Please Help Me. AirBnB Suspended My Account and Won't Communicate with Me.

Payton0
Level 2
Jacksonville, FL

Please Help Me. AirBnB Suspended My Account and Won't Communicate with Me.

I have been an AirBnB Host for many years in Jacksonville, Florida.  I have more than 35 listings, with over 3,000 guests to date, and my properties have excellent reviews.  I have a great track record with AirBnB.

 

Outside of AirBnB, my real estate company manages other properties I own or co-own.  They are rented in variations of long-term, short-term, furnished, and unfurnished.

 

A woman messaged me through AirBnB trying to find housing for her friend in Canada who was coming to Jacksonville to get treatment for her 4 year old son who has brain cancer.  I asked the woman to have her friend message me through AirBnB or contact me at my real estate office to discuss her needs.  Her friend never wrote me through AirBnB, but called my office and we discussed her needs.

 

As she was not familiar with AirBnB, had unique needs, and did not know exact dates or the length of her stay, I processed her as a standard tenant and we completed a lease.  I informed her that I host and rent to medical cases often, and given the nature of her reasons for being in Jacksonville I would provide a considerable discount for her stay and would not hold her to the lease should she choose not to.

 

The woman stayed at my property for approximately a week.  Things were fine between she and I and were not contentious.  After that week, she messaged me and informed she that she had been offered housing at the Ronald McDonald house and wanted to know if I would consider giving her a refund.  At this point, she had only paid the security deposit and had sent it through Paypal.  Paypal held the funds in escrow and I had not received them yet.  I told her to take care of her family, and that I would give her a refund.

 

A few days later, she sent me a contentious text asking why I had not sent her refund.  I informed her that I would be sending a full refund, but that if wouldn't be immediate as I had policies in place for issuing refunds (Florida law allows 30 days).  Please keep in mind that I was under no legal obligation to give her a refund.

 

She and I called into Paypal on a 3 way call this past week.  Paypal informed her that I had not received any funds because they were still in escrow. Paypal refunded her the money she'd paid, and I thought the matter was closed.

 

That evening, I received messages via Facebook from people associated with the woman.  She posted on Facebook that I scammed her, that my properties were unsafe and disgusting, and that I was taking advantage of her situation: having a son with cancer.  I received numerous threats to my safety and my children's safety via Facebook from people associated with her.

 

The next day, she went to the news and lied about what had happened.  The news ran a story claiming that she was an AirBnB guest and I had scammed her.  I provided a statement to the news with the facts; they ignored these facts.

 

The story reached AirBnB, and two days ago AirBnB suspended my 35 listings.  Though I have called AirBnB more than 20 times, AirBnB will not respond to me with any perspective.  AirBnB has not asked for my perspective.  I have proof that the lady was lying.

 

To add insult to injury, the news followed up the story with a report that AirBnB provided free housing, toys and dining gift cards to the woman.  All this despite her not being a part of the AirBnB community and lying to the news.

 

I have retained an attorney and we are aggressively filing suit against the news outlet for defamation and loss of use, as I can prove they knowingly reported false information about me.

 

Here's my problem: Though I have done nothing wrong, AirBnB has suspended all of my listings.  While I am booked well for the next month and am able to continue to honor the existing bookings for now, I am unable to take new bookings because my listings have been suspended/deactivated.

 

I can't afford to wait much longer for understanding and closure.  I can't afford for 35 furnished properties to sit vacant.  Please help me if you have any perspective on what I should do next.  Thank you.

 

31 Replies 31
Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Payton0 I agree with @David126 on this, it sounds like a scam. Local media are always on the lookout for home hosting stories and it might be worth trying to put a host perspective on this and bring a bit of shame on this 'guest'! Just be objective and honest on this if it is the way you have posted here. Media, be it local or social can be a very powerful tool if you know how to use it!

Good luck Payton, you sound like you have got a bum wrap here, and I cannot believe that Airbnb would turn their back on you if you approach them with a bit of exposure!

But as others have said you did break three golden rules here!

A/. You took a booking that came via ABB and transacted it outside the platform.

B/.  You took a third party booking!

C/. And this is the worst.....you accepted a booking with a 'haggler' ........and Payton, that never works to a hosts advantage!

 

Cheers.....Rob

yes, there is a seriously amount of FAKE news in the US, such a horrific story.

Jayesh0
Level 10
Urangan, Australia

@Payton0

 

I think this pretty much all has to do with the media attention.  

 

I have made a pretty big mistake along the way that I was pulled up for and got a gentle rap on the knuckles.  We got a credit card swipe for the security deposit for about a year and a half from every guest before we were reported.  I had no idea this was not allowed and it is a pretty big infraction as well.

 

Considering your guest had no direct communications with you through the airbnb platform it would seem difficult to make a case that you intentionally diverted her to take the transaction away from airbnb.  I don't really believe it is your place to force a client to create an airbnb profile to book when she came to you directly as a referral from a friend.  You must have asked her to book through airbnb in order to know that she was not familiar with it.  If she specifically did not want to book through airbnb despite you prompting her to do so, are you really obligated to turn the business away?  

 

The friend is just a secondary player who really has nothing to do with the guest booking.  The guest made a direct booking with you and airbnb should have been kept right out of it - this is where the problem is.  I look at online travel agents all the time to see reviews and prices and then pick up the phone to book directly with the property or would refer to a friend to book directly.  This is a common practice and would seem like a forgiveable offence to me - particularly if the guest was not even airbnb client!

 

It is understandable that airbnb would not be happy with the negative press especially in an instance when it is really not their fault.  Next the media could be reporting that airbnb support you if they kept your listing active.  You are really in a no win position.

 

I think you are going to have to wait until this blows over and then try to get a pardon.  I would not do anything underhanded or try skirt the rules.  I would wait for a while and be very open and frank with them when you contact them.  Even ask them if they can change their ruling to a fixed term of suspension.  Just acknowledge that they are also the injured party here and you are sorry for any role that you may have inadvertantly played.  Don't rope them into too many explanations - just a succinct plea for mercy.  Maybe someone will post the Brian Chesky email for you and you can send your correspondence to his office.

 

In the meantime, better get busy contacting booking.com, expedia, homeaway and VRBO for starters.  I am actually shocked that they are letting you keep existing bookings as they normally cancel these and relocate the guests.  I would take this as a glimmer of hope that they were not as punative as they could have been.

 

Really sorry for your situation.  Be proactive with the other sites but don't give up just yet.  If you are lucky, you may find that airbnb can often be more reasonable than folks give them credit for.  

 

Best of luck, Lisa

 

 

 

 

Hello Lisa, thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and even a bigger thank you for replying and helping alleviate some of my anxiety. I am exploring alternative booking sites today and posting my places on them. The challenge for me is two fold. First, my properties and the way I have set them up uniquely serves the AirBnB nische. They are value based offering in an excellent historical neighborhood where the only hotel option is typically 3 to 4 times my typical rate. Second, I have investors and co-owners I have to answer to. Since the issue isn't the properties given my excellent track record, I can't imagine AirBnB having an issue with my assistant or co owners listing them. What do you think?

Glad you are feeling a bit more positive.  Apologies for the long delay in responding - the different time zone plays a part in that. 

 

Out of curiosity, in the correspondence that you received did it say your listings are “suspended” or have they been completely “cancelled”?  Suspension would seem to indicate a fixed or undetermined period of time while they investigate further or may just be intended as a temporary punishment of sorts.  Cancelling would have a more final connotation.

 

I tried to google to see if they differentiate between these terms and it seems maybe they do.  Cancelled accounts seem to also have the bookings revoked.  

 

I would personally not re-list without any communications or permission - even through another party.  There was a post here some months ago from a host who had multiple apartments and he was suspended / cancelled.  He had friends create profiles and list the properties for him.  They were all down again within a very short period of time. 

 

It would be my opinion that any small hope of a functioning partnership from that point on would be lost.  At this stage, I would be cautious about how this action would be interpreted.  It certainly would not be seen as conciliatory or compliant.  If the roles were reversed would you stay in business with someone who went against a direct order of this magnitude?  In what could be a temporary situation?  I probably wouldn’t.

 

You raise a good point about other owners and investors.  Technically, I would think they are suspended as well because they have appointed you to act on their behalf.  Ultimately, I believe they are accountable for your actions as you should have been acting under their direction.  You never know, they could be awarded some level of consideration and this would definitely be a point to expand on. 

 

Your circumstances are probably only applicable to a handful of people on the planet so it is a bit hard to offer uninformed and unprofessional feedback especially never having lived in the US.  This should really just be considered as one point of view and something to ignite your own decision making process. 

 

In any case, if it was me personally in these circumstances, I would leave it alone for a couple of weeks.  Let things die down a bit.  If I did not hear from AirBnB, I would try to make an appointment at their offices and fly there to speak with someone.  This would certainly convey the message that they are important to you and you are serious about finding a way to make this work.  You have a lot on the line with so many others dependant on you.

 

I would approach them with a promise to remove yourself entirely from the AirBnB listing activity starting with an offer of a 3-month suspension and indicate to them that this would involve a substantial financial penalty to you as well.  I would not go there expecting to get off penalty free.  My main worry would be those who are affected by what is ultimately my responsibility to fix and what I can do for them.

 

Let AirBnB know that you have assigned existing bookings to another agent to comply with the suspension.  Ask if the nominated agent can act as the AirBnB host with your listings in consideration of all the investors and owners that you represent.  You deeply regret any actions that may have played a part in this unfortunate event and you are very motivated to see that the listing owners are not punished for your transgression especially since they were not party to the decision making process.  (Yes, I would just accept the blame because you are better off not putting your energy into arguing with them).  Make them aware of the circumstances if possible.

 

If I had no luck on the phone, I would send a registered letter requesting an appointment and stating how much you value working with them.  http://www.ceoemail.com/s.php?id=ceo-9901  There is also the possibility that you will not be able to reach anyone who can help you.  If this is the case, I would mail a letter to the address listed and hope that it gets read by a staff member who believes in the ethos of AirBnB and decides to help you.

 

As for the other listing sites, you may have to choose between booking com and Expedia if you do not have a channel manager.  I would imagine that needing an account for each property would make this a less viable proposition.  Globally booking.com is #1 and it brings us the most bookings.  Expedia in the USA is worth looking into as they have affiliation with hotels.com, orbitz, egencia, travelocity, trivago and hotwire.  Find out if your listings will be on all these sites and managed by one extranet.  booking.com is affiliated with agoda, priceline and villas.com.  I believe you need a channel manager to be listed on each site but it is worth asking.

 

It would be best to do away with the perception that guests from one site may be different from guests that book on another one.  Most guests are great no matter which site they come from.  They are still just people excited to be on holiday and likely to appreciate what you offer.  The ones who know you have their credit card number may be even better guests!  I have a few tips that I can share for listings on booking.com if you decide to go that way. 

 

If you do get to speak with someone that can actually help you, I would also be inclined to mention at the end of the conversation that if they lifted the ban on your rentals you would go back to dealing exclusively with AirBnB if / because that is how you are happiest to operate.

 

Ultimately you have to do what you feel is best and perhaps even collaborate a bit with those whose income is on the line.  Once you make a move, there is going to be a reaction and they may want to have a say in what that move is going to be.

 

I find it is prudent to focus on a win win in negotiations.  I think it is to your advantage that you are a host in good standing.  This will afford AirBnB a bit of a win if they are able to accept a compromise that will see your listings back up on the site and a win for you too on being reinstated.  You have the ingredients for a positive outcome.

 

I certainly do wish you well with this undertaking, Lisa

Lyndsey2
Level 10
Stonington, CT

Others have given you great advice about the Airbnb component. You might also try contacting all the other local news stations, papers, etc that you can. They typically love to scoop each other and if you can provide clear evidence that the first news story was largely fabricated, you will likely come out on top. Fight fire with fire.

No no no,

do not do that. I know. I’m a reporter. Start saying Sorry Sorry Sorry. People love a guy who admits to a mistake. Or you wil look like a monster out to get a woman’s child who has brain cancer

Jayesh0
Level 10
Urangan, Australia

@Payton0

 

I was looking for the link with the email address for Brian and googled to find this post and look at what I found.  

 

This is the short answer!!!

 

https://www.airbnb.com.au/help/article/1303/what-should-i-do-if-my-listing-is-suspended

 

Lisa

Hi how did this resolve, in the end?

@Emilia78If you want a response, you need to tag the people involved: @Payton0

 

If I look at Payton's profile, it looks like he has active listings, so he must have gotten out of Airbnb jail. 

John1080
Level 10
Westcliffe, CO

Two lessons, follow the policies of a company like AirBnb, or they will shut you out, and two, follow your own policies to the letter - some people simply cannot be helped and your kind deeds have come back to bite you. 

Andreas-and-Anna0
Level 10
West Vancouver, Canada

You will need to do some damage control. Offer her a free stay, donate money to brain cancer and say Sorry, say Sorry again and again and don’t make excuses

Hi lets talk about your vacant homes and airbnb issues as i had my airbnb closed for fake listings even none of my listings are fake. Would like to know which solicitor fights against airbnb too. I also can help with new off market deals or whatever you need. My number 0066946036775 Angel.

@Naseem6 that is so weird. Your CC name isn't Angel?

No its a nick name