Is there a Formal Complaints Handling Procedure at Airbnb, because there REALLY needs to be?

Diana495
Level 10
Sheffield, United Kingdom

Is there a Formal Complaints Handling Procedure at Airbnb, because there REALLY needs to be?

 I have had on-going problems with Airbnb, as a host.  There software is full of bugs.  There 'customer service' handlers are often ignorant, simple, incapable of understanding problems, live in America and think that the system should be the same for everyone (not country dependent) and unable to solve problems.

 

Any organisation the size of Airbnb should have a clear, effective and transparent Complaints Handling Procedure for complaints against them. 

Airbnb misleds their customer base.

Airbnb misrepresents the service that they offer.

Airbnb incorrectly promotes Host properties by mis-placing their properties.

Airbnb incorrectly promotes Host properties in terms of pricing - they advertise incorrect prices.

Airbnb mapping software is seriously flawed - properties disappear from exact locatity map displays

Airbnb's algorithms for deciding which properties to display first (on the left in photo) is supposed to be random, but it clearly isn't

 

Airbnb is not what it purports to be and there appears to be no recourse.

Hosts are reliant on Airbnb's software working accurately and for complaints and problems to be resolved in a timely fashion.  Currently this is not so.  The risks of using Airbnb are significant.

 

Airbnb can not be relied upon.

 

 

145 Replies 145

Sarah you are my favorite poster on this whole website.  You remind me a lot of my stepmom: tough, smart, never takes any bull.  Also your post here is 100% reasonable, having to join twitter to get customer service from any company is INSANE.  No company should have customer service on Twitter, they are just there for Virtue Signaling, not CS work.

Fitbit is another supplier that forces you to use Twitter.

Hi Diana and all, I agree - it's a disgrace that there is no way to file a formal complaint. I am currently exploring legal options against the company.

 

We've been hosting with airbnb since 2011, and mostly have had only small issues that were remedied quickly and efficicently by Airbnb. This year, it's been maddening. I had a guest stay with us for a week in January, and Airbnb withheld the payout without any warning or communication. One week's worth of payout is significant to me when I expect to receive it and budget accordingly (especially in the Winter, when frequent road plowing, caretaker support and high fuel and electricity costs cut deeply into any money we may make on the rental).

 

I started writing to customer support two days after check-in to find out what was going on; but all I received was a bunch of form messages (along the lines of 'we appreciate the contribution you make as a superhost' blah blah blah). No actual comment on my queries. I then started calling them regularly - twice a day since last week (by now I have spent more then 5 hours on the phone to them), only to be told every time that I had a specialist case manager who was supposed to contact me (no contact since I first raised the issue from the specialist, though some of the 'basic' team members, to their credit, have tried to follow up but there is little they can do since they are not, alas, 'specialists'). A second guest payout, for a weekend booking, has since also been withheld, though a third has been issued but only a partial amount has been paid.

 

No one seems to know what the issue is. When I call, people seem to attribute the problem to

1) supposedly outstanding resolution adjustments (two from another property we have in the UK; all of the  three in total were adjustments I agreed to because guests had to cancel or leave prematurely, so no fault of ours). But I can show that a) these adjustments reach back to December 2016 (we've had around 40 bookings since then, so any outstanding adjustments should have been deducted from those), b) I have evidence that we paid for them (screenshots from the resolution center and bank data). So it makes NO sense that they would be called in now (especially since I have also had two succesful payouts this year already).

2) issues with the tax being withheld (they seem to suggest that we need to pay more). Given the fact that they have been withholding 30% automatically from every single booking made at our house in the US for the past few years that is just as ludicrous.

 

The problem is complete lack of accountability and transparency. I have been asking for my file to be sent to me, for *someone* to put into writing what the actual issue is, for the case manager to please identify himself, and so on, and so forth. There is simply no recourse, no action you can take, even as a 'superhost'.

 

Honestly, if I didn't feel bad for the guests who have booked already I'd cancel all upcoming bookings until this is resolved as I am at this point just incurring expenses.

 

At a minimum, I think as hosts we deserve to receive a proper, accurate explanation if there are any problems, such as why there may be an issue with a payout; and timely contact with an actual, named, case manager (not just some 'Justin' and 'Jon'), including a direct number or email address. It's inconceivable to me that there is just so much obscurity and lack of communication and simply no possibility to file a complaint. After all, we do give up a percentage to airbnb for the 'privilege' of listing our house with them. Not a huge, but still significant amount that should cover procedures when there are disputes such as this one...

 

I'll be posting this as a separate thread and see if I can generate an Airbnb response somehow. Best to you all, Anna

Thank you for your response, Anna.

 

Airbnb clearly have significant failings within their customer support division.  I am no lawyer so I don't know whether they are breaking any laws in this regard and whether they would be enforceable in the UK.

 

Whilst I toatally agree with Sarah regarding social media, it is ofter a way to get attention.

 

Hosts should perhaps organise themselves to work together and let Airbnb know that there conduct is unacceptable.  Social media is effective in spreading the word.

 

Perhaps I will contact the national media here in England and see where this takes me.

We had the worst experience with guests in May. They woke up the entire building the first two nights they were there, and police were called the second night. We had to ask them to leave instead of staying for their booked term.

 

When we got there they had smoked heavily, and stolen $400 of our stock. We spent 3 days of our own time having to put that place back together for the next guest and with our time, stock re-purchasing, smoking damage, disturbance fees, loss on the nightly rate, it came to about $900. We were refunded $250 for very specific stolen items and NOTHING for our time wasted.

 

We ended up paying money for those guests to stay there, and the building owner forced us to shut the unit down until Spring 2021 because of the incident combined with the pandemic. We are a small family company (myself, my partner, baby on the way) and are STRUGGLING with the pandemic. This is a blow we can not afford, and AirBnb does not give a **bleep**.

 

They are sympathetic to guests but hostile and unhelpful towards hosts (unless you’re a huge company with 100s of units that is, but we like to be sustainable and respectful to the people living in our city needing long term rentals). It is now Sept and they are about to close the case without giving us any more money after ignoring us for months, then getting back in touch, then ignoring us for weeks again.

 

They have done nothing but speak to us disrespectfully and act like we are crazy even though I was very careful and detailed listing the requests for each chunk of money and it’s completely reasonable. They tell me I should ya a professional cleaning company, when I AM A PROFESSIONAL CLEANER. I was a supervisor at a cleaning company previous to becoming an AirBnb hosting company, and during a pandemic with few and far between cleans I am not paying out the ass to have another company do a bad job at something I am fully qualified to do myself. We are LIVING on the cleaning money during the pandemic and over Winters. WTF kind of recommendation is that??

 

AirBnb spends so much time constantly changing and adding tiny details to their rules, software, etc etc that it has gotten so complicated and buggy but they don’t give a **bleep** about us, the hosts, who are making their money for them. 

We just had a very similar problem with several guests smoking in our cabin which is illegal in Costa Rica. I sent a message to Airbnb August 21st, it is now September 15th and no one has gotten back to us. We only receive the automated message which asks if we still need help. It is now almost 4 weeks and nothing. My understanding was that super hosts were supposed to receive faster support... or not. 

 

Sorry you are going through this, that is terrible. 

Hi Diana, I agree - thanks. I'd be up for organising something as well as media outreach. Perhaps we can rally some support and put pressure on airbnb to make some changes!

I would be up for that. I am fed up with how I am treated as a host. I take great pride in making my guests happy and Air BnB support is like talking to a computer. They do whatever is best for themselves and happily refund money to guests when they do last minute cancellations as long as the guest can say it was for a medical reason. I have empathy when this happens but to refund 100% just 2 days out of a booking which has been in place for months, has a minimum 5 day refund policy attached and is at a peak time is JUST NOT FAIR. 

Thing like illness happen in life and it's annoying when you can't take your holiday but it's not fair that the host bares the brunt of the misfortune

 

Am having simular problems.  They finally just notified me that they would release my money, but they are going to deduct 100 dollars because I began cancelling reservations at the end of may.  I want to pull my home from them but I wanted to give enough notice to my guest.  Is there any legal remedy?/???  I tried to accomadate my guest for April and May so I felt like I gave enough notice.  My number is **** If anyone wants to contact me about this.  

 

*[Phone number hidden for safety reasons – in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

My number is **** let me know I'm in.  This is awful I have never seen anything so bad call me anybody and let me tell you story about this site.  Am pulling my home asap.........

 

*[Phone number hidden for safety reasons – in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

A Superhost as well, we have chosen to cease using airbnb services due to thier unethical marketing and false claims regarding the host gaurantee.  With potentially thousands in damages and significantly more in lost time due to evasive jargon and emails, at this point seeking assistance from public aduster.  We understand airbnb utilizes an insurance company to underwrite the host gaurantee which may mean the only recourse for an individual is independant representation as with any insurance carrier.   Doubtful of success for anyone who requires resolution regarding a claim or relys with good faith on the integrity of airbnb.   Realize there is not direct communication with the T & S department and understand airbnb has a number of shell departments to keep confusion and time requirments to a maximum.  Intenion may be to wear down intelligent, capable hosts, and in our case without a professional adjustor they may very well have succeeded....  hire someone at $10/hour to discourage Super hosts who make far more and thier properties reflect this.... very like the insurance business.  This business may be very short lived or short lived for airbnb...  

how embarrasing.  no spell check?  apologies ....  trust you get the gist. 

Jane you are spot on!  Especially the fact that you mentioned the insurance industry!  I am starting to think Airbnb hired some ex insurance industry executives, or at least that Brian Chesky takes advice from one.

 

I am 99% confident at this point that legally Airbnb is acting in Bad Faith.  When I started reading up on Bad Faith, the insurance industry was the biggest culprit mentioned online regularly.  I even ordered a book about Bad Faith in the Insurance industry online recently so I could start making the direct comparisons and so I know what info to take to attorneys.

 

Excellent comparison, and probably not a coincidence multiple people are coming to the exact same conclusions!  

I am using the only power that I have too Jane and pulling my home from their list. They were lucky to have me and my home but I have been treated so badly that all I can do is withdraw and warn as many people as possible NOT to join. I used to be like a walking ad for them - encouraging many friends to join but NO MORE

Gillian143
Level 2
Bigbury-on-Sea, United Kingdom

I took an enquiry from AIRBNB for a German Family in Feb this year wanting to come on 14th July for a week, the beginning of our Peak Season here in South Devon but they quoted the wrong tariff.  I pointed out the difference in a message to the Clients in my pre-accept message, hoping it would not deter them from coming.   Hearing nothing further I assumed they were not taking up the booking.  WRONG! Thank God I did not double book because 3 weeks ago I found AIRBNB had confirmed the booking at a loss to me of £200.00. NOW today, 3 days before the Guests arrive AIRBNB have confirmed the booking at £380.00 less than the tariff carged.  I was honour bound to accept this booking as it would not have been fair to disappoint overseas Guests just a short time before arriving, but to-day  with the enormous loss of £380.00. it's hard to swallow!  With no means of contacting AIRBNB to register and hopefully resolve my pronbem I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE ANY HOST NOT TO DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.  I'M KICKING THEM INTO TOUCH, APPALLED AT THEIR WAY OF DOING BUSINESS.  U.K.  

gI