Superhost Reward Bonus Expiration date - EXTENSION

[Eeyhum0]

Hi Guys,

I hope everyone is doing well and are all safe 🙂

I just wanted to ask if anyone here has superhost bonus coupon that is going to expire soon and unable to use it due to the pandemic.

I have mine and is expiring on 22nd April 2021. Sadly in my country  Philippines it is still lock-down, and obviously you cannot travel abroad because of covid. I requested Airbnb to extend the expiration date unfortunately they are sticking to the voucher policy that was implemented before pandemic. 

Personally I am disappointed with how they handle my request, for the reason that since the pandemic started they keep on changing the policy and we as host partners were very understanding and flexible following and supporting it regardless if it means losing our revenue.

Please let me know if anyone here has some concern like mine, and maybe if we come together the Airbnb management will consider that we are only asking what we deserve and worked for.

Thank you,

Eeyhum

[Emiel1]

@Eeyhum0 

Seems to me a reasonable request. Maybe the HAB (Host Advisory Board) can put it on their to-do-list

[Dawn172]

I just asked them to extend as well, as we have been in lockdown in CA, but got a NO as well. Doesn't seem like much to ask that they extend it another 3 or 6 months until we can get vaccinated and travel again! ARGH!

[Alan329]

I am in the same situation. I have asked Airbnb to extend the voucher but they are completely inflexible. I think it is an absolute disgrace and needs to be addressed. Every other business I have dealt with have been accommodating due to the pandemic yet the company that is supposed to look out for us is refusing to do so! 

I was actually told by the "support" agent that 12 months is a long time to use it so I should have used it by now!! I mean... it is utterly absurd... to have zero grasp of the reality of the last 12 months is unacceptable.

I decided that if they would not accommodate my reasonable request, I would no longer do business with them. That is how strongly I feel about this. I told them to cancel all of my bookings and deactivate my properties and they obliged. They would rather lose a host and all future business and disrupt guest travel plans rather than issue an extension of a voucher which every reasonable business in the country is doing right now.

I am very annoyed I ever partnered with Airbnb... they don't care about hosts, only about profits. I am glad to be rid of them after 3/4 years of providing them with an extremely good income but none of that considered.

They really need to take a look at themselves and decide what kind of company they want to be.  I wont be dealing with them again.

On that note, could anybody recommend good alternatives to Airbnb? I am assuming booking.com is probably the next largest player in the market?

Thanks

Alan

[Marg11]

Have just tried to let Airbnb know that the Superhost bonus has been of no use to us as we haven't stayed with Airbnb since 2018, have more than adequate wifi, use local cleaning products and have not found any Airbnb Experience of interest or suitable for our ages. However, the emails bounced so am airing my opinion here.

[Sarah977]

I just got an email from Airbnb saying they are extending the date on my Superhost voucher that expired March 31, until Dec. 31, 2021! 

I didn't ask for that. Hopefully everyone gets a similar email. It said they are extending the vouchers in recognition that many hosts haven't been able to travel due to the pandemic.

Airbnb did something nice for once!

[Victoria1204]

I too got this mail and was really excited as I was looking to get away for a weekend. However, every time I click on the link in the email, it takes me to my own upcoming bookings. I have searched everywhere for a code and it must be hidden somewhere as it is not even under the vouchers section. I will now not be able to use it as I wanted to secure my booking straight away. I am not sure why the code was not just put in the email. What a palava.

[Nick · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone, 

I'm glad to confirm there is an email going around extending the dates on Superhost coupons.

For those who are interested, you can read more about coupons and how to use them here. There is also a header talking about the extension and how to review the coupon. @Eeyhum0 @Victoria1204 @Sarah977 @Marg11 @Alan329 @Emiel1 @Dawn172 

Thank you.

[Alan329]

This is too little too late for most hosts. This should have been communicated prior to vouchers expiring and not done as an after thought due to backlash. I have already had to take time out of my day to have the fight over this and have cancelled my bookings and withdrawn my listings over this so completely too late for me. I am gladly hosting on another platform and this belated gesture isnt going to convince me to come back.

[Helen3]

hello @Alan329 

I'm not quite clear from your post why extending the use of the SH coupon led you to have a fight and withdraw your listing . 

Personally I'm really please it's been extended .

surely you can still use your voucher even though you aren't hosting on Airbnb anymore? 

[Alan329]

Hi @Helen3 ,

That would be very silly of me to have an argument with Airbnb over the fact that they have extended the vouchers! This wouldn't make any sense at all although I see one of the Airbnb online community managers has liked your comment so I better explain as I think they are probably confused also!! 

My argument with Airbnb was over them refusing to extend the voucher in the first place. I explained to them that I was not in a position to book anything as we were in the middle of one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe and I did not know when or where I would be able to travel to. This very reasonable argument was ignored by Airbnb.  I was actually told that I should have booked something by now and that 12 months was ample time to book something! This really infuriated me as every other company I have dealt with have been sympathetic of the disruption Covid has had on them.

I decided to test Airbnb's character and told them that I would cancel all of my bookings and withdraw my listings if they were going to treat hosts like that. They were happy for me to do that rather than extend the voucher. I didn't have any desire to be associated with a company that were completely unreasonable so I cancelled my booking and packed my bags.

I think that any reasonable person would agree that what Airbnb did was completely wrong and Airbnb have admitted themselves they were wrong by extending the vouchers even if they have already expired.... Turns out I was right and Airbnb have acknowledged they were wrong to do this. That is why this is too little, too late @Helen3. Hope that clears things up @Stephanie - you can just give this a like if it does! Thanks!  

[Sarah977]

@Alan329  The voucher is a perk for maintaining Superhost. It isn't like money they owe you. Many vouchers and credits for many companies have expiry dates that won't be extended, not to mention fine print saying the terms are subject to change at any time.

Cancelling all your bookings and pulling your listings because they wouldn't agree to extend a gift,  sounds bizarre to me. 

I get it that it's about them not being understanding that you can't travel during a pandemic, when you asked for an extension, that it's the principal of the thing, but it seems like a strange hill to be prepared to die on.

[Alan329]

Hi @Sarah977,

Thanks for your interest in this, really appreciate your take on it. It is unfortunate that you deal with companies that have not been accommodating due to the pandemic, this really sucks and is perhaps why you are surprised by the position I have taken on this. You see, I live in the beautiful island of Ireland, the land of saints and scholars and we don't take injustice lightly, nor do we take it lying down. This perhaps explains why we are famed for our hospitality and why we become so outraged when we feel unjustly treated. We cannot sit by and just accept something that is wrong, it is not in our nature.

It sounds like you rarely, if ever, question a company policy and fair play to you for going with the flow but know this, if nobody was ever prepared to take a stand against these global Corporations (who have one goal and that is to create vast amounts of wealth for their shareholders) then there would never be change.

As a role model of mine once said: 

One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.

Has my voice changed the world.... I wouldn't quite go that far but the great thing is @sarah977, Airbnb have decided that what they did was wrong and unjust and have extended vouchers for everyone!! Even if they have already expired!! Was that  because of me.... well... I'm not going to claim all the credit for that but let me tell you this, if nobody ever took a stand against injustice and everybody just accepted what they were told lying down, this may not have ever happened. So for those of you who have had vouchers extended, tá céad fáilte romhat (you are very welcome)! 😉

[Sarah977]

@Alan329  I think that probably your complaint and outrage at them refusing to extend the vouchers, along with the hundreds or even thousands of others they received (it is seriously doubtful yours was the only one) led them to revisit it.

Your comment " It sounds like you rarely, if ever, question a company policy and fair play to you for going with the flow" is pretty hilarious.

You are new to this forum- I have been participating here for about 2 years, and I happen to be one of the most vocal critics of Airbnb's policies, attitude, arrogance, and hypocrisy. Not to mention their constant tech glitches, user unfriendly website, and abyssmal customer service (and I' m not even Irish!). So best not to make assumptions about other posters here without taking a look at their profile and scrolling through their past posts.

There are so many serious issues with this company, that not extending the Superhost bonus just seemed like one of the least important reasons to bail.

[Vanessa830]

I'm having trouble finding my coupon! I had an email saying it was extended but when I go into my coupons it says 0 then I have to enter a voucher code? Can anyone shed some light please? Thanks 😊