Just a small complaint but honestly what is going on with Airbnb??? I have been traveling with them

[Sara1271]

for years. Tonight I had an inquiry to a Host about a property. I wanted to know if she had a router. Within 10 minutes there was some kind of 
decline on my account.
I didnt ask to book her property. I then sent an inquriy to bnb customer service. this is the conversation:

Me:  just want to note confusion in the booking process for my inquiry in Stockholm. I feel there must be a language issue because the host did not understand I was just asking a question. That should be more understandable so the host does not respond incorrectly.
Them: 
This is James, one of the Case Managers here in Airbnb. Thank you for reaching out to us. I'm sorry to hear about the confusion. Everything will be noted down here on our end, and if there are questions or clarifications needed, we will reach out to both Guests and Hosts as well.
If you have other questions or concerns, please reach out to us at any time.
Thank you

me: what?
Uh well, actually I would just like the interaction removed from my account. Again, I just asked if the Host had a router. I did not ask for a booking so I was a little shocked when something was noted as a declined. I really don't want to look at stuff like that and it's not proper for what happened. Can you help out?

them: 

Hi Sara,
The declined status only shows on your end. On our end, it just shows as an inquiry. It will not show on other Hosts end as well, nor will it show in your profile in Airbnb,

I think we can do better, I have never had a problem with Airbnb.

[Marit-Anne0]

@Sara1271 

Submitting an inquiry in the native language can come out even more confusing unless you are fluent.  Most Swedes will master basic English, but not being their native language, things can come across as rude.  In addition, Scandinavians are very direct and not very subtle, this combined with a foreign language  not well mastered can also come across as rude.  

"Do you have a router" as an only introduction and with no further explanation would to me at least, come across as odd.  If they have wifi, they probably have a router, so that is kind of what I would call a silly question and the one asking coming across as a bit clueless.  Asking if the router is in the accomodation or located elsewhere and explaining why you needed to know, now that would be a real question and likely to be responded to in an appropriate manner.  

[Clara116]

@Marit-Anne0 @Sara1271  I am in agreement with Marit Anne, just throwing out a question about having a router would be totally weird to me. I have wifi - but the router is in my home and the guests are in the cottage. 

Sorry its just a very strange way to begin the intro about a stay without it being a request for booking - if infact that was the only question? But, my knowledge is in order to pose even a question to a host you have to make out some dates as IF booking. That's been my experience.

Anyway, communication has gotten so strange these days of all this outstanding technology. People are less personable, understandable and you just can not read the real stuff often times. That's my story.

happy hosting, Clara

[Cormac0]

@Sara1271 

What specifically was the purpose of the question, do you require cat5 connection to the router or just a wifi connection.

Did the host's page not advertise the internet connection type? it usually does.

There is enough anecdotal evidence from these blogs that people who ask unnecessary questions because they have not bothered to read the listing turn out to be high maintenance guests and to be perfectly honest not worth the effort.

I’m don’t know if your one of these type of guest and I don’t know if you bothered to read the host’s listing, so my answer is framed under those constraints.

[Sara1271]

In the listing I was reviewing, it did list wifi. It has been my experience that most Hosts will only offer wifi, yet we do want a cat5 connection. My inquiry just said, do you have a router to plug in my laptop? That is when a strange message of declining for dates we did not ask for popped up. The Host replied she had friends visiting and could not Host us for these certain dates. I think she just didnt read what we were asking.  I think it is important to be a good ambassador when traveling however from a client perspective it has become more difficult communicating with Hosts and I feel Hosts need more training on the Airbnb system. Some Hosts rep with many different companies so they dont take the time to learn how Airbnb works.  Truly I believe Airbnb is a very good organization but more updates and training and review of Hosts are needed. 

[Marit-Anne0]

@Sara1271 

A listing with ethernet connection possibilities would list that in their amenities.  

[Jeff89]

@Sara1271  It might have been better to ask if there is an RJ45 ethernet port (and cable if required)  for wired internet connection for your laptop if you needed to confirm ethernet connection in the list of amenities.   Ethernet connections don't necessarily connect directly to a router. They also connect to switches and Wifi access points or simply ports in a wall.  Guests do not have access to our routers or access points but we still provide RJ45 ports and cat 5/6 cables for guests wanting wired connection.

[Ange2]

@Sara1271    

Rather than a language barrier between different language speakers,  it could also be due to confusion caused by Airbnb because the words inquiry and request are used interchangeably. Example: an inquiry from a guest is listed under requests in the host's dashboard and it has specific dates attached to it.

When a guest sends an inquiry such as  you sent: "do you have a router", what the host sees is this, (see screenshot), and the host has 24 hours to respond or be penalized.

A host does have the option of just responding with a message to an inquiry and the countdown clock to being penalized stops.  However, this is not made clear by Airbnb, so some hosts  will just hit decline for lack of a clear alternative to avoid being penalized, for example:  if they are out of time (although some hosts do click decline by way of saying "no"— not the clearest method of communication).  And, if the host does not write anything, Airbnb send an automated message to the guest stating declined.  I do understand why some guests are perturbed and confused by such a curt and dismissive message and wonder if it means a negative against their account.

But, a decline from a host is not a negative against a guest's account as per Airbnb quote you have,  it is recorded as an inquiry alone.  However,  it does impact the host's account negatively because declines (even for inquiries alone, or so I have heard) are recorded and tracked on the host side, and when they reach a certain amount the host receives a warning letter and some have said their accounts have been de-activated.

In my opinion Airbnb can be unneccessarily opaque and confusing, both for guest and host.

[Olivier291]

@Sara1271 , 

1- you can't send an inquiry without filling available dates for a stay, maybe you didn't notice it but there is no way to do it without choosing available dates. 

2- on Airbnb if not a fellow hosts the calendar management could be difficult to deal with: if hosts choose a booking windows, the system will automatically open the calendar to maintain the booking window even if dates had been blocked manually by the host. On the French CC there is many stories about hosts who got bookings/requests/inquiries for unavailable dates for this reason.

3- If I had such inquiry I would have answered "Yes of course I have a router but for security reason it is not available for guests, only Wi-Fi connection is provided as described in the listing". In my 3 listings routers are locked in a secure box as here in France hosts are advised to never provide direct access to the router.

4- Airbnb doesn't train, review any hosts. Guests are the one in charge of it through the review-evaluation process. Airbnb doesn't inform hosts about the constant updates of the site, only here, through the Community Center we are informed by other hosts about modifications (it's a shame but it is the way it works since years).