Host asking for cash outside the app

Host asking for cash outside the app

Hi there, I was just wondering what kind of punishment would a host receive from Airbnb for asking a guest to cancel a reservation and pay them directly instead of using the app? I am having some ongoing issues with a refund and the host is encouraging us to cancel (losing 50%) and paying him in person the other 50% in the future, instead of allowing us to reschedule using the Airbnb platform. 

 

I am hoping Airbnb will penalize this host and void his cancellation policy and we receive our money back. 

 

All the messages are on the Airbnb platform, I have the evidence.  

8 Replies 8

@Liam1503  if you report the host and he's found to be in breach of policy, the consequences for him could be anything from a warning notice to being outright delisted or banned from the platform. Airbnb usually doesn't disclose the actions they take on a report against another user's account.

 

But I'm a bit confused about what's really going on here. Were you the party who initiated the cancellation, or was it the host? If you as the guest requested a date change, and the host upheld his cancellation policy, I'm not entirely sure he's forbidden from offering a second booking outside of the platform. (what's key here is that Airbnb still retains its profit from the initial transaction).  One interpretation of this course of events would be that the guest is attempting to entrap the host with a threat of punishment in order to get out of a cancellation policy - so if there's something going on that would suggest this, it may well backfire. 

Lou87
Level 2
Falmouth, United Kingdom

IMHO.

If a guest comes up with a suggestion, regarding cancellations,  that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsure, it's best to refer them to Airbnb help desk. This allows Airbnb to explain to both parties what is acceptable.

In this case, as you say, there is not enough information to go on, but the opening gambit seems a bit strong. 

 

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Liam1503 It looks like the host may be attempting to help you by effectively providing a credit against a future stay rather than you losing money per their cancellation policy. Without all the facts its hard to say.

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

@Anonymous I am also very confused, but will take a wild shot at it.

~The Guest @Liam1503 wants to cancel on a reservation that doesn't qualify for full refund, obviously.

~The host asked him to cancel then, loose 50% but willing to apply it toward a future re-booking and when the guest does the host will charge Liam only 50%. So far so good. Keeping Airbnb out of it in the future by requesting the guest pays it direct to the host may not be some sinister plot but just trying to make the whole thing easier to do; the exchange of money outside Airbnb however does indeed comes across kinky.

~The fact the host supposedly doesn't just allow rolling the reservation into the future is also odd.

~I am wondering however if the apparent tricky 'creativeness' of the host is being considered to be used against him to do get a full refund. 

@Fred13   The OP double-posted; if you're interested in more details of this sordid mess, here you go:  https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Host-asking-for-cash-outside-the-app/td-p/1299996

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

@Anonymous After reading that parallel post, my instincts remain the same. I am always weary of evolving stories, in this case: 1 - wanting full refund based on some of the members being support personnel, then 2 -resorting to a written promise of full refund from the host, then 3 -bringing up the odd method of future payment and  punishment of the host, and 4 -finally the host supposedly refusing to roll the reservation from the outset into the future.

 

  I see something about this case sticks in your craw like it does me also. 😄 

@Fred13   I've fielded a few of these myself over the years, and honestly the process of dealing with them feels more labor-intensive than any other task of hosting.

 

I do find it quite easy to understand why the host would not choose to "roll over" the reservation into dates far into the future. That would back him into a corner; Airbnb offers no way of converting a booking into a "stored value" credit, so the only way for the guest to reschedule without cancelling would be for the guest to select dates that may not even be open in the calendar yet. And there's the trap:  if for any reason the host is unable to keep the commitment to those  faraway dates, and the guest refuses to accept a host-initiated amendment to the booking, the host is forced to cancel the booking and not only remit a full refund but also accept cancellation penalties. 

 

The behavior of the guest is the typical thing one encounters from certain types of people, but this does work as a cautionary tale for both people on both sides of the equation.

 

Guests:  be mindful of cancellation policies before you book, buy appropriate insurance if you can't bear to lose your prepayment when circumstances change,  and don't overestimate your leverage when successfully renegotiating your agreement might require you to be seen as a desirable customer.

 

Hosts: Don't try to cut deals with people who display any refusal to accept the terms they agreed to. Even if you think you're making a generous offer, it'll always come back to bite you in the butt. 

@Anonymous I do go about it this way - I have allowed guests to roll over into the future for reservations during the months of March- early July of this year, for any open dates before the  end of 2021, which they have done.  To me a reservation kept is worth five still in the bush. I certain will be around to see their reservations through since I have nothing to loose by staying listed with Airbnb as before no matter what else I decide to do. I do believe Airbnb will remain the most attractive booking agency before/after the Corona virus.

    Two cases (one in August& September) that first tried to cancel and get a full refund from Airbnb for fear of things that have not happened,  Airbnb backed me up; they ended up rolling forward (end of 2020) not to loose 50%. Whether they prove less than stellar guests and arrive with chips on their shoulder or not is immaterial; unlikely they will be disgruntle guests since the place they are coming to is 3x what they originally booked.

   In essence, I am betting on myself and Airbnb, in that order.