Reservation is cancelled by AIRBNB but no cancellation fee is collected

Maurice85
Level 1
Rotterdam, Netherlands

Reservation is cancelled by AIRBNB but no cancellation fee is collected

AIRBNB has cancelled a reservation because there was a chargeback of the money.

 

So although i have a cancellation policy, AIRBNB does not enforce this when someone creates a chargeback.

AriBNB should not allow the chargeback and deliver proof of purchase to the creditcard company!

 

By allowing the cancellation the whole concept of the cancellation policy is useless. People can block you calandar and do a last minute chargeback.

 

AirBNB support desk just tells me: it is the way it is.

 

How do we get them to realise this is not the service expected AND needed.

12 Replies 12
David126
Level 10
Como, CO

I am not sure what you mean by chargeback, may mean something different to me.

 

Have the Guests stayed?

 

But on the general point you should never ever assume AirBnB will uphold your cancellation conditions.

David
Letti0
Level 10
Atascosa, TX

@Maurice85  This is why you get a signed rental agreement and go after the person yourself because AirBnB will not fight a chargeback. You can fight a chargeback on HA/VRBO directly through Yapstone with a rental agreement and proof of reservation, you will usually win. Though it does take a month or two to process it all. 

 

@David126  It's when a guest calls the credit card company and disputes the charges saying they are fraudulent. The credit company then tells, in this case AirBnB they demand the money back. It's up to you to prove to them the charges are valid, but as we have no means to contact the credit card processing company AirBnB uses you would need to file a small court claim in this case. HA/VRBO has credit card processing through Yapstone and will let you fight the charge back with your proof directly through them. It costs you $250 to fight it, but if the reservation was for 1 week in my case it will be close to $2500, so 10% of what I will get back fighting it. 

I have come across it when goods/services etc have been disputed, this sounds like it may have been a fraudulent booking.

 

Touch wood, and I have had hundreds maybe into the thousands of bookings I have not had a chargeback where somebody has stayed.

 

My impression so far is that AirBNB does not pass it on if it happens, they deal with it. Well other than when they retrospectively cancel the reservation.

David
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

@Letti0  Thanks for the education!  Never had the charge back experience.

Letti0
Level 10
Atascosa, TX

@David126  @Maurice85  has two inexpensive apartments and one expensive apartment that goes for over $200 a night. I'm willing to bet that the expensive one was the one that he got the chargeback on for a cancellation at 100% payment to him with his strict policy. The only thing fraudulent about this booking is the guests dispute IMHO. 

 

I have just had this same thing happen with VRBO, the guest cancelled 3 days before he was suppose to show during peak season.  I have a 60 day cancellation policy during peak as we have so many inquiries and only rent by the month.  The renter got into an argument with a friend so he decided not to come.  Now VRBO has charged me back the money although I have a contract, which apparently means nothing along with the fact that this was peak time.  What is the best way to handle this without spending a fortune. 

Christopher1010
Level 2
New Orleans, LA

AirBnb just did this to me as well. They stated that the guest filed a chargeback, that the financial institution for the guest agreed with the guests and AirBnb just abides by that decision. At no point did AirBnb submit any information to dispute the guests claim, which was completely fraudulent, as the guest simply wanted to get out of paying a cancelation fee, which was even discussed in the message exchange with the guest. AirBnb simply tells me that I have to live with it, and that I can't speak with someone about disputing the chargeback by the guest. Unbelievable. Below is all I got from AirBnb after 4-5 back and forth of me asking for them to dispute the chargeback. They just kept saying the same thing. 

 

"This is Richard again from Airbnb Community Support Team. I'm so sorry for the delay in my response. I'm so sorry but we dont have any way to oppose chargeback. Once it has been approved by the guest's financial institution, it will be considered as valid and Airbnb would need to comply
with their policy. I understand that the resolution provided is different from what you've been expecting."

@Christopher1010  wow that sounds ridiculous.  Do we not pay Airbnb to collect payment from the guest.  I would fight this with Airbnb until they cave in.

Airbnb are Snakes.

I have gone back and forth many times and they just keep repeating themselves telling me there is nothing more I can do. This is an instance that makes ZERO sense as the guest made reservations for July 2020 in February 2020. They indicated they were coming to New Orleans for Essence festival that occurs over the 4th of July weekend. Fast Forward to late March/early April when the festival was finally canceled and the guest requests a refund and cancelation. I inform the guest of their options, which at that time, and still the same at this time, was to cancel their reservation and receive back 50% of their amount paid, or alternatively they could still come to New Orleans, as there are many other things they can do. They again demanded and accused me of not caring about them, etc., which I informed them of the situation I was in as a host as well, and that they were able to utilize the cancelation policy that they agreed to at the time of booking if they wanted to do so. They then came up with a different tactic regarding their bringing their elderly parents with them (which I sincerely doubt they were bringing them to go to a  music festival, but whatever) and they really wanted to be released. I again told them the options they had available, as AirBnb's Extenuating Circumstances Policy did not apply to travel dates in July at that (or this) time. They went silent and then apparently managed to convince AirBnb that their reservation was actually fraudulent, as I got a cancellation notice from AirBnb saying that their booking appeared to be not "legitimate". I disputed this with AirBnb, pointing to the many conversations with the guest clearly showing it was legitimate, intended, and now just a matter of a person not wanting to utilize the reservation anymore. I then asked AirBnb for additional information to explain why they determined it was illegitimate. They would never really address this question, and then subsequently told me that the guest had initiated a chargeback and that the money had been refunded as the bank determined it was correct to do so. So I have been demanding an explanation from AirBnb as to their actions, why they never stood up to defend their host by providing the information that would dispute that chargeback, and alternatively for the contact information for the bank so I could do so on my own behalf since they wouldn't. None of which has had any effect. 

 

They are draconian, ignorant of the circumstances, and only looking out for themselves it seems, as they won't now honor their own policies nor will they refund me the ~$3000 I am owed, per the cancelation policy. And I have NO RECOURSE against AirBnb they say, and instead just told to relax, six back, and enjoy it basically. 

This just happened to me the other day.  Non Covid related.  Guest decided they didn't want to come and that they didn't want to abide by my strict cancellation policy so they did a credit card dispute and airbnb says I'm just out my 50% cancellation fee.  I feel its up to airbnb to pay me this as they should have fought it.  But they say "too bad so sad" and won't do anything for me at all.  We need an airbnb alternative!

Aambr0
Level 2
Oakland, CA

** inappropriate content hidden ** Hosts shouldn’t be allowed to keep money if folks don’t stay. Y’all should act as hotels do and just give folks their money back, but you wanna play with people and their money. Now they have options 

Emilie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Aambr0

 

It sounds like you went through a rather negative experience in a past booking, and I'm really sorry to hear that. When booking a stay, I'd recommend you look closely at the cancellation policy that applies, as that will tell you how much of a refund you can expect in case you're not able to go through with the stay in the end: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/149/find-the-cancellation-policy-for-your-stay

 

I also wanted to mention I've had to remove part of your comment above ; please remain respectful of others when posting on the Community Center, and keep our guidelines.

 

Thanks, 

 

Emilie

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