Pending Verification

Dave-and-Deb0
Level 10
Edmonton, Canada

Pending Verification

Hi,

I was in the process of making another "How to" post and then went to my calendar and saw that a section is blocked out indicating "Pending Verification".

 

pending.png

 

I have not received an emai or text and also there is nothing in my messages.  Anyone know if this is normal or just a glitch in the system?  Maybe you will teach me something new.

 

Now back to my how to post.

 

Cheers

 

David

David

Superhost Ambassador ~ Host Club Community Leader ~ Community Expert ~ Experienced Co-Host

34 Replies 34
Deborah0
Level 10
California, United States

Hi Deb and Dave

This is something a great many hosts wonder about.  A lot of posts on this have appeared on the old groups.  

 

The first and simplest thing for hosts to do when this happens, is make sure you haven't received a reservation request, that was not accompanied by a message.  Some guests will send a reservation request with no message, so you will see nothing in your inbox, but your dates are blocked on your calendar by their request.  To see if you have a reservation request, go to dashboard and then reservations, and any pending reservation will show there on your list of reservations.  

More often, though, the reason you see your calendar blocked out with "pending verification", but have not received a message, is  that a guest has sent you a reservation request, but they do not have verified ID when either you the host require that, or in this instance Airbnb requires that.  So, the guest's reservation request gets "held up" in the system, intercepted on its way to you as it were, while Airbnb gives the guest time to complete verification, usually 12 hrs.  Your calendar stays blocked during this time -- though I thought I heard that Airbnb was starting to roll out a new program which actually I had suggested a long time ago, namely that Airbnb first contact the host to ask permission to hold the dates for that guest, rather than just going ahead and doing that without contacting host at all.  Many hosts have been upset to find their calendar blocked and no way to unblock it, by someone who has not contacted them.  HOsts wanted an option to not allow their calendar to be blocked.  

 

Once guest has completed verification, the reservation request will proceed through to you and you can accept or decline it.  

 

 

Hi Deborah,

 

This has happened to me three times in the last month and is an incredibly poor user experience for both host and guest. All 3 times this happened the booking failed and it just wasted the guest and my time. Let me illustrate:

- A new, unverified guest to AirBnB who is trying to learn the system sees an opening in my calendar and requests. They believe they're all set.

- I log in and see that three weeks of my calendar have now been made unavailable with the description "pending verification". I wonder what the heck is going on since I have no message, no communication, just a block on potentially 3 weeks of my calendar without any note. 

- The guest receives a note explaining to them they need to get verified, and upload an ID, etc. They are confused as they provided credit card information already.

- I am now frustrated, because I have no idea who blocked off my calendar for X period of time during X dates and it will probably last for 24 hours, preventing any other guest who IS verified and could have booked my place. That other guest who would have given both AirBnB and me revenue now may book another place or look on another platform for a place to stay. 

- The guest reaches out to me now, desperate to understand what they have to do and what the message from AirBnB means. I waste my time explaining to them how to get verified.

- The guest has a 50/50 chance that they will successfully do this in time and properly, and their booking may not even come through due to verification issues. Both guest and host are burned by AirBnB's poor experience in this matter. 

 

A solution: only allow verified guests to actually make hard requests on a host's calendar. New guests should be able to make an inquiry only, until they get verified. Voila! 

 

Does anyone have any insight or details on why this happens? Feel free to share as much as possible in light of making this easier for us hosts. 

 

Thanks! 

 

- Kean 

Deborah0
Level 10
California, United States

Hi @Kean0

I believe Airbnb is moving to require all users to have verified ID, but we aren't there yet.  In the meantime, there are many hosts who dont' require verified ID, and it would actually create more obstacles for them to have Airbnb require verified ID for guests to book,when they don't specify that they need that.  Yet sometimes in spite of a host not requiring verified ID, Airbnb will randomly require someone to have verified ID, and hold up a booking when that is not complete.  

 

I think really the best option in these situations, to avoid hosts gettting their calendar blocked by someone who they may not have ever communicated with, is for Airbnb to ask hosts' permission for guest's pending verification to block the hosts' calendar.  THis could be very very simple.  IF guest doesn't have verified ID and needs it, email goes to host asking if they will give the guest time to work on their account,  and hold the space in their calendar to complete verification.  IF host says no, guest gets a message that they should contact the host with a new reservation request when their account is complete.  Until then they do not get to block out host's calendar and hold the dates for themselves.  I have been occaisionally getting such emails from Airbnb, which indicates this system may be in "beta testing" and eventually roll out to everyone.  


Using this system  would eventually encourage guests to complete verification before sending a reservation request.  

I'm  a new host and I insist on verification. i just read an article from a Canadian national newspaper whose author refused to get verified because his passport might get hacked; after all, everybody else is getting hacked. He went on to say that many hotels only take a cursory glance at Government iD. Most of the comments, from guests, concurred. I'm posting this because somebody somewhere is going to use this as an excuse not to verify.

 

Read: creep-o-rama! 

 

No. Nope. Nada. Don't even THINK that you'll get in my home trying to bend my boundaries. And that includes full disclosure! 

Delphine16
Level 2
Manchester, United Kingdom

Hi Kean, I have the same problem at the moment. How do only allow verified guests to actually make hard requests on a host's calendar. New guests should be able to make an inquiry only, until they get verified? Can you give me the different steps please?

Thanks a lot,

delphine

This is the most assinine policy (among many) that Airbnb has.  They USE us hosts to sign up new users.  I reject every single one of them once the verificaiton process is complete because I refuse to be used in this way.

I agree! Why should a host.s calendar get ried up for even 12 hrs, why doesn't AIBNB reduce the amount of time to 3 hrs or not allow them to book at all until ALL the necessary ID's and paymet information is provided.. Frusturated Host!

That is outrageous! I need to release dates over New Year and am not able to do so. The enquiry have no concern over this and will probably never verify their ID. This system can completely mess up bookings and sabotage reservations?!

Sabotage, you say. Maybe that's the way to force change. Make millions of reservation attempts through tons of unverified profiles and Airbnb will modify its software in no time. Of course, we punish ourselves on the short term if we do that.

😉

Thank you for explanation.

Don't want to frustrate guest, but don't know what else to do. If Host have option to manage the "pending verification" would be much nicer. 

 

Suggestion:  
- If host (or Airbnb via Instant book) requires verification, unverified profiles should by no means be able to block a calender. This would urge some people to do their verification allright as their choice on Airbnb would increase by xyz percent.
- Leave unverified guests booking non requiring hosts alone so that this just keeps working.

Also, "Pending Verification" remains after you deny the request. To my common sense, that's pointless, but sense is common with oneself only, apparently 😉

This just happened to me and I had already preapproved another guest, and had checked the box saying "Block dates" for that guest. Now, she is tryiing to book and the second, unverified guest has blocked the dates! Very upsetting for a the long term Airbnb guest who wanted to book and is being bumped by a newbie! This is total B.S. and a poor UX!!

I LOVE your answer, Deborah! it was a great and comprehensive answer! Thank you for your effort. ^.^