Resolving the Resolution Centre

[Robin4]

When you call Airbnb with a problem you are appointed a case manager who deals with your problem exclusively....your issue is not generally transferable to another case manager. You have the capacity to ask for a supervisors involvement, but that is not automatic and is at the discretion of the case manager!

Once the case manager finishes his/her shift they close off their cases for the day and get on with their personal lives until their next shift starts. Another post by @Mary-And-Kelly0 stated...."So result of this phone call is to tell me he is not going to do anything and he wouldn't be calling me back because he was off shift in a few minutes and he was going home.", this host has 4 unknown, unregistered people standing in her house, none of them the guest who booked.......brilliant!! 

The world has to effectively come to a standstill as far as that particular issue is concerned.

Governments have risen and fallen in the time it takes a case manager to return to an un-concluded file!

I am not stating this as fact but one is almost lead to the observation that case managers are paid by the file.

And this is where Airbnb CS fails miserably! The Resolution Centre operates like a series of small islands rather than a single continent. It should be that cases are handed from one case manager to another until the issue has been resolved. This would also lead to better handling of individual disputes because I am yet to see the problem that was NOT handled better by two minds than one! The argument is, there is too much wasted time bringing another skilled person up to speed with a problem! But don't these people have case notes/files....do they just carry everything around in their heads?

CS need to be made aware that they are not just representing Airbnb in a dispute, they are also representing both host and guest and failure to seemlessly follow through on an issue does not just put the host offside...it puts the guest offside as well. All they manage to accomplish is the exact opposite of what they should be trying to accomplish....a speedy settlement.

Any ideas on how we get CS to operate as a comforting seat rather than a pin cushion.....cryptic meaning!

Cheers.....Rob

[Rosemarie9]

Robin, I am convinced they just read from a sheet, as whenever I have had a problem with guests, I have had the exact same things said, ie give guest half refund, even when the guest is at fault and has not read basic instructions.

Three weeks ago when I had " the guest from hell " I was passed around from so many people that I lost count. I went on facebook and that was the only time I got a response, and even then I had to chase up that case manager when he didnt get back to me the next day as promised. They just don't seem interested, and the soothing noises telling me I am such a valued host just do not rate with me anymore. I want results, and common sense.

I really dread having a bad guest again, I really hate confrontation but I have a limit also. Airbnb just want to keep any guest happy, even one with no place on the platform. Us hosts are continually judged, but the horrible guest gets away with it unless you go in to bat against airbnb support. Guaranteed to give you grey hair!

[Rodney8]

Rosemarie, I just had the guest from hell. I called and ask airbnb to withhold my damage deposit to cover additional cleaning expenses and was informed that they do not charge the guest a damage deposit unless I file a complaint and go through some awful resolution experirence and beg and plead with the guest first and provide all sorts of proof.  They said if I could not resolve the issue with guest they would act as a mediator.  My cleaning company is charging me double and I told airbnb the aggrevation and time required to resolve my case was not worth the aggravation I would have to encounter that it was easier and less stressful to just pay my extra cleaning fee and move on.  Also you might as well not even list a damage deposit on your listing as it don't mean squat.  I also use vrbo who withholds the damage deposit and does not release it until I give approval.  In five years with vrbo I have only withheld one damage deposit from the guest.

[Rosemarie9]

Hi Rodney,

Yes, seems security deposit really offers no security to host.

I will be listing with vrbo soon for my whole home rental so it is good to know that you have had little trouble with them regarding deposits.

[Robin4]

@Rosemarie9

Hello Rosemarie, I have seen 'VRBO' and I have seen 'Trip Advisor'.....I have also seen 'Stayz' and I have seen 'Holiday Lettings' and I have done some hosting through the International Education Service! Each has it's strengths and its weaknesses.....and for a long time I thought I could plot a neutral path and pick the eyes out of what was on offer, but I was wrong.

Airbnb is the best hosting site I have come across....Sure it's not perfect Rosemarie, but across 140 hostings here I have less complaints and issues using this site than I had elsewhere.

I have also seen a number of hosts depart for 'greener pastures' but within a year or so they are back again.

Rosemarie, this is a risky game but, I do sincerely think you have to approach it as a 'glass half full' person rather than a glass half empty one! Look for the Airbnb positives, use them, and where you see a problem use a work around instead of throwing your hands in the air and talk about quitting.

I would hate to see a host of your calibre disappear, you are one seriously amazing host...the sort that has made Airbnb great!

Analyse your problem hostings, work out where they may have went wrong, and try to make sure that situation does not come your way again.

Hang in there pal....the platform needs you, and as I said....I would hate to see you go!

Cheers......Rob 

[David126]

I am on site and would not charge a security deposit, but if I was renting a seperate property absolutely would and that is not something ABB offer so would not use them.

As @Robin4 said every site is slightly different and none is perfect, I used to have my own site and that was problematic, so pick and choose and use the ones that match your business needs.

[Rosemarie9]

Thanks Rob, don't worry, not getting rid of me yet, us Aussies are made of tougher stuff as you know! I am just looking at not putting all my eggs in one basket just in case. I always say that 97 per cent of guests are wonderful, it is just the few that give you a run for your money.

I had an unstable lady stay with me a few weeks ago and it really upset me, and having little real help from airbnb when trying to sort it out was disappointing, but I know the buck stops with me when dealing with guests. Luckily I got paid out for the stay and had the review removed when I pointed out all the lies she had stated, when I asked airbnb to check the message thread. The woman was just one of those anomalies, nothing would have made her happy but the domestic her and her husband were having and her constantly harassing me was too much even for me. She was a new user, but no real red flags when her request came in. I have a lot of new users and they are great.

I will soldier on, hope all is well in Oz. I am entertaining moving back after all the bad weather here, I really miss the sunshine. The only thing keeping me here is the thought of having to put the pup Curly Murphy in quarantine, and having to deal with ticks again. Being a poodle he loves the cooler climate here- except for the cold water at the beach. He has become a bit of a fixture here, we were approached to be in commercial while out walking yesterday, and he has appeared in countless photos and facebook posts. He is becoming quite the star!

[Rosemarie9]

That should be spoodle, not poodle. He is definately more cocker spaniel than poodle. Daft as a brush!

[Robin4]

@Rosemarie9

Would you believe we are sick of waking up to another nice sunny day in the high 20s-low 30s!

We have English guests here at the moment and for the three weeks they have been with us the weather has been (for them) simply perfect. But I have this mammoth bloody water bill to keep this garden alive! We have had less than 17mm of rain so far this year!!

The guest came out of the cottage the other day and said jokingly...."Don't you ever get sick of waking up to another day of this beautiful sunshine".......yes I do!

So Rosemarie.....careful what you wish for!!

Fire ban season here in the Adelaide Hills has been extended to June....would you believe that!

Cheers.....Rob

[David126]

We have a fire ban on as well, been super dry this winter, also c40 in the day, 6 inches of snow Friday night but it was all mostly gone by lunchtime. Did not seem to do very much, just melted away.

[Robin4]

@Rodney8 @Rosemarie9

Rodney, you are 'spot on' mate......just move on! 

When we invite strangers onto our property we accept that there will be a risk involved and it is up to us cover ourselves.

The Resolution Centre is a marketing tool....it is designed to attract both guests and hosts to the platform. If it 'were' a form of insurance, there would be some sort of actuarial basis to it. In other words a premium would be charged to match the expected claim ratio per risk. But this is not the case, this does not happen. Airbnb make these lofty statements without any form of monetary compensation fund to back them up!!! Obviously, it does not work....It is like saying, "I am going to sell used cars and offer a free ten year warranty....I hope none of them break down!"

Airbnb are a booking agency Rodney, they put A (the guest) in touch with B (the host)....that is what they charge a fee for, and that is all that we as users should expect from them.

I was fortunate enough to stumble on this forum before I started hosting and I soon realised from all the posts that I was reading that trusting warm and fuzzy $1M host protection scheme statements and other compensatory offers were a shortcut to ruin!

I have a proper structured liability insurance in place with a relatively high excess, and I have set my rental amount so that a portion of each guest night payment goes to an account that is there and will cover minor damage that guests may do. That account currently sits with over $2,400 in it! I have 'dumb-proofed' the listing as much as possible and Rodney, I do NOT involve the Resolution Centre and all the possible heartache, running around and disappointed that will (or may) be involved if I did. If something gets damaged I just replace it out of my own fund before the next guest arrives, and I just get on with the business of hosting and making money.

Let the Resolution Centre sort out 'double bookings', 'no shows', 'additional customer information', 'cancellations and guest removals'....those aspects that pertain to the hosting taking place....

But don't expect a dollar out of them!

Cheers......Rob

[Geoff64]

WHY NO APPEAL PROCESS RE COMPLAINTS DECISION 

We had an awful experience in Sydney recently. Premises was a health hazard. Contacted Airbnb after failure to resolve with host. Had to move to a hotel for 5 nights at considerable expense.After an exchang in emails result from Airbnb case manager was 50% refund. All a bit of a joke really,arbitory decision making with no process for appeal. Whilst I do understand the problems host may have, but please don'  forget you are a service provider and we are the customers. Any suggestions as to how I can progress this matter would be greatly received.

[Alex7395]

Hello,

I'm having so much trouble with the resolution centre, I came on here to actually try and find the resolution centre which is cynically beyond buried even though I've used it twice in the past as I have 7 airbnb properties.  I had a guest do 700 dollars worth of damage to my property, I sent the invoices to the guest through Airbnb, and they did not respond, I then had to put a smaller claim in a few weeks ago for a 100 dollars and this took me to the resolution centre and the outstanding claim, i then actioned the first claim, and was told it was 5 days over the 30 day limit and the claim would not be paid, there is zero information on this on the website, there are no reminders, i challenged this with the rep who emailed me , and was told tough luck basically,  the whole thing has left me not wanting to deal with airbnb any further, could other hosts please recommend another platform to use? cheers Alex

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Robin4 ,  Im sure as an engineer, you have dealt with help lines your entire life (just like me as an electronics technician).   Ive had the best and worst experiences and everything in between but rarely found a company to go downhill unless they are bought up by someone.   Unfortunately,  "consolidation" and "re-org" is what happened here without a new owner or leadership team.   It really was awesome to get reasonable answers reasonably fast, exactly what the doctor /Innkeeper ordered!   Its unconscionable that they would throw out the recipe that worked for one that doesn't.   I Pray the retrograde and re-group now that they have more money than many small nations.  Stay well Rob, JR