Guest cancels after just committing - he says due to full payment being taken out

Eriks0
Level 1
Rīga, Latvia

Guest cancels after just committing - he says due to full payment being taken out

So this guest was supposed to commit a few days ago. Instead he started asking me how much the deposit is,

and when do they take it out. I actually wasnt sure , so had to go back to my listing to check.

Then I wrote him how much it was.

 

Finally, 3 days after he first contacted me, and again asking about the deposit, he pulled the trigger and accepted.

Moments later,  he freaked out that airBnb took the full payment for the 2 week stay!

Meanwhile, I was already getting nervous that he was one of those nut jobs that would try to do a 24 hour stay in several places without paying. He had no references.

 

So the question is twofold : Firstly, does Airbnb take out the full amout for the entire stay upon commitment from a guest?

Ans secondly : Any suggestion on how to deal with a guest that has not been rated ?

 

 

6 Replies 6
Dean9
Level 2
London, United Kingdom

Why is there no response to this common problem? Can someone at AirBnB team listen to the community and respond as to why the full amount is taken at booking time and not a deposit which is common in the travel industry.

Ed-and-Hugh0
Level 10
Miami, FL

@Eriks0 Yes, the full amount of the reservation is charged at the time the reservation is made. So far, we haven't had any issues with guests. Some are new and have more questions, but that's about it. If you don't yet feel comfortable accepting guests with no reviews, you can decline their inquiries.

Raquel13
Level 10
Miami, FL

Yes, full payment is taken at the time of booking. It has never been an issue for any of my guests. 

Thomas1417
Level 1
Windermere, FL

I have a guest who wants to book a month almost a year in advance, they do have a concern about paying $4K+ up front so far in advance.  Is there any way to set your account to take a deposit up front.

 

@Thomas1417  There is an option for guests to pay half up front and half a couple weeks before arrival. This is something the guest has to deal with with Airbnb. It's not something a host has control over. 

Make sure your guest understands that Airbnb holds all the booking funds until after the guest checks in-that it will be Airbnb who is holding onto the $ for a year, not you. Also make sure your guest has thoroughly read and understands the cancellation policy you have in place and that once he has booked, he has made a contract to abide by the terms of that policy.

Mike1034
Level 10
Mountain View, CA

@Eriks0 According to my understanding, the security deposit along with actual payment for the stay were taken by Airbnb once the booking was confirmed. 

 

This is not the case here in US. I booked a few trips as a guest and I did not see security deposit being taken from me after booking.