Has anyone else experienced calendar glitches?

[Robin4]

After an extended absence I have returned and I have got some tales to tell. I have experienced the best and the worst that Airbnb has to offer in hosting.

But that for another day. 

I was just doing a bit of housekeeping and have noticed my availability (as seen on my computer) does not match my calendar!

My availability on my listing page says I have October 18th, 22nd, 25th and 31st open for booking. 

I do not however. Here is October on my calendar page......

The 18th, 22nd, 25th and 31st are all already confirmed Airbnb bookings!

This problem is not showing up on my phone app and trying an incognito search on my computer yields the same results as this. 

I am just hoping I am not going to get a double booking, it has happened once before on Airbnb!

12.45am here, I will pursue this tomorrow!

Cheers.....Rob

[Lawrene0]

Hi, @Robin4 . Your availability is showing the same for me, so I tried inputting Oct 18 for check-in. The system wouldn't allow it. Shows it as available, but spins and then goes back to "Check-in" instead of filling in the date. Tried other, open dates, and they fill in just fine.

So prospective guests try to input their dates, the dates they see as open, and hit a glitch. Off they go to a hotel.

Ugh. 

Welcome back. 🙂

[Lawrene0]

And my own calendar is the same, @Robin4 . Just checked. Booked dates showing as open on the listing, but as confirmed bookings in my host-side calendar. So it looks like the glitch is system-wide.

Thanks for the heads up!

[Kevin1322]

same thing here. thanks for the info. 

[Sandra856]

Welcome back, @Robin4 🙂 You have been missed!

I just took a look at my calender and for instance Nov. 1 looks available, but if I try to book is says "that this date is only available for check-out". 

[Robin4]

@Sandra856 

My feeling is that this has been going on for some time where October 2019 is concerned.

Some months back I had a guest trying to book for 25-26th October leaving on the 27th but, the system would not allow him to book the 26th. It was showing as being available, but the booking system would not allow the 26th to be included in the reservation. We both became so frustrated with it, in the end I accepted his booking for the 25th and then manually blocked the 26th myself and we are taking care of the payment for the 26th privately.

It was a glitch that annoyed me at the time but the guest and I worked our way around it and I thought no more of it until last night when I was comparing available dates across the two booking platforms that I use. The nights in question are showing as blocked on my Homeaway/Stayz  calendar but are showing as available on my Airbnb listing search availability. 

A call to CX this morning has not resolved the situation. She stated that the dates in question are actually showing as blocked on her screen and suggested that I refresh my listing and delete my cache....but this has not solve the anomaly!

So Sandra there is every probability I might host a party yet, if enough Airbnb guests see what I am seeing, and book the same night!

@Lawrene0  @Kevin1322 

Cheers.....Rob

[Emilia42]

Hi @Robin4, good to see you back!

I just noticed this "new" calendar today when I was doing an incognito search. I believe this new calendar is correct but what it is showing to the guest is all available days where a reservation can take place (not only a check in night.) Maybe this was done in response to those morons who saw their check out date block off so thought they couldn't book their desired dates. For example, on your calendar, October 3rd is available but only for check out. As hosts, we don't think this way because we are thinking in term of reservation 'nights.' But I guess this shows the guest that they can still utilize the 3rd as a day to check out. Confusing in indeed but it appears that you will not get double booked.

[Robin4]

@Emilia42 

Hi there Emilia, I would like to think you are right but, I can't see it. This is because, the date you brought up is another part of the glitch which I had not even looked at before. On my listing availability, (as you have highlighted)  the 3rd Oct is showing as available....it is not, if you go back up to my original post and look at my calendar page, it is blocked! The 3rd October I am off to Tasmania for 10 days, a birthday present from and with my daughter! I have one confirmed booking in there for the 4th which Ade is looking after in my absence, but the remaining days until the 12th I have blocked!

Essentially October on my 'profile availability' bares virtually no resemblance to my booked schedule. It is showing some days I have manually blocked and not others, and it is not showing 4 bookings that I do actually have in place.

Emilia there is no point in Airbnb showing a booking availability if it is not going to be accurate. As @Lawrene0  says, all it will do is frustrate guests and drive them off to a hotel.

And the worst aspect of it is, talking with CX this morning they do not see that there is a problem!

Cheers.....Rob

[Emilia42]

@Robin4, Yes, it is blocked ... but a guest can still check out that day. So it is not blocked for check out and that is why your calendar says "This date is only available for check-out" when you click on the 3rd. 

[Robin4]

@Emilia42 

Yes, I just used an incognito window and I see what you mean. My God, is this going to lead to some confusion. If you asked me to dream up the most complicated way of setting up my booking page I don't think I could have come up with anything quite as silly as this. 

This is going to seriously turn guests away, they are going to throw their hands in the air and say, 'to hell with it, not worth the trouble'!

A guest wants to see when a listing is available for check- in........ not  check-out. 

Their programmers are all disappearing further into the spectrum by the month, honestly!

Cheers.....Rob

[Susan1028]

Hi Rob,

You've been missed here, especially by those of us who share your sensibilities. 

First thing I would do is check your account info to be sure it's secure- that of the information in your profile, payments, and other info is accurate, as there's been another wave of hacking, fake profiles, and stolen credit card info leading to illegal bookings. 

CS has become less helpful, although I did get  a human being on the phone a couple of days ago to deal with another schizophrenic review that pulled me out of 5.0, who actually read my reviews, complemented me on my record, apologized for the unfair system, and tried to convince me not to quit this platform.

So, there is hope...

As for your calendar, yes it is messed up, and they need to fix it...and DO check any bookings to be sure they are legit. BTW...weed is legal here in many U.S. states now, so yes, the IT dept may very well be descending further into the rabbit hole...

Enjoy your travels and family time,

Susan

[Mike-And-Helen0]

Hi @Robin4 I am no help on the calendar but dying to hear your stories.

[Robin4]

@Mike-And-Helen0 

Hi Guys, I will kick off with the worst.....because everyone wants to hear juicy details about a complete screw-up! They never want to hear nice stories, only f*** ups

I have just spent the best part of five weeks with my children in the east of Australia, we drove, complete with dog, Betts, who I must say is a far better travelling companion than my wife Ade! Betts never tells me what lane to drive in, how fast to drive or when to overtake a slow moving vehicle! She just sits in the back seat and provided she gets a wee stop every now and then, she is happy! And she does not bombard me with endless chatter about what I should have done….or need to do in life!!

During this trip I have seen the best, and the worst of Airbnb! I will start with the worst!

Our first night we were booked into an Airbnb listing in Hay, a country town in outback New South Wales! Now for people who can't comprehend the size of Australia, Hay is on a flat plain in the middle of nowhere.....and I mean.....nowhere! The nearest town is 135 Kms away....I am not kidding 135 Kms! If you stay in Hay the feeling of isolation with the rest of the world is almost oppressive!

When I sent a reservation request it was promptly accepted with a generic response. The host lives (I think) in another part of the country (or the world) and lists about 10 properties, mostly on the Gold Coast of Queensland. Just before our arrival I received another generic welcome email with key box code and other basic information…all very efficient. The stay went ok….the property was a budget listing but was clean and comfortable. I was all set to give it a 5 star, it wasn't the Ritz, but it was a comfortable budget night. If Airbnb had thought out their rating system a bit more it probably would have been a 5C.....remembering that, nothing that is ok is ever worth less than a 5.....that's right, isn't it?

It wasn't worth a 5A...... but a 5C  seems justified....Does that tell you how crazy our bloody review rating system is?

A few hours and 240 Kms after leaving the next morning, Ade discovered she had left her mobile phone behind! I got out of the car and thought.....f****ing far out, do I need to add another 500 Kms onto my days driving to go back and retrieve this bloody phone!  I sent a message to the host saying what had happened hoping to talk to her and arrange to somehow get Ade's phone back….. and this is what I got.

"Hey Robin,
I hope that you have settled in alright and that you are enjoying your stay.
Please let me know if there is anything you need or if I can assist you in any way.
We are normally contactable between the hours of 8am-4pm on 04*********1.

Always here to help,
Emily

So, not wishing to make a damned annoying idiot of myself I waited till the next day and sent the host this message.....

OK, where do we go from here? I tried to contact the host via her personal phone number which she had provided only to discover that it was not an active phone service, it was disconnected….really!!

I, by this time have come to the conclusion there is no level of communication available with this host. I tried another twice, each time receiving the same generic message as above.

After my last attempt to contact her this is the message I got.....

GRRRRRRRRR.........what the hell do I have to do to actually speak to this host for Christ sake!

The generic welcome message told us that the keybox code would automatically change on our departure so, at that point we had to consider that Ade's phone with all its contacts, photos and messages over the past 10 years, lost, and abandon any attempt to get it back, and we had to purchase another phone for Ade and she had to start her life over again.

Any form of communication with this host was not possible and this is simply not good enough. What if the keybox code did not work?….the power had been off, or the water….we would have been completely stranded! 

I gave her a rather poor review which said the stay was OK but communication in any form was not possible and on that basis I could not recommend this host other guests.

Footnote:

As we had to return via that 'metropolis' of Hay I decided to call past the listing on the off chance that my messages had got through and that the lost phone might actually be in the letter box. As we entered the street, a lady was watering the garden in front of the listing. I got out of the car and introduced myself and it turned out she was the cleaner, had just serviced the house and was about to leave when we arrived. I told her we had left a phone behind 5 weeks before during our stay and she said....."Oh yes, it had slipped down between the lounge cushions and I put it up in the cupboard with the other things that get left behind, I will go and get it for you!" The look on Ade's face when the cleaner came out the front door with her phone was simply priceless. How was our luck, the cleaner had had no contact with the host and had only one service job in that property on that week.....we just happened to call when she happened to be there....amazing luck...but what a bloody lousy host!

Here we were first night away from home and we had this issue, but there was lots of holiday to come.....but that's for another day! 

@Susan1028  @Emilia42  @Sandra856  @Kevin1322 

Cheers......Rob

[Susan1028]

You've got some good angels @Robin4 !

[Sarah977]

@Robin4  What a story. I'm actually surprised you booked a place with a host that has 10 properties-or maybe that was the only choice?

That cleaner should be the host- she sounds really on top of things,  and the so-called host should go crawl in a hole somewhere.I not only would have left a bad review,  I'd have sent  some scathing private feedback.