Today, I found out I want to be !!!South Korean!!! while travelling with Airbnb. Because I will get a special VIP treatment just simply based on my country of origin. I will get a 30 day cancellation grace period, instead of 48h like everyone else in the world. How is even possible that Airbnb owners are accepting this?. I am truly concerned about this discriminatory approach towards non-South Korean guests, so I am going to keep investigating to find out if Airbnb's legal team is at least sensing that this is a nonsense with huge potential to become a democratic disaster within the Airbnb community. This Airbnb decision is in essence discriminatory in two ways. How do you think I feel about being non-South Korean, and having a different treatment when it comes to respect hosts cancellation policies? Secondly, how do you think I will feel about accepting reservations from South Koreans moving forward?
I am a US citizen, originally born in Spain. I am a Miami-based host since the beginning of Airbnb's existence. The majority of the time, I feel very lucky to have a business partner like Airbnb. But today I feel cheated, abused by the power of the giant, and discriminated for being non-South Korean. Today, it was the first time that a South Korean guest of me cancels, and gets a full refund (despite the fact I have a strict cancellation policy).
I did not receive any "warning" or pop-up message informing me that this South Korean guest has a VIP 30 day cancellation policy, that overrides my " strict cancellation" policy. I did not accept anything electronically, except for the reservation itself. If I had received that 30 day pop-up notice, I would have declined it in a heartbeat. Why would I accept a 30 day cancellation policy guest when my cancellation is strict? It does not make sense.
I contacted Airbnb customer service to request the 50% refund I was entitled. And for the first time I heard about the South Korean special treatment. Wait a minute! I live in Miami. The reservation is for a US stay. How do you apply a South Korean policy here in the land of freedom and equality? The Airbnb ambassadors keep repeating the same song (They are super sweet, though). But the problem is that I did not receive any pop-up message, I did not accept this special policy for this South Korean VIP guest, I did not click on any link, and did not authorize the full refund.
So.... I am requesting electronic proof that I truly received this pop-up message, and that I electronically click on the ACCEPT bottom. If Airbnb ambassadors can provide this proof, my mistake! I will drop my claim. But if they don't, I am going to keep asking them to honor my cancellation policy.
Last thing they told me is that they can not do that. They claimed they do not have the means to send me any digital proof besides the reservation acceptance itself, of course.
Can someone out there (inside or outside Airbnb, hosts who experienced similar cases, IT geniuses of the world, virtual investigators, anyone... ) send me some insight if my request of receiving digital proof of my "electronical acceptance" (of this VIP South Korean 30 day cancellation policy) is feasible? Is it reasonable?
Thanks so much in advance.
Ana "from Spain, US citizen, unfortunately not South-Korean while traveling with Airbnb"
