Your listing could be suspended if you cancel a reservation again

[Davide176]

Hello,

- a customer asked to cancel the reservation.

 - I said ok, happy client, got full refund and thanked me.

And then I got this email:

"Your listing could be suspended if you cancel a reservation again"

 ??????????????????

[Marzena4]

Hello @Davide176 Bad on you, you should have read this first:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/990/i-m-a-host--what-penalties-apply-if-i-need-to-cancel-a-reser...

[Davide176]

Sorry but still not making sense. My guest cancelled more than a month in advance than their holiday. How can I be punished for it?

I understand if the host suddenly cancel someone else holiday, but is it not the guest's rights to cancel their own holidays?

PS: First email was saying

XXX requests that you cancel

Still able to host XXX trip? If not, it’s important to cancel the reservation so that they can find a new space for their trip.

You have 48 hours to respond

To make sure that XXX has time to find a new listing, the reservation will be cancelled on your behalf if we don’t hear back.

that's the info page:

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/43/what-happens-if-my-guest-cancels

[Steve2743]

If the guest cancels themselves, then it doesn't affect you. However, if you hit the cancel button for them, then those days are blocked on your calendar, you lose superhost status (if you had it), and too many cancelations can shut down your listing. 

Ideally, there would be a way for hosts to initiate a cancellation penalty free, which must then be approved by the guest (similar to what's done with shortening or extending their trip length). But until then, you must always have the guest initiate the cancellation. 

[Davide176]

If I received an email from the guest like the following one, I believe THEY are cancelling the trip, not me.
As you can see, I've received a request from them to cancel the booking. The button says 'Cancel or Keep Reservation' which I guess is a cancel answer, why would answer 'keep the reservation' if it's they will to cancel?

XXX requests that you cancel

Still able to host XXX trip? If not, it’s important to cancel the reservation so that they can find a new space for their trip.

You have 48 hours to respond

To make sure that XXX has time to find a new listing, the reservation will be cancelled on your behalf if we don’t hear back.

BIG BUTTON

Cancel or Keep Reservation

[Farah1]

@Davide176 I understand that it can be confusing. When guest makes the cancellation themselves, you won't get that kind of email and you'll only get a confirmation email that the reservation has been canceled. It looks like your guest knows how to get around the system by asking you to agree with the cancellation and by clicking on that cancel button, it makes it automatically a cancellation from your side instead of the guest's side.

[Davide176]

Well, it shouldn't make any difference. It's still a request from the guest not from the host. 

Btw the guest was a 70 year old woman, don't think she was that techy to get around the system to make me press that button.

So in terms of what I should do is to press keep the reservation instead? And keep trying to explain the guests they have to cancel instead of request to cancel? Sounds a bit ridiculous

[Fred13]

@Davide176You are going on pure logic, that IF the guest asked you to cancel, then it should stand to reason, YOU shouldn't be penalized by accomodating the guest. BUT, it doesn't work that way. These cancellations are not handled by humans but probably machines, so how can they know between a simple host cancellation and a requested one by a guest, except for checking if there was a 'request' by the guest. Their program is not THAT smart OR because wasn't programmed that way. Probably because no one at Airbnb thought that far.

This absurdity has been the subject of many forum strings here. Airbnb should eliminate even the option of a guest requesting the host to cancel for them - because it has ~negative~ consequences for the host, not the guest, who probably jumped on the 'request to cancel' option just so they get their booking fee back.

Now you know - 'the rest of the story'.

[Steve2743]

Love the Paul Harvey reference!

I had no idea that this was even possible! I guess I lucked out in that my few cancelations were actually cancelled by the guest themselves. Otherwise I could have fallen for this trick too. 

I'd contact Airbnb about it, and show them the messages indicating that the guest left happy.  You probably won't get any money back, but they might at least be able to undo the ding against your reputation as a host. 

[Davide176]

Being more than a month before the e booking, they are entitled for full refund. I was relaxed about it, they were relaxed about it. Also being guests 65+ they actually called me at the phone from another country asking me for help. They even thanked me for my kindness via SMS and what I get is this mess. It was the first time for me too, plus how would I know from the guests side 'cancel' Vs ''request to cancel' would affect me in such a bad way. I will contact the customer service but I guess they won't give a **bleep**.

[David126]

@Davide176

Rule No 1 as a Host on AirBnb is to never cancel.

If a Guest can work out how to book they can certainly work out how to cancel.