Worse experience with case manager and trust and safety specialist

[Lisa1165]

I dont say all case managers are worse or irresponsible but some of them (around 30% - 40%).  Airbnb grants Case managers and specialists too much power and advantage. Our next payment is hold by Airbnb so they can use Host’s money based on their decision it doesn't matter if they do right or wrong. There is no third party or any other department to look over the result of what they do. I request all Airbnb hosts stay together and we will request Airbnb to have the third party to look at the result in case it is not solved in a right way or we will work with  Lawyer to fight for the fairness. We should keep the case number, date, time and collect  all evidences. Please contact me at: ****

My experience with some case managers is unprofessional, lack of experience and very irresponsible. I had a group of guests checked in from 5/17- 5/20. The name of the guest s [name hidden]. Audrey did  not return the key when she checked out. As the policy on my listing guest has to pay $300 for key lost. When I called [name hidden] for key refund she started swearing and complaint about the place and requested me to refund as a way to exchange for the key loss. Case manager Alexis automatically decided to refund guests $477

After a few hours discussion with Megan, the supervisor of Alexis, she REDUCED the refund to $277 just because the microwave hand was broken on one side but the microwave still functioned very well. My concern here is that based on what policy the amount came up to $277 while the microwave still functioned properly? Did the microwave hand issue impacted guests mentally and physically? Did the microwave hand cause guest trouble to use it?

At the same time, I requested $277 refund to compensate for my time consuming, risk of my business loss (my current guests might not able to check in due to the key loss), the safety of my current guests but none of these case managers answered my questions.

My WORST experience is with The Specialist Cintia from Trust and Security team. She requested me to submit official invoices for key loss and lock change. After I spent a lot of time to acquire the invoices to submit her I was said that the invoice was unable to verify or the price was over the market. Those invoices were provided by the building management where I signed the contract with. Cintia did not explain me why she could not validate the invoice and what the price of the market fob is? ( In reality, these fobs are not available in market to sell or able to identify the price. It belongs to individual building for security purpose). After asking me tons of questions, Cintia requested me to submit her POLICE REPORT FOR key loss. I spent a whole day at police station to get POLICE REPORT and Cintia informed me that TIME IS OVER. She could not refund me for the key loss. OMG, I spent 3 weeks to collect and submit Cintia all the documents and she did not dare to answer my email after TWO DAYS until when I called Airbnb and this is her answer? “ TIME IS OVER”. Where is her professional and responsible skills as a SENIOR specialist? Cintia was supposed to request me all the documents at the beginning and noticed me her expected deadline but she did not. What she did is kept asking me with different questions and requested more different evidences day by day even POLICE REPORT for key loss. Cintia even did not care about the rule and policy that is stated on my listing “ $300 charge for key loss”.  Now Cintia cannot say that POLICE REPORT is unable “ to verify”  so she came with other excuse “ TIME IS OVER TO SOLVE THE CASE”.  Earlier, I was promised by Megan, the supervisor of Alexis that if guests were not able to refund me for the key loss, Airbnb will refund me.

Here is the lesson: If you are UNLUCKY to deal with those worse case managers like Alexis, Shanvonne or specialist like Cintia, do not your waste time. You had better to move to other websites. If you are lucky to meet with experiential and responsible case managers, everything is good to go otherwise it is not deserved to waste your time with. Cintia just made me exhausted with all of her questions day by day. After I submitted Cintia all the documents  what I heard from CIntia  was “ TIME IS OVER TO SOLVE THE CASE”. Here are what you always heard from them when you make the complaints “I am sorry the outcome is not as your expectation” or “Don’t worry your case is still open, the supervisor will contact you shortly”. Reality is that no one contacts you and you will be exhausted and leave the case. By the end no one looks at their work. They still sit there and get paid from your contribution and behave as LIVE SAINTS

*[Personal information hidden for safety reasons in line with our Community Center Guidelines]

[Gulay1]

Hi Lisa,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I just had a similar experience with Airbnb case managers for my damage claim. I was asked for absurd things like a 'police report' or 'worked area in square inches' in the repair invoice, etc.

I just created a thread about my story and asked about what I can to next to secure compensation for the damages: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Guest-damages-apartment-customer-service-refuses-to-grant/m...

I believe damage claim agents purposefully side with guests, so that they keep bringing business. The guest has the money and therefore the power. It's not too wild to think that Airbnb undermines damage to host, in hopes that the guest would keep bringing business to Airbnb.

Best,

Gulay

[Robin4]

Hello Gulay, 

I started posting a response to Lisa on this thread and as I was writing I felt it probably needed to be seen in a new thread which is what I did....

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Funding-Damage-Claims/m-p/721398#M169877

Gulay, I dislike and am annoyed that Airbnb make any comment whatsoever about compensation to hosts, because it lulls hosts into a false sense of security! They think there is no need to seek proper property protection because Airbnb are doing it for them....Gulay they are not. Airbnb are not insurers, they don't charge you an insurance premium to cover a defined set of risks. What they do have is an adjudicated system which in some instances may offer some degree of compensation, but it would be inadvisable in the extreme to rely on it.

It is possible that what you say about CS siding with guests is correct, but then again we only see the tip of the iceberg here! We don't hear about all the successful hostings, only the problem ones like yours.

Gulay, on the night of August 10th last year 2.5 million guests stayed in an Airbnb listing! There may have been issues resulting from some of those stays but unsatisfactory resolutions for that night would have been less than .0002%.....500. But all we here about is that 500, not the successful 2,499,500!

And as far as the compensation you received is concerned, with the Airbnb adjudicated system you are never going to receive new for old....it will always be a middle ground scenario with the emphasis on the lower end of middle!

Gulay, I have to declare my hand here and say I have spent some time in Airbnb support!

A host claims $600 for a urine soaked mattress (quote attached), caused by a guests undisclosed baby! Fairly open and shut you may say!

The host does not disclose the mattress he is claiming for has been used in a hosting environment for 27 months and was purchased from the local Salvation Army op shop for $150!

CS are tough, but Gulay, they have to be...A host claims $2,000 for cigarette burn damage to an outdoor setting that was given to them by a family member.

The level of vaxation claims is outrageous and has made dealing with CS difficult. There was one here last week where the person posting said he found an acupuncture needle in his bed. He took a photo of a hair he found in the bed....but not the needle! He was after a full refund plus a further $300 for a body scan to clear him from any contact with 'that' needle!

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/i-am-disgusted-with-the-host-and-airbnb/m-p/700087#M1650...

Please don't be too hard on CS Gulay, they have a sh*t of a job, everyone who goes there has a problem and most of them are angry....it is soul destroying work!

Try to cover yourself in other ways and leave Airbnb to their core business finding guests!

Cheers.....Rob

[Ken286]

I have a problem with a guest who stayed with me nearly three weeks ago and completely wrecked the property. Every single room was damaged in some way and I believe the guest was not verified. The case is with trust and safety yet I keep getting fobbed off every time I call customer services. How can I get some kind of response?

[Fred13]

The day Airbnb drops its Host Guarantee policy it will be a better hosting world.  

[David126]

Have you considered the Arbitration process?

[Marie54]

 David, Are you suggesting that there is an Arbitration process defined for hosts within Airbnb? 

I'm reading this as I started a case yesterday, and it was closed without anyone contacting me. 

I just discovered why a single fork from my flatware set was loose on the counter. After all the work to clean up after the "Reefer madness" party from hell at my house, I found my sterling silver was stolen.  I'm hoping my experience with Airbnb will NOT be the second chapter of this nightmare.  I have really lost my sense of security.

[Rebecca181]

The day Airbnb collects a REAL security / damages deposit will be an even better day in the hosting world... Because then most of this nonsense would be solved without having to even bother calling support. Why Airbnb doesn't copy VRBO / Homeaway and other booking sites in this regard is beyond me, given they are copying them in most every other way this past year or two so as to be competitive in the Vacation Rental industry.

[Syl11]

@ Rebecca. airbnb will have 20% problems sorted when they charge a security hold deposit before any guest check in. Guests can scam, most don't but they do break/damage timber floors, kitchen benches etc. People who travel stay in HOTELS have their credit card details held including passports so these things are only uniform to travel related issues.  Charge and hold a security deposit. 

[John1574]

@Syl0

You advise:  "Charge and hold a security deposit."

I didn't know that could be done on AirBnB.  How do you do it, Syl?

[Fred13]

The day the Host Guarantee policy is replaced with a true Security Deposit system, guess who is still the 'judge' and with the same inherent interest to placate to guests (not hosts), at all cost >> Airbnb. Of course it may help, but it won't be a true solution, in the long run, still controlled under their auspices.

The core problem is Airbnb's approach (and involvement) that is at the root of the problem, not the methodology. Let  a more impartial entity (aka STR home insurer) handle these cases, it will certainly hold everyone more accountable. It could even be that Airbnb is no more than a selling agent, but for an independent insurer, and let each host get the level of insurance they think is appropriate for their actual ability, place and reality.

[Rebecca181]

I don't know, Fred, VRBO allows me the option of deducting from the damages deposit if there are damages. I don't have to prove anything to them - It is between me and the guest. Haven't had to do it (yet), and I imagine the guest could contest it with their credit card company, but the fact that I DO have an actual deposit that I can access likely makes an impression upon the guest.  The STR home insurer option also seems like another worthy option but may be far more time consuming versus the method currently used by VRBO that Airbnb could easily copy - If they wanted to.

[Gulay1]

Hi Rebecca,

I completely agree, and I think there are two simple reasons why AirBnB handles damage claims like do:

1. It is less likely that the host stop will stop business with AirBnB, than the guest will stop their business with AirBnB, if AirBnB were to make them lose money in a damage claim. The guest has a plethora of options for lodging. The host, on the other hand, has a lot fewer options for home-sharing services. It is no secret that AirBnB is the dominant competitor in the industry.
2. The guest is more valuable to AirBnB than the host. Even if #1 above is not true, and the host and the guest are equally likely to take their business elsewhere, AirBnB will still side with the guest at the expense of the host. The guest brings the money and therefore has the power.

This is my theory. I would be interested in finding out whether upper management actually instructs their case managers to decide on cases like they do.

Best,

Gulay

[Fred13]

@  Rebecca.  Precisely my point - a true Deposit system provided by VRBO and Airbnb, in all likelihood, will be two different things.  IF Airbnb would copy VRBO's approach (including their $1m Liability policy) then it be the same, but thus far Airbnb hasn't and actually gone a whole different route than everyone else.

    Why I am more of a fan more for the individual host insurance; sure everyone would want Airbnb to provided for it for 'free' as is suppose to be now, but I think we all have seen by now how the 'free' model doesn't work too well with Airbnb.

@ Gulay Exactly. Airbnb is in a whole different position than VRBO, and they know it. 

[Rebecca181]

Gulay and Fred - I see your point. Thinking I now agree with your stance, Fred - Offer the individual host insurance.