The easiest Airbnb Customer Service Hack

Betty-B--M-0
Level 10
Nairobi, Kenya

The easiest Airbnb Customer Service Hack

Hey community! 

 

(Long posting ahoy!)

 

I just wanted to share something about Airbnb's Customer Service that I hope may be useful, especially to us hosts. 

Shout-out to Simone for being a truly wonderful agent and for allowing me to publish parts of our interaction.

 

The other day I accepted a reservation by mistake. It was not a big deal as the guest and I had been messaging and I told her that I was going to take a little time before accepting. The pressure of the ticking countdown clock and my misunderstanding on the way pricing displays for longer-term reservations led to my accepting too fast.

So there it was, reservation on the calendar, guest charged and me not quite ready to accept the booking at that stage. As soon as I did it, I messaged the guest to let her know I had made the mistake and that I'd do everything I could to fix it.

I then called Airbnb and explained the situation and I am NOT joking when I say that in approximately 7 minutes, no being placed on hold, no penalties that should have applied, no issues, the reservation was cancelled, calendar freed up, guest refunded in full, and there was no impact to host rating and reviews (no dreaded "The host cancelled this reservation X days before arrival). 

 

I realise that lots of times (though not always) we post on the forum after having had a poor experience with Airbnb customer service and I'm not discounting difficulties that have been experienced. However, I can say that for me,  almost every time I have called, Airbnb have been VERY helpful and I have come away feeling supported.

 

While this particular customer service agent was fantastic (especially impressive was how fast she grasped the situation and how fast she rectified it), I do not believe this was agent-specific or that it's hit-and-miss depending on whom one speaks with.

 In fact, following her permission to publish this, I would like to quote what the agent mentioned as being instrumental in my case:

"For transparency, your spotless history with Airbnb, immediacy with which you contacted us after realising the mistake, and consideration of the impact to the guest put this cancellation within our parameters for making a unique exception. "

 

Please don't see the above as me blowing hard on my own horn.  Rather it is merely a suggestion for all of us hosts, and I do include myself, to consider that : 

- our past behaviour with Airbnb, including as guest, host, and voice-on-the-other-end-of-the-line;

- our being on-top of things, and;

- our genuine concern for guest well-being;

could go a long way towards expediting a resolution, especially when we are the ones at fault, as in my case. 

As requested by Simone, I must add that every situation is handled and judged on a case-by-case basis so what may have applied to me, won't always apply elsewhere.

 

Still, I think it's worth remembering that people (including Airbnb people and the community) notice when we're considerate of others and try to genuinely do things the right and transparent way. The same is true when we're the opposite. Of course catching a customer service break is far from being the only reason to be this way. The truth is, far and away, it's just easiest to be a decent person. (Can I get an A-to-the-men up in here?!)

Again, things are on a case-by-case basis but for today, I serve all this up just as a point of reflection, especially if ever you've had a run-in with Airbnb customer service.  

Now is that an easy hack or an easy hack?

I'm now ready to have a strip ripped off of me for this. 

 

Thanks for reading, happy weekend, not-so-happy ripping, happy hosting to all! 

 

Betty

70 Replies 70

@Mark396 , @Susan10 , I believe it is wrong information that superhosts (in the US) are given a different number to call than regular hosts: I have been superhost now for 3 quarters, never got a different number to call. 

 

@Annette33Well Annette you are free to disagree then.  Others reading these posts are free to draw their own conclusions as well. 

 

Please read my earlier post (which is about 5 posts up/back).  If you can explain why I'm wrong or where my error is then I will listen.

 

Otherwise, please don't just simply tell me I'm wrong (even when basing it on your own experience).

Kristin, I posted this to another host looking for the same information...It's really not complicated, just a little difficult to find:

 

https://www.airbnb.ie/help/contact_us

Our 24/7 phone lines are:

US toll free: +1-855-424-7262

US local: +1-415-800-5959

 

Hope that helps!

Mark. 

@Mark396 thanks for posting the numbers! @Betty-B--M-0 thank you for the helpful link!

I was able to get in touch with an Airbnb Help team member without any wait by calling from my cell phone linked to my Airbnb profile.

Glad to help @Kristin80 and pleased to hear you got through.

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Betty-B--M-0

Ah, but Betty, you are a Superhost and that is why you got through so quickly and received the service that you did. What happened to you exactly mirrors the treatment I get when I have to contact ABB for something. The only difference is I have never been on the phone for more than 1 minute....more often than not, I am less than 15 seconds from dialing before I am actually talking to someone.

And you will have also noted during that call that Simone would have mentioned how important you are as a superhost to the Airbnb organisation.

Betty, we are valued and we are respected, I understand you feel like this was something special but, you only feel that way because of all the issues you see here on the forum. We see the worst of everything here, the worst guests, the worst hosts, the worst service and after a while we begin to become scared that this is what is in store for us.

But don't be surprised at good service Betty.......you brought it on yourself, you did everything right. You being a good Catholic girl would know that expression, 'The lord helps those that help themselves'.....and so does ABB. If you are good at what you do and give them a reason to support you, they will to the hilt.

 

Just remember Betty, the forum is the tip of the iceberg, for every 1 complaint that comes to this forum there will be 10,000 successful hostings, just like mine last night, and the one the night before and the one that is in my cottage for the next 2 nights....and all those 100+ that have gone before. You are building a good solid collection yourself as well.

Just stay being what you are and the company will always be at your shoulder, don't be surprised by it.....

Cheers.....Rob

 

 

Correction @Robin4; the only reason I got help is because I am a good, Catholic, girl.

Too bad for all you others not like me. Let that be a lesson and a homily to you.

BAHAHAHAHAHA!

Your comments made my day. 🐵 

Happy hosting. 

 

Momi0
Level 10
Honolulu, HI

@Betty-B--M-0  BRAVO!  Its SO SO SO SO wonderful to see your post!  We need more of these.  I have had the best experiences with ABB customer service and have written about it several times on the CC for others to read...(at least I hope they do).  I can see how much you care about hosting and I hope one day if you ever come to Hawaii, please stop by for one of my Momi's Marvelous Mango Margaritas....on the house of course. It would such a pleasure to meet you!

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


@Momi0, oh will I ever take you up on those margueritas! Thank you for your kind comments. It would be lovely to meet you too and if you are in Nairobi, please let me treat you to my secret recipe, Kenyan coffee, house special, kokocinno! 

Karibu Kenya, Momi!

@Betty-B--M-0  Your country/town is on my bucket list....I just checked off country #34 by going to New Zealand recently to visit one of the best Airbnb hosts that I have met from the CC....she IS incredibly awesome and gave me a birthday trip I will never forget.  And now we are very good friends....she is entitled to have an opinion ABOUT me....because she has actually spent an entire week plus with me (day/night)...LOL ..(inside joke), but I am sure you can figure out what I mean.  That's why your post was such a welcome sight - FULL OF POSITIVITY! 

 

SIDE NOTE:  - I want to help those others who have posted into @Betty-B--M-0 thread asking about ABB SUPERHOST PHONE NUMBER.  There is an actual email that goes out to ALL Superhosts in the USA.  In that email, it stipulates the benefits that Superhosts get in the USA....one being a dedicated phone number that Superhosts can call.  If you didn't get that email, perhaps you need to check your email settings in your acct.  I received that email 3 months after I started hosting. Several hosts have reached out to me asking about this. Turns out they all didn't have their email settings to "ON"  with their account to receive emails from ABB.  All good now. 😉

 

Anyone else needing to call ABB for urgent guests issues, or payment issues, etc., you can type in the search bar above in the CC  'How to Contact Airbnb".  There you will find a list of phone numbers for hosts all over the world.  The search bar is a great tool to seek out answers to other questions you may have regarding hosting if you can't find it on the ABB website under Hosting Tips.

 

Keep in mind, there will be times when you'll need to be patient when calling.....sometimes hold times can be as long as 45-60 mins. I just bake homemade Hawaiian banana bread/muffins for my guests while waiting.....time flies by. 😉

 

 

If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


Habari (=Aloha) @Momi0,

 

A quick thank you for that helpful side note!

I checked my email settings and have made some updates.

If anyone's interested, when logged-in, simply go to Account>Notifications>Email Settings. 

 

Momi, that bucket list item awaits! 🙂 

 

Betty

Joanna85
Level 10
Las Vegas, NV

I enjoyed this post.  Positive, insightful, another perspective from someone..a good experience.

My two csr experiences were terrific but I"m still learning the ins and outs and I don't mind a learning curve.  

The forum is to gather and get help/advice then get back to doing it...not hanging around and still chewing up the negative.  Even lift each other up.

This is supposed to be fun!!!  I really doubt csr people are hanging around waiting to screw over hosts...talking around the water cooler and  conspiring on how to make us all hate Airbnb....lmao.  When I hear what people say about their csr experiences I feel they think it's a game of how Airbnb can avoid them or make life as a host miserable.  I really don't think that's the intent.  They want us to like using their service and they want us to make every guests' stay fun and enjoyable so the guest books with Airbnb over and over again whenever they travel!  I"m not saying it's perfect, but I am going to put it out there that the intention is not to run their hosts out..churning and burning hosts is not profitable.

Robin4
Level 10
Mount Barker, Australia

@Joanna85

Good comments Joanna, and reinforces what I said to Betty a few post back up. I have found my dealings with ABB staff to be wonderful. I had a situation two weeks ago where a guest wished to arrive within the hour. For some reason I could not accept his booking...click accept and nothing would happen! I immediately rang ABB and because of the SH status within 15 seconds was talking to Rache in San Francisco. I explained to her that I had message contact with a guest who was less than a hour away from my listing and I could not get an acceptance to go through. She tried to accept on my behalf and couldn't, and what complicated things still further the mobile phone the guest was using was not his registered ABB phone so Rache had no way of actually speaking to the guest. So I sat here at my computer relaying instructions from Rache in San Francisco on the other side of the world through my home page messages to a guest on the side of the road less than an hour from here  and relaying their responses back to San Francisco through my phone contact. 

In the end it got sorted out, Will arrived 40 minutes later and was one of the nicest guests I have hosted. But the point is Joanna, nothing was too much trouble for ABB staff to sort out, they were brilliant, and always have been, and Betty is right, you make yourself competent and they will do anything they can for you. They are one of the best.....no possibly the best organisation I have ever dealt with.

The only thing I will take issue with you over Joanna.....By chewing over negatives from the past we create positives for the future!

Cheers....Rob

@Joanna85, couldn't agree more that this is supposed to be fun!! LOL at the idea of Airbnb staff hanging out at the watercooler, comparing notes on how to make the experience sheer misery. Probably letting the phones ring and ring and ring, just to give a malicious wait, to boot. 🐵 🐵  Thank you

I have talked to Airbnb customer service four times. Two times they called me to advise that a guest payment had not gone through properly and to make sure that if the guest arrived to not let them into the home. I really appreciated that since both instances were instant book and the guests were due to arrive shortly.

 

One other time I made a mistake with a guest who was trying to book and someone else snuck in and booked the days. I called CC and explained what happened and they cancelled the reservation and let the first guest have the space after reviewing our message thread and saw that we had been trying to complete the reservation. (My mistake was in not blocking the days).

 

The fourth time I talked to CC was about a guest who instant booked but I was uncomfortable hosting them and desired a cancellation.

 

All of my experiences have been good with Airbnb CC.