ical URL compromised, anyone now has access to all my bookings and guests' contact details.

Yen14
Level 2
Gibraltar

ical URL compromised, anyone now has access to all my bookings and guests' contact details.

I've unsuccessfully tried to solve this issue with customer service, who kept telling me to remove my co-host from my account (even after I explained to them I don't have a co-host).

 

To understand the nature of my problem, one must understand how the Airbnb calendar import works (this is basic knowledge to some, but not to others - including Airbnb's front desk themselves):

 

Each Airbnb listing has a unique URL linked to it which, when imported into a calendar app like Google, fetches and displays the following info of all past, present and future reservations straight from the account: reservation number, c/i & c/o dates, listing name, listing location, guest' full name, contact number and email.

 

As this is Airbnb's own calendar, once someone has obtained the URL once, there is no way of revoking access like you would be able to had you shared your own Google calendar. There is also no way of preventing the sharing of the link and all the information it provides.

 

My Airbnb ical URL has become compromised and has been publicly posted. Anyone who views it, copies and pastes it into Google now has access to all of my listing's reservation history and guests' contact details. Airbnb don't understand this and are suggesting the only way to prevent anyone accessing this info is to remove my co-host. I don't have a co-host. The ical link doesn't require a co-host to reveal the information. Airbnb's response was that the only way to stop this is to remove my co-host. I feel headbutting a wall would be more helpful than Airbnb's customer service right now. I guess this is a job for their back-end, who judging by the app functionality are about as competent as the wall I'm considering headbutting.

 

Any help explaining this to them in a way they can undertand welcome.

 

Ta.

2 Replies 2
Catrin-And-Keith0
Level 1
Haverfordwest, United Kingdom

Hi Yen

were you able to rectify this problem, as I need to do the same. You cant edit the exported calendar and I am not happy about exposing the guests who have registered with me through airbnb on my webstie calendar.
Did you manage to sort it out?

Thanks Catrin

Yen14
Level 2
Gibraltar

@Catrin-And-Keith0No. Airbnb have been useless. Not for lack of wanting to help, they just have no idea of what I'm talking about and fall back on the script. In the most productive interaction they simply admitted not understanding how the iCal works, while in the worst, well - this is a screenshot straight from my inbox so you can get an idea of where we're at with customer service quality. FYI, I don't have two accounts and I've never downloaded the iCal app (there is no such thing at "the iCal app", only apps which support the iCal format). So for now booking and guests' details are just floating around on the internet...

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