Kindness Cards - These have been sent out

[Yadira22]

Hello All, 

Hope you are well. 

Just been notified that those "kindness cards" airbnb proposed to be sent out several months ago, have been/are being sent out. 

If you do not want any part in the receipt of donations from previous guests, you need opt out now. 

Thanks, 

Yadira 🙂

[Lisa723]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  He has not said anything resembling ‘That "send card" only option, without the donation option does not exist, and those donations will be happening - regardless.’ That is your own data-free supposition.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Lisa723 

What is clearly data-evident Lisa, again, informed by Airbnb is if donations exist in your account the guest WILL NOT be getting them back.

When I can't access the funds, they're not in my account. Airbnb will have them. And what did Brian tell us... "We know that even a little goes a long way during this challenging time". Sat in Airbnb's account - I'm sure it will !

And @Helen350 

But I'm beginning to wonder if we should all opt back in??? - At least then we could send donations BACK?!

For that reason I opted back in two days ago, because those guest donations will be heading back to guests with a nice little "kindness card" attached of my own.

[Helen350]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 That settles it..... I've just opted back in too, for the same reason as you. - Keep tabs....

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

The "opt-out" of the "kindness card" programme:

Do you think Airbnb have enough respect for hosts to inform them that they will be sending a mass email donation request to guests and if they wanted to - they could opt out by checking a box, for them then, rather than just clicking "send to all" they need to tie up their servers working out which hosts do want to be included? Nah! More work for them - they're not bothered.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

30th March 2020:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/resources/hosting-homes/a/march-30-a-message-to-hosts-from-ceo-brian-chesky...

This is all about the contributions:

[Helen350]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  You may be right... We need feedback from guests who sent cards.....

My guest who sent the 'kindness card' has not (yet) replied to my message, via Airbnb messaging.....

I'm sure he'll have only sent the card, young chap, £31 room for one night for two, (+ one night 3 years ago.) He sent the most bland message from the drop down list, forcing himself.....! - He's probably one of the most likely to come back... would be great to ask in person...

But I'm beginning to wonder if we should all opt back in??? - At least then we could send donations BACK?!

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Helen350 

For maybe the 20 hosts who are aware of this donations collection and have opted out, (because as I can recall, no notification to worldwide hosts was made by email offering to opt-out), very few guests' experience will exist. You have a prime example to obtain evidence, and I hope you get a reply. If he's really helpful, he can go through the process and check again.

[Jennifer1421]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Helen350 

The way I read the "managing contributions" section that you've highlighted above, Ian, suggests to me that IF you haven't opted out (and are a host just finding out about this ludicrous and cringe-worthy initiative by actually getting a donation, THEN opt-out, then the donation you've already received prior to opting out will not be returned. Moving forward from your opt-out, no further donations will be received (by which I also read solicited on your behalf).

I'm likely going to completely slaughter the actual quotation as my memory is horrid, and I'm too lazy to look it up, but I do remember being told (maybe by a mod, or maybe via an ABB update on the subject) that for hosts who opt -out of the contirbutions portion, they were going to put some kind of text beside that host's name saying that s/he had opted out of receiving money "for personal reasons". It wasn't (and still isn't) clear if a guest has only ever stayed with one host, whether the donation screen will appear with the "personal reasons" statement, or if the donations screen simply doesn't appear.  TBH, I've not been staying up to date recently here, but I don't think you're correct about the donation being requested even if we've opted- out.

I won't be opting back in to the donation request, and I would counsel caution about doing so unless and until you know for certain that guests are being asked for money on your behalf, even after having opted out. Of course, doling out clear and verifiable information isn't the company's strong suit, either here in the forums thru the mods, or from the company's updates or CX agents, so it's unlikely we'll ever know anything about this program for certain.

Cheers!

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Jennifer1421 

Moving forward from your opt-out, no further donations will be received (by which I also read solicited on your behalf).

... they were going to put some kind of text beside that host's name saying that s/he had opted out of receiving money "for personal reasons".

Something I've seen banded around the various forums is that if you opt-out of the donations, you also are opted out of having cards sent. This is largely by inexperienced hosts thinking it should be that way - but it isn't. Incidentally, I'll add, further to what I've already been saying - this "kindness card" ruse to raise donations has no opt-out. But the donations aspect does. So which is the primary vehicle here? In line with Brians comments - it plainly is a donation drive.

As far as a guest is concerned, the donation is attached to the card, so the first thing a host would know is that they received a card.. Many hosts' knowledge of these donation request cards will be at the time they receive one. The nuances of the various aspects won't even enter their heads or they won't even bother to check. Many won't even know there's a donation aspect which they're part of..

I haven't seen anything about that text insert, but it's a possibility. And if it was a possibility, why was the template containing it withheld when requested - numerous times? There has been plenty of opportunity for transparency here, but none has been provided.

@Helen350 is our best bet here to clarify anything. She was firstly Opted-Out and  Did receive a card, so that defeats the misunderstandings about the opt-out button. It would be really useful to know her guests' view of the email and the subsequent link he viewed.

In that "Managing Contributions" excerpt, hosts are supposedly receiving donations directly - why ever would there be any payment remaining anywhere in their payout account? Something there is specifically being stated but not being said for why or for what reason. Even if you follow the specifically placed "processing time" link - no details about donation payments are specifically made. So the answer is - still as clear as mud.

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  Here are the questions I asked and the message I received from an Airbnb supervisor when I asked the following regarding opting out of the contributions:

A. If hosts click "decline", will our guests not receive these solicitations? or

B. Will they be sent them with an acompanying notice that we decline contributions? or

C. If they send a contribution even though we have declined to receive them, will the contribution be retained by Airbnb?

[Helen350]

@Sarah977 Now I remember you posting this, & I replied at the time it was gibberish! - IMO Airbnb did NOT answer your questions, they just repeated them. - in bad English! - I was none the wiser!

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

Thanks for finding those.

The responses to your questions would be the sort of reply you would have liked to hear, and as long as the resulting actions matched, that would be acceptable. It remains to be proven whether that happens and as always, evidence always manages to emerge to show what actually happens.

At the moment, I'm receiving bookings which no way resemble my booking settings and having CS Agents trying to insist that a booking request is actually a booking. With that sort of experience you can only provide a short leash and question every statement.

[Yadira22]

Honestly, I still can't believe that after all the negative feedback from hosts on this initiative these were still sent out. As predicted, the guests did not approve either. 

FYI- https://twitter.com/olenskae/status/1283000201993748482

If any of you are interested!

[Sarah977]

@Yadira22  The tone-deafness of Airbnb is staggering. It's like once they get an idea in their head, they become totally attached to it and won't listen to anything. Reminds me of a few politicians these days .

[Jennifer1421]

@Yadira22This is not unexpected. We did raise the alarm. Shameful and disheartening to have been ignored - especially since we're the ones facing the backlash.