Airbnb fee refund

[Huxley3]

My guest had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances.

Though I had a strict cancellation policy, I never intended it be the policy to be relevant for a stay 8 months in advance (when she cancelled). I refunded her the amount I would have received.

How can I help her get Airbnb refund their service fee too?  It plus USD 600.

Thanks. 

[Lisa723]

@Huxley3 you issued a refund (sent money) before you were paid? If so that was a mistake. The thing to do in this situation is tell the guest to contact Airbnb and explain their circumstance, then let Airbnb handle their refund, including your percentage and theirs. If you are paid, then after you are paid you can choose to refund any further amount you choose.

As it is, you may have refunded money you will never be paid, if the guest now contacts Airbnb and claims an extenuating circumstance.

In your shoes I would call Airbnb and hope you get a CS rep competent enough to straighten it out.

[Huxley3]

Lisa. Thanks for your response. I refunded the money because that is what an Airbnb representative told me to do! I refunded the maximum I was able to but of course “forgot” that what I “saw” was less than the prospective tenant would have actually paid. Otherwise, I would not have been paid until the end of August and the prospective tenant would have been out of pocket until then. 

[Colleen253]

@Huxley3 "I refunded the money because that is what an Airbnb representative told me to do!"

I know it makes no sense, but whenever an Airbnb CX tells you to do do something, do the opposite (or hop on here before doing ANYTHING, and run it by the community of 'in the trenches' hosts). An unfortunate reality of Airbnb: they don't train the staff who answer the phones. Another: everything Airbnb does is geared to creating a great guest experience, not a great host experience, which is another reason you shouldn't trust what you're told. 

[Helen3]

Did the guest cancel under Airbnb's extenuating circumstances policy @Huxley3 ?

By refunding before the stay it is now you rather than the guest who is out of pocket for something that was not your fault.

[Huxley3]

I am voluntarily out of pocket in that I do not have the week booked. However, I have picked up other weeks so not concerned as I only rent out a couple of weeks a year so as to avoid US tax (the 'Masters' loop hole). However, I want to confirm that any money I receive in future (from these other bookings) will not be withheld by Airbnb because I refunded this particular guest; from your reply and Lisa's, that question is open! Thanks 

[Helen3 · Accepted solution]

You need to call Airbnb on this. @Huxley3 

Normally a host wouldn't choose to be out of pocket by paying out for money they haven't received for the booking.

Airbnb are the ones who have the guests money not you. If the guest was cancelling under Airbnb's extenuating circumstances policy they should have paid out not you.

[Lisa723]

@Huxley3 when you send a guest money via the resolution center, Airbnb will withhold the amount from your upcoming payout(s).

Is that what you did?

Or, did you accept guest's cancellation and at that point indicate that you will allow a 100% refund?

These are very different scenarios.

To notify people that you have responded here, you must tag them with "@"

[Huxley3]

@Lisa723 @Helen3 @Colleen253 

Thank you for your responses!

In the situation above, the guest cancelled and in spite of my "strict" cancellation policy (which, frankly, I didn't realize was so strict!), I refunded the money that was otherwise due to me. I did this because she cancelled just a couple of days after making the booking and the booking was for August 2020 (I would normally never intend to lock in someone so far in advance).

However, the potential guest also has a fee payable to Airbnb and I am helping her get that refunded. Why you may ask?! She's Australian, I am a New Zealander, and she was open and upfront with me. Also I am intrigued at the process especially the further I get into it (still learning how things work in this forum etc. etc.). I have been a host since 2011 or so but previously it was for an apartment in New York that was not dependent on seasons etc. People booked and showed up a month later. I never needed any issues resolved or needed to ask the community. Now my rental is a beach house so there is a season and houses fill reasonably fast around this time of year for a stay several months away. A different model altogether!

[Sarah977]

@Huxley3  I don't understand what you mean by you're helping the guest get the service fee refunded. Whether Airbnb is willing to refund the guest's service fee or not is between the guest and Airbnb- I can't imagine that anything you say will convince them one way or the other. It has nothing to do with the host.

[Helen3]

Oh dear sounds like you are going to be out of pocket then if you chose to pay the guest money which you haven't actually received yet.

And I agree with @Sarah977  there is no value in you getting involved in chasing Airbnb for their fee on behalf of the guest. This is their issues to sort out.

As you know the guest had the option to cancel penalty free within the first 48 hours of booking and get a full refund including Airbnb's fees