airbnb customer service "help" - instant book knot working

[Rowena29]

I've had to contact customer service several times since I"ve started hosting. A number of issues were my inexperience - (although you do seem to need to be a bit psychic to understand some things if you are a newbie)

Others were airbnb glitches.

ON teh whole I have been impressed by the support and speed of help.

Not so much today. Doesn't really inpsire confidence... Cut and paste below

 "8:09 AM

Hi

I phoned customer support yesterday.
I have instant booking activated on my listing. 
However for travellers request reservation is what is showing
This is peak holiday season and this is negatively affecting my bookings.
The customer service representative I spoke to yesterday - xxxx - said he would refer to the technical department as it was not something he was able to fix.
He was unsure when it WOULD be fixed.
Yesterday I got an email telling me I had turned on instant booking.
I'm not sure if this was meant to be the solution.
However my listing STILL does not show up with instant booking.
Just double checking that cusotmer service does not think the problem is fixed, because it's not.
Many thanks

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8:09 AM

Airbnb Support8:09 AM

Hi, I'm ...... welcoming you to the Airbnb Live Chat environment. It is my absolute pleasure to assist you today. Please be assured that I would do everything possible to resolve the concern by the end of the chat. Please allow me a moment, while I check your concern.

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8:27 AM

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Rowena29

it seems this is a new way Airbnb punishes hosts who cancelled a booking ... or their guests cancelled few bookings lately. Interesting is - we figured this out here on CC,  nobody from Airbnb told us, CS reps also have no clue...

Nobody knows for how long, someone said few weeks, someone more then a month, someone said your listing have to have a lot of acitivities ...

[Rowena29]

Hi@Branka,

I've cancelled two bookings one was because airbnb themselves made an error - they opened up blocked days on my calendar - they ackowledged the error was theirs - and one was cancelled on the advice of the airbnb support team who assured me  (in writing) that there would be absolutely no negative repercussions of any kind.

Even if it IS a repercussion for the cancellations, I  still think there is no excuse for not informing me of what is transpiring instead of just leaving me in limbo wondering....

Extremely poor communication.

The last official word I had was that it was a "known glitch" and it would be referred to the technical team. I was trying to establish whether they thought it was fixed ( because it isn't).

Really doesn't inspire confidence or admiration. Frankly, it's plain rude - like hanging up mid phone call. EVen if the last line was " i am unable to proceed further with this enquiry as it is currenlty being dealt with by another team" - anything - not just closing it off witih no further communication.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Rowena29

I agree 100% with you. There are other hosts who also had to cancel for example because it was a third party booking , were assured there will be no penalty for them and now, months later they lost instant booking option

Browse through this CC and you will find similar posts about it, all posted last month

Good thing is - it seems Instant booking is not default search filter setting any more

[Rowena29]

@Branka0&Silvia

I had been browsing the posts - I'd cottoned on to the fact there were problems with instant bookings  - what I hadn't ' realised it was that it was occurring because of cancellations even when made through airbnb customer support.

I have to think its a glitch that they don't know how to fix- otherwise - why the veil of secrecy? If it's policy, surely cusotmer support would just inform me of this when I enquired.  either way, customer support certainly don't seem to have understood the basic premise that good communicaiton goes a long way to minimising angst - I wouldn't be happy to hear I'd lost IB because of a policy, but a lot less cross than I am right now  because no one from customer support  will have the decency or  honesty and just tell me what's going on - (even if it's they are not completely sure but they're working on it)

Anyway thanks so much for responding.

[Helen213]

I am also dealing with this issue.  I think mine was shut off on Dec 18th when I had to cancel a third party booking over the phone because the guest sent it as a "host" requested booking.  Iwas also promised no penalties.  I have been calling constantly, sending informaion found on this forum and others to C/S and they have no sanswers.  Just "we sent  report to Tech".

After many complaints, I got assigned a case manager who closed the case after three days becasue ut was reprted to Techa nd I was told to be patient.  So their job was done. No one has a clue what is occurring. They keep telling me to be patient. It is completely infuriating.  I have 50% less booking because of this and the ones I did get are at prcing much lower than I would normally.

Bottom Line - No one seems to care as AirBnB abut solving the issue.  Thye just try to placate you and get you off the phone.  T

Question?  Could this be a breach of contract?  If this are cancellations allowed as a Instant Booking Host,  is AirBnB in violation of the terms of service by turning it off?

[Rowena29]

Hi @Helen213,

I agree it's very frustrating - and I am most frustrated by the lack of communicaiton. It's pitiful that we are forced to come to the community boards to find out what is really going on - disturbing too and there is much conjecutre and probably misinformation which does nothing to allay anyone's alarm.

My very strong suspicion is that airbnb is having a major technical issue -hence the silence and lack of communication - the old corporate, say nothing, admit to nothing, particularly as this is having a significant impact on peoples income.

I notice that if I switich to travelling mode, that little lightning symbol indicating that a listing has instant booking no longer shows. you can still search for listings with instant bookings via the filters, but it looks to me as though airbnb are employing strategies to minimise the advantages of instant booking and even the playing field a bit - again suggesting to me this is a really signficant issue they are experiencing. Pure supposition from me of course.

I have only been with airbnb 3 months. In that time they have twice unblocked blacked out dates on my calendar which resulted in bookings ( which led to customer support  cancelling the bookings which led to me losing the instant booking feature), and now this.  

As it seems as though it is going to take quite some time, I guess I will list with another platform and use their instant booking feature - who knows - if I find the process more user friendly and it results in good outcomes I may stay with them.

I'm not of a legal mind, but I'm guessing losing IB can't be counted as a breach of contract if it is a technical issue and not done deliberately. Would be interesting to see though if there is any attempt at compensation given  the length of time that this is taking to fix, and that in their own statistical statements IB can lead to as much as 47% more bookings. Not holding my breath. 

[Helen213]

I asked Airbnb customer service about compensation and this is what i recieved back:

"Rest assured that we are coordinating to our managers for everything we can do to compensate the issue that you have experience, and we will let you know once we get an approval."

If you really read the sentence it doesn't actual make sense, maybe english is not their first language.  But I am so frustrated over this issue, I maybe nit-picking.

In the past when they made an error in payment (taking money insteado f sending it), they gave me a $50 travel credit.  But truthfully I do not travel that much and that seems to little for an issue of this magnitude.  What makes this ironic, I am about to be made a superhost in a few days.  How can I make superhost AND be punished for cancellations!

[Helen213]

 laura.ritz@airbnb.com. Can you please give us some help?  An explaination would be nice , though fixing the Instant Booking would be even better! 

[Rowena29]

Hi @Helen213.

IT'S BACK ON FOR ME - how about you?

absolutley no word from customer service though - I only know because I received an instant booking (IB  wasn't active when I checked in early this am)

I see IB is back as a suggested filter as the top of the page when you look as a traveller.

I've just got SH status too - as I note you have - congratulations!

(I wonder if it got turned back on around the same time as the email I recived from airbnb telling me I was a superhost)

The perid of losing IB for me occurred during absolute PEAK holidays season - summer school beach holidays - it comes back on just as everyone is thinking about getting ready to go back to school.  

I'll never know how much custom I missed - a great deal I suspect.

I can't imagine how big the technical "gltich" must have been for it to take so long to fix... or maybe the head techno honcho was on holidays and has only just returned

All completely bizarre! the silence has been deafening

[Helen213]

I just checked, my IB is still not working.  So for me it has been 17 days since I reprtedthe issue and I anctually believe it was turned off around Dec 18th, if cancellations are the cause.  I did received notification of acheiving superhost status though.  Makes no sense what so ever......

[Rowena29]

utley Well congratulations on achieving IB - that's something at least! You're right though -this makes absolutely no sense - surely a technical issue would be solved at the same time for everyone?

I went ahead and lodged with another platfrom - you can synchronise calendars across the two - and actiavted IB on it. It took me aaages to create as I had to spend some time getting used to how things worked.  Within 1 day of activating I got my best booking yet - 6 nights which I have never got via airbnb. Interestinly, it was around the same time I got my first booking via it that IB reappeared here - at the time I thought "typical" - but now I'm wondering it there's more to it.

Would you consider advertising on another platfrom? The 2 can run concurrently - you just have to be a tad careful with IB as the calendar from the one doesn't IMMEDIATLEY update on the other-there was a delay, so I just went in and blocked out my airbnb caledar manually. I don't think the penalities for cancelling on the other platfrom are quite as severe either - just a thought - you need your bookings and airbnb don't seem interested in helping at all. I mean I was ASSURED customer service would stay in contact, and let me know when the IB problem was fixed - nothing

[Helen213]

I just got my Instant Booking back today and was offered a $50 coupon for my troubles.  I laughed!

Rowena - What platform did you switch too?  I tried Booking.com but it was an issue as you can not collect deposits or payment until they check-in.  Many people booked and then cancelled last minute.  I am open to another site though.  I no longer want to be so dependent on AirBnB.  Just remember I am normally just renting a private room.

[Rowena29]

if Well at least airbnb made contact with you! I've heard nothing ( I agree a $50 voucher is pitiful , but it's more than I got!)

I'm not sure if I will be blocked form typing another platform name, but I used homeaway - ( they have just taken over Stayz in Australia).  I know it's American - I think it started life over there as VRBO or soemthing? Failry similar to airbnb from what I can see - other than they expect you to create a rental agreement and have guest sign it. I'm not sure how it would work with a single room. I know that the platfrom links to expedia and a variety of other search engines - that's how I got my booking.  Not sure about over there, but looking at the listings here, it seems to be a bit more upmarket than many on airbnb. Worth having a look maybe. Because the calendars can be synced, I dont' suppose it can do any real harm. EVen if you try it, adn get some bad reviews for whatever reason, you can just shut it down - won't affect your airbnb status.  What an absolute mess this has been. I am still gobsmacked by the appalling communication.    

Good luck!