Air Bnb Customer Support can't comprehend basic questions

[Melissa2867]

I've just disembarked from an infuriating merry go round with Air bnb CS about THE MOST straightforward question. I am a host with about 10 years experience. Over the past year or so, I have noticed that Airbnb customer support has become basically useless, literally their comprehension of the questions you ask them is alarmingly poor.

Here was my situation: I have a strict cancellation policy. I had a guest request to reduce their stay from seven nights to 3. My question to customer support was: why I was not keeping 50% of proceeds from the cancelled nights. According to my understanding of my cancellation policy, this should have been the case. In the adjustment summary however, it was telling me that the guest would be refunded 100% of the cancelled nights.

Simple right? Not so much it seems. I asked them this four different times, I could not have been clearer, and each pass they repeated my question back to me in a completely non-sensical way. Or, answered a question I never asked them. I never got an answer to my question, because it was very clear that they never understood what I was talking about. I stopped just short of asking them in desparation what their language of orgin was so I could run my question through google translate in case it helped. It was maddening.

Air bnb is a billion dollar company making this money off the back of us, their hosts. I am astounded at how inefficient the CS department has become.

[Helen427]

@Melissa2867 

Good morning

We have also encountered the same issues as you as have 10000's of others.

ABB Customer service is outsourced through Tellus International and there are sub contractors contracting out to multiple subcontractors.e

One of Tellus International BPO's Call centres was closed down in the Philippines last year due to fraudulent and other dishonest behavior of it's Agents.

Other BPO's elsewhere have been closed down due to various breaches of laws including not having a License or complying with Broadcasting legislation interestingly.

See our other posts on this topic, keep an eye on International news relating to IT and BPO's and follow it up as you see fit.

It's long overdue the SEC also investigated these matters and people were held to account in Criminal courts of laws.

[Melissa2867]

Hi Helen, thanks for your response. And this makes perfect sense to me. The whole thing wreaks of cheap outsourcing. Interesting to hear that it's also crossed over into genuine corporate malpractice. 

After my exasperated demands to speak to a supervisor, someone with actual knowledge called me and resolved the issue.  What' s interesting is that someone else (even higher up) contacted me a day later oozing with apology (after reading this community post possibly?) and furthermore gave me a lavish coupon for my troubles.

I suppose it points to the effectiveness of this forum. The takeaway being: always speak up.  I also got the clear feeling though that Air bnb higher ups are totally aware of how dreadful the CS has become and are instructed to compensate (buy off?) people who speak out about it.