Last minute booking request from guest with NO verifications

Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

Last minute booking request from guest with NO verifications

So I just got a last-minute booking request from a guest. They had absolutely no information on their profile, and zero verifications. ZERO! Not a cell phone number or email address, even. I asked why they wanted to stay, and they said that they're locals and their landlord needs to fix their bathroom. Yeah, no, sorry. What I can't get over is that Airbnb would even let them send a request with absolutely no verification of their profile. I really feel like Airbnb is starting to take the piss when it comes to guests.... we aren't able to do even the most cursory of checks on them because they now block all info before the booking is completed, and apparently they're not doing any checks either. It takes the giddy buscuit.

 

How much does Airbnb value our safety when they are allowing guests who have not provided any personal information whatsoever to book with the platform?

125 Replies 125

How do you use the photo requirement? I am not aware of it, so likely. I have made a request for photos before and people have been cooperative. 

@Eileen109 @Emilia42 has a good tutorial above on how to require a photo for booking.

Sky18
Level 2
Mandeville, LA

Hi. I'm Skye.

I've been an Airbnb host for 13 years so I've seen a lot in over a decade. This is a great subject which I'd be more than happy to lay in my two cents. I fully agree with you. I am absolutely disgusted with the new Airbnb. They have blocked both the photo and profile information of guests prior to booking so hosts have no idea who they are accepting or declining. Airbnb does not do any background checks on guests which initially I thought they did. Guests contact me and book frequently with absolutely zero information in their profile. No photo, no city state, no personal information about themselves such as if they're e male or female or if they're traveling for business or vacation or why are they staying in your place to begin with.  Airbnb doesn't care. In a nutshell. All they want is your money and the guests money. It's already insane that we provide free inventory to them and they charge us 3% so that they can make money off us and then charge guests from 6 to 12 % in addition to what they charge us. I just found out today they paused my profiles, plural for 30 days because one guest booked the wrong State unknowing to herself even though I communicated with her via text inquiring if she wanted one stay or the other but she failed to respond in time. By the time the guest responded it was the day of the reservation and hello she booked the wrong state so she decided to give me a bad review. Another guess which was obviously bipolar I had to have the police escort him off the property because he calls a loud seen on the property when asked to leave so I received a bad review from him because he was off-balance and disgruntled so according to Airbnb that dropped my quarterly overall reading below 3.7 so they suspended my account even though I have about 10 five reviews for the recent months.

 

I've also selected the option that guests must answer my questions prior to booking such as do they smoke, traveling with pets, have a criminal record or have had bed bugs within the last 6 months to a year but even though I've selected that option guess still booked and have never answered the questions anywhere in the communications or in their profile. Obviously there is no checks and balance system to verify that they have answered the question and the host must pull information from the guest like pulling teeth. The Audacity Of many guests who think that they can just stay in your house or on your property completely Anonymous and they get angry with you when you asked to see some form of identification. Yes I have and will continue to demand valid ID from every guess who stepped foot through my doors and if they don't like it they can go elsewhere. I state clearly on my listings that I do not lease to any gifts with a criminal record or pedophile specifically. If Airbnb has a problem with that then I will not do business with them. as you've mentioned they could care less about the safety of a horse it is all about the bottom line for them. Guess have completely fabricated details and Airbnb has refunded them. Here's a go one broke gas line at the end of a 30-day reservation say I had bed bugs 2 days before checkout and Airbnb offer him a full refund and then told me to prove I didn't. Until then they suspended my listing. Of course I had no bed bugs because it was my personal bed of which I never had treated because I never had bed bugs before nor after that particular guess but it was a scam to get a refund and Airbnb fully obliged. if anyone can you recommend a better website than Airbnb please tell me and today I will delete every last one of my listings. I have easily brought Airbnb over $80K-$100K in the past decade and they're repayment to me was a 30-day suspension over a guest's stupid mistake in booking the wrong location.   and let's not talk about customer service. I had to call them about this and initially received a hangout from the first customer service agent then was transferred to a second agent who was completely non helpful who then transferred me to a third agent with a thick Bangladesh accent so that was a challenge just trying to understand the basics of what he was saying. I quit Airbnb! It sucks!

Kathleen350
Level 2
Sequim, WA

I'm very unhappy about how extremely difficult it is to get the $300.00 I asked airbnb to take from my  guest's deposit. She showed up with 2 extra unpaid guests. I billed her, and she declined. I then requested airbnb to begin a resolution case, which I assume they did, but it has been nearly two weeks since the case began, and airbnb will not inform me on the status or return my messages. It should have been a swift resolution, being that the guest admited through airbnb messages that she did indeed have two unpaid guests. I'm considering changing companies if they do not resolve this. Very maddening and unprofessional on the part of airbnb's administrative capabilities.

It's also happened to me. The Airbnb hold my money, paid by two guests I hosted in my house. When  I first contacted, them, they said that there was same wrong with my bank account, so, for me it was correct, but anyway, I sent again  my Bank account information again. The week passed and no money in my account. So for the third time, I contacted the airbnb again, this time they came up with another excuses, saying that they didn't pay me because of my email. Question!.... what the matter with my bank account and my email that they couldn't pay me? I am very disappointed  with the way that Airbnb does not give us as a host, the support we deserve.

I just experienced this kind of situation. A guest, in the last minute, asked to stay. I didn't have any information about him, no phone, no photo, no email and he joined at the airbnb in the same day he wants to stay. He asked, and insisted for having my address. He found the building and send a msg saying that he was by the door and wanted me to open the door. I am asking to Airbnb....did you really suggest us  guests that are well verified with all information we need to be safe? After this situation, I don't think so.