Ruthless cancellation policy - my dates are blocked

Evelina16
Level 2
Sofia, Bulgaria

Ruthless cancellation policy - my dates are blocked

I have had a horrible experience with the automatic blocking of dates that was recently imposed on my listing. Air BnB instigates people to use the instant book option and then it castigates them for having to cancel. Now the 2 most popular dates of the entire year are blocked and it is negatively affecting my business. This is unacceptable!!!!!!!! 

12 Replies 12
Mark26
Level 10
Melbourne Beach, FL

You don't have to use instant book.  You can opt to have full control of your calendar, accepting or declining reservations in a manner that allows you to most efficiently manage your own personal time and optimize the use of your listings.

You are absolutely right, but unfortunately it's getting way too hectic here in Punta Lobos and there are just too many inquiries to respond to...

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Hello @Evelina16

 

Why did cancel bookings for two of the most popular dates in the year? If it's for a reason covered by IB cancellations just give Airbnb a call.

 

Did you not read up on Instant Book and on what basis you can cancel a booking before turning it on?

 

To be honest IB cancellation policy covers cancelling if a guest breaks your house rules or they do something to make you feel uncomfortable so will cover most eventualities and extenuating circumstances such illness or damage to your property covers the rest.

 

What is unacceptable are hosts who cancel guest bookings because they want to charge more for popular dates and forget to put their prices up or double booked because they don't keep their calendars.

Helena,

First of all, you are an extremely rude person and fromwhat I can see, several other people share the same opinion in this chat.

Second, there is NO option to change the trip length settings just for a selected time of the year or specific dates.

Third, it is absolutely NOT clear what it is to come after one cancels a booking because it specifically states "penalty free" Having the dates completely blocked is NOT penalty free.

So, no, I am not the problem here.

 

First of all, if your, @Evelina16, reply is third, @Helen3's second, my mathematical logic and computation don't accept your words "several other people share the same opinion in this chat." 

The fact that Helen gets straight to the point is her charm. You're lucky I didn't comment on "spoiling the business." Airbnb was not originally meant as "business."

Second, there IS an option to change the trip length settings just for a selected time of the year or specific dates. Check the trip length settings.

Third, I hope you noticed: 

"Some examples of when a host can cancel penalty-free include:

  • The guest has several unfavorable reviews that concern the host
  • The guest hasn’t responded to questions the host needs to know about their trip
  • The guest makes it clear they’ll likely break one of the host’s house rules, like bringing a pet or smoking"

Is any of those the reason you cancelled?

 

Finally, did you cancel within 24 hours:

"3 cancellations per year

As long as they do so within 24 hours of booking, Instant Book hosts can cancel penalty-free up to 3x a year if they’re booked on days that should’ve been blocked."

 

Of course quoted from here:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2022/how-do-penalty-free-cancellations-work-for-instant-book-hos...

 

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"

Yes, I did cancel within 24 hours and no I cannot remove instant book, because I have a lot of things to do and the booking inquiries are just too many to respond to all of them in a timely manner. Anyway, the problem was fixed by Air BnB, which I am very greatful for.

Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Evelina0 I wondered which person you are pointing to here as being "extremely rude" and for what reason ? If there was a "thumb-down" option here, i definitely would have choosen it to mark your reply

Thumb down @Emiel1 😉

Air BnB already fixed it, so thanks for nothing @Helen3

@Evelina16, you're making enemies unnecessarily here. This is a friendly and generally helpful forum. @Helen3 is direct, it's true, but she's also usually right and her advice is sound.

@Evelina16, I'm sorry this has happened to you; things can be confusing with Instant Book.

What has happened to you has happened to a lot of people. Please don't think anyone is deliberately trying to be rude in their response. It is just that in this Community we hear your story a lot, and it is frustrating to all of us that it keeps happening to people.

Please do contact AirBnB and try to explain what happened; we can't guarantee a good result, but they are the only ones who can unblock your calendar.

And please continue to participate in this Community / discussion board. If you read the postings of other people, it can help you avoid problems before they happen. I have learned a lot here and it has helped me avoid making a lot of mistakes.

Hugo from Air BnB fixed it, I am very greateful for the awesome customer service 🙂