UK Nationwide Lockdown - Contacting Guests, Advising on Cancellation and So On...

Sarah327
Level 7
England, United Kingdom

UK Nationwide Lockdown - Contacting Guests, Advising on Cancellation and So On...

Evening Airbnber's,

 

In light of the Government's announcement this evening, how is everyone planning to communicate with their upcoming guests?

 

I would prefer, where possible and reasonable, to defer my guests travel to a later date, post lockdown. I have drafted the following as a first communication to encourage this, rather than rush to cancellation.

 

 

Following tonight's Government announcement regarding a further nationwide lockdown, effective as from Thursday 5 November, understandably you are now no longer able to travel to The Cottage as planned.

 

If you would like to defer your stay until a later, more convenient date, please let me know and I will happy to amend your reservation. 

 

As a small business, we appreciate your support during these difficult times and we look forward to welcoming you in the near future!

 

 

Would you agree or do you have any better suggestion(s)?

 

Thank you!

27 Replies 27
Julie3704
Level 2
England, United Kingdom

Sounds good to me Sarah, I have added that bookings made after the March date are no longer covered for refunds by Airbnb’s extenuating circumstance. ( I added a suggestion to purchase travel insurance on my page). I would also prefer a change of date and especially as I have seen a lady has been fined for cancelling over 3 times!!!

Hi,

I have really searched for this thread all through the day and I am glad I came across one. Someone like Sarah should really be handed a medal for been very considerate of other people. I made a reservation in December with who I now refer to as a fraudulent host, when restrictions were announced just days to our arrival in the UK, I contacted them and after so many back and forths, they assured me they were going to carry my reserve for April and told me the rates will change so I have to add more money which honestly I had no problem with. Mind you I had the option of cancelling and getting 50% of my money back but they called us and sent a confirmation message as to them carrying our reservation till April. Fast forward to now, I reached out to her about my intended trip and how I will balance her, guess what she did, she told me my reservation was no longer going to be possible and get this, she won’t be able to give me anything from my money. Oh it hurts so bad to be swindled this way. Never knew people like this exist. Although I have decided to sue her, it just hurts that someone will even think to trick me in other to have my money to themselves? Heartbreaking 

@Saka30  Have you contacted Airbnb customer service about this? If not, the idea of suing the host is a bit premature. If a host makes promises to you in written Airbnb messages that she then reneges on, you need to talk to Airbnb about that. They may refund you and take the money back from the host by taking it out of future booking payouts.

 

This host has not only lied to you, they seem to not have understood that they could have cancelled your reservation with no penalties, had they simply submitted the lockdown info to Airbnb at the time.

 

You should have contacted Airbnb at the time as well, when she refused to refund, and could have submitted that govt. info as well, and received a full refund.

When you have an issue with a host that can't be resolved amiably between you, that's the time to involve Airbnb customer service. 

Matthew771
Level 2
Kendal, United Kingdom

I’m left wondering how I cancel all the bookings I have for November (must be in excess of 20 bookings) without penalty.   I still can’t understand why AirBnB don’t make this easy for hosts when things are changing as quickly as they are during these Covid times.

 

Am I honestly supposed to individually contact all of my guests booked during that period to tell them that it’s their own fault, they will have to cancel the reservation themselves so I don’t get a penalty and they will lose their service fee?

 

If AirBnB are going to make an exception as they did last time, surely someone at AirBnB is awake and able to react to this almost immediately and put out a statement, it’s not like it wasn’t predictable.  I have had a few guests contacting me already and I’m simply unable to tell them anything other than I can’t legally host them.

Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Matthew771 these will fall under extenuating circumstances, I suggest you contact Airbnb directly and ask them to cancel based the information above- this should be penalty free. However, you are at liberty to also communicate with your guests and postpone their stay as mentioned previously. Good luck 

Yeah, it’s fine if it’s one or two bookings, but I have to contact them for each and every booking, as I said I must have in excess of 20.  The few times I’ve had to be in touch with them it’s taken days for a response!  Last time (in the middle of the last lockdown) I was asked to prove that the UK was in lockdown to cancel a booking penalty free and had to send a link to the UK government website!!! That was weeks into the existing lockdown, a total joke.

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

I don't think these cancellations will fall under extenuating circumstances  @Yadira22 @Matthew771 because if the booking was made after 14 March "Covid19 and it's consequences are no longer unforseen or unexpected." - So says the Extenuating Circumstances policy: https://airbnb.co.uk/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid19 

Yes exactly Helen.  Surely there has to be some exception for hosts if we are not legally allowed to host though?!!

 

As I said, it’s not like it couldn’t be predicted and expected, so surely it’s possible for someone at AirBnB to quickly flick a switch to easily allow exceptional cancellations in certain areas where legal restrictions mean we can’t host.

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

I would think you can reasonably ask your guests to do the cancelling @Matthew771 ? In terms of work, 20 messages is nothing compared to making 20 beds & cleaning your places x20! You could even save a generic message then fire off to all Nov bookings?!

 

Your normal cancellation policy will apply. 

 

Re Airbnb policy, they operate in 191 countries, it's not surprising they can't keep up with the minutiae of changing Covid policy in all.....

I’d much rather change 20 beds that don’t argue back than deal with 20 upset and emotional customers!!  🙂

 

I don’t know about you, but I very often find that guests don’t even read the messages you send them.  In any case, I’ve done that and I’ll wait to see what happens!

 

Give me a break... 6000+ employees (ok, maybe a few less now) and they don’t have the resources to keep track of what’s going on with the most significant thing affecting their business right now?!  I’m just one person and I’ve managed to keep track of what’s going on in several European countries that I often visit to understand what I can and can’t do!!

Sarah327
Level 7
England, United Kingdom

Until Airbnb's position is made clear, despite the Government's stance, I am trying to keep my business and encouraging guests to reschedule their stay by using the above communication. So far, one has done so but the rest are, understandably, requesting to cancel.

 

 

@Matthew771Look up under Help and how to do an alteration, that way you can amend the booking and still have the same Guests who you have communicated with come to stay in future.

We all know how much people need a break from all these endless Lockdowns.

 

Hope that helps

 

Thinking of you all across the miles wherever  you are in the world in these crazy & frightul times

 

@Sarah327@Julie3704 
@Darren283 @Charlotte821

@Yadira22 

 

Make sure you also write to your MP's and tell them how you feel about these lockdowns and impacts on your health & well being as the whole being & Society are supposed to be included in decision making as it impacts on the everyone's right to Public Health across the board, not just Coronavirus.

 

 

 

Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Liv @Lizzie @Nick @Quincy @Katie could you advice where Airbnb stands regarding the above and best route of action- thanks. 

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Matthew771  if the guests cannot travel for whatever reason, it is really up to them to cancel. 

I have been booking airbnb-stays lately and in the booking process there is a warning about cancellations, Covid19 and the fact that bookings after mid March do not fall under the extenuating circumstances clause. Guests are also urged to take out travel insurance and go book listings with flexible cancellation policy. It is even possible to filter for listings with flexible cancellation policies. My bookings have taken place in September/October, I am not sure when these features were implemented though.

I even had to cancel one booking due to change of plans and before I could go through with the cancellation, there was a clear prompt to reschedule rather than cancel. I would have rescheduled, but my new dates were unavailable.