked. Not the turnout we were expecting but better safe than sorry I guess!

[Cor3]

Hi @Brianna31,

Indeed the best, like this (pitty for the money and the time lost).

Suppose no cancellation would have taken place, and you'd taken the money, No contact with Airbnb, and the guest didn't show up?

This guest would have gotten the chance to review you afterwards!

Well you don't need to be a mastermind, to know what might have been the consequence of that!