Airbnb Host in Maui won’t refund. What else can we do?

[Tracy1004]

Hi! Airbnb was able to mediate a quick discussion with our Airbnb host in Maui about getting a full refund for our stay in September. We were going for a wedding but it got cancelled due to the unfortunate fire. The hosts won’t refund us in full when Airbnb confirmed we were eligible.  What other options do we have? Can we take it up with our credit card company ?

many thanks for any advice, tips, suggestions, etc!

[Joelle43]

Hello @Tracy1004 

It sounds like you fell outside of the hosts free cancellation period since they are not refunding you in full.  Is that correct?  

I would definitely contact my credit card company to see if huge fires comes under their extenuating circumstances.  Talking of extenuating circumstances, you'll find below Airbnb's terms to see if fire is covered by them.  If there is an official ban on travelling to that area, it might work:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1320?locale=en

Let us know how you get on,

All the best

Joëlle

[Tracy1004]

Thanks Joelle! I know someone who was able to do a credit card claim and got their refund back, but every host and credit card company is different. 

[Kia272]

@Tracy1004 To do a credit card chargeback would be an abuse of that system. You agreed to a contract when you booked.

A chargeback is for when you didn't get what you purchased, you were charged an incorrect amount, or what you received is defective, and the retailer or seller won't make good on the product by sending a replacement or giving a refund. This situation is not applicable. 

[Tracy1004 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the info.  I’m learning more from your experienced perspective. 

In no way I ever intended to abuse the system. There’s an Extenuating Circumstances Policy that can POTENTIALLY cover. But at this point, we’ll proceed to go to the island and help the locals and businesses anyway possible as I’ve learned they are welcoming tourists. 

[Kia272]

@Tracy1004  I'm happy you plan to do that. It's refreshing that you actually listened to the input on this forum, and made a decision based on what you learned. Many come here seeking only the answer they want, and argue for their point only, without taking in information. Kudos. 

Just FYI, as a host, I'd have been more flexible. I'm not knocking that host, who is entitled to stick to his or her policy, I'm simply saying that we all have different philosophies on how we run our business, and I've always been pretty flexible with the different situations I've run into with guests, especially when the pandemic started and AirBnB had no policy in place yet. I've thought about myself in the guests' situation, and generally responded accordingly. Ultimately, I've never wanted guests who didn't want to be here, to be here. 

I hope you have a great vacation. Your tourist dollars will certainly help the local economy. I also hope you can keep an open mind with your host, and not hold this situation against them. Cheers, Kia

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tracy1004 It appears that whilst Lahaina was devastated the other areas in Maui are absolutely fine and desperately in need of tourists. As you are outside of the cancellation period and there is presumably no issue with your accommodation then, unless you took travel insurance out, you will lose your money I am afraid. I guess you could still travel just for a vacation though and support the economy.

[Tracy1004]

Hi mike and Jane, thanks for your input! Because of the wildfire, our booking falls under the extenuating circumstances policy but also needs the approval from the host (which I didn’t know until the hosts rejected our request). 
we’ve heard a few kind messages to just go for vacation and support the small local businesses which is what we’ll definitely do if we proceed. 
safe travels

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tracy1004 This, as @Kia272 says, sounds wrong. If the cancellation truly fell under the EC policy then no host approval is needed. I suspect Customer support are just trying to be nice to everyone and using the host as an excuse.

[Kia272]

@Tracy1004  I'm not sure I understand why you would expect the host to refund you because the event you were supposed to attend got canceled? You need to take anything AirBnB customer service tells you with a grain of salt. Many of the agents are poorly trained, and don't even understand AirBnB's own policies. I'm not even sure what they mean when they say you're eligible? If travel isn't disrupted, then you're perfectly able to arrive at your destination and stay. 

This is the sort of thing that travel insurance might cover, although even that is in question. 

I'm sorry, it's a hard lesson to learn, and I do sympathize with the loss of money, but you can't expect the host to cover your loss. 

[Tracy1004]

Hi Kia, thanks for your input. The wedding was cancelled due to the fire that happened in Maui. We were encouraged to cancel plans to go to the island to provide more resources for those who lost their homes. It falls under one of the Airbnb policies to receive a full refund but also needs hosts approval which they didn’t approve. 

[Pat271]

@Tracy1004 

I am a host with a property in Maui. Maui is a large island.

Airbnb is aware that 90% of the island was not affected by the fires and is open for business as usual.

In fact, travel to areas outside of the top left portion of Maui is STRONGLY encouraged, to help the people of Maui retain their jobs.

In what part of Maui was your booking?