Airbnb refusing to let me cancel a booking!

[David6]

Hosted for several years. Over 600+ Airbnb reviews. But across all the various platforms I list on, hosted over 2000 guests.  Been super-host, lost it & got it back. Made no difference  to bottom line profit. 

I have had 3  of my apartments trashed . All involved the police. So I feel I really do know when I see obvious ‘red flags’. 

We mostly host amazing Asian & oversees guests. We seem to have good reviews which are prominent when they book from their country.  Or business people. 

I know the signs of the ‘party types’

* From UK. Even worse if they are from London

* Have vague or no reviews

* book for 1 or 2 nights

* always give some bulls£it reason why they are in london. 

Anyway -  received instant book tonight. The profile photos  is the guest  sticking her tongue out in ‘rude girl’ style . She instantly demanded 5 hrs early check in and late checkout from our listed 11am  until 2pm. She also called me 3 times. Another huge red flag. 

I don’t  want to host her...  I  phoned Airbnb as this guest is making me uncomfortable with her demands, and I know she’ll party and wreck my flat. She one of the snowflake generation who feels rules don’t apply to them. No thanks 

But Airbnb refuse the request to cancel - all because this guest has different skin colour to me! My boyfriend is a black guy. This is nothing to do with race or discrimination! It’s to do with ‘party types,’ and my gut instinct that is telling me this guest will be trouble. She has no reviews and I have several hundred from an all huge global mix of nations! 

So now my case is being ‘investigated’ and they will reach a decision tomorrow. 

And yes, I could turn off IB, but out of 2000 bookings I’ve only had 3 major issues! All the lovely newbies with no reviews. They have all been great!

I’ve spent the past 2 weeks migrating my listings to other platforms, and already I’m getting bookings at higher rates. Airbnb I’m so over the monster you’ve become . 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@David6 @Patrick1361 @Sarah977 

ah my English is so great, sometimes even I don't understand what I meant to say 😄

[Sarah977]

@Patrick1361  It's really easy to misconstrue things like texts and posts, since there's no body language or facial expressions or tone to go along with it. My daughter once got mad at me because she thought a text I had sent her was somehow being sarcastic about something that was important to her, when that wasn't my meaning at all 🙂

[Helen350]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 I heard you correctly; I knew what you meant! @Sarah977 has analysed correctly... Must be a woman thing,reading between the lines, not necessarily taking things literally.... (Oh dear! - Am I in trouble now?)

[Linda108]

It seems you have confirmed what seems to be a common experience with CS, @David6 .  If you are not satisfied with the CS response the first time.  Hang up and call in for another one, especially if you know that you are within the TOS.

[Alexander472]

Yes. I have done this. Frustrating and such time wasting. But sometimes you have to do it to get a fair outcome.

[Alexander472]

Glad it was resolved for you. Who you get on the phone does matter a lot. I've had some champion customer reps and some horrible ones. It's hit and miss really. 

[Anonymous]

And yes, I could turn off IB, but out of 2000 bookings I’ve only had 3 major issues! All the lovely newbies with no reviews. They have all been great!

I know, I know, @David6  ... but what's the use of having the skills to identify the high-risk guests, when you still leave the floodgates open? 

You do know that non-IB hosts can still receive and accept requests from unreviewed newbie guests, right?  And also that declining a request is far less likely to get you accused of discrimination than cancelling an IB?

[David6]

@Anonymous 

Hear you for sure. London is just over saturated now. We book a lot of business guys via their PA’s and they just want an instant confirm. I’ve stayed as a guest 40 times and only select ‘IB’. I want it sorted ASAP. I’ve tried Madrid via request and got declined by all of them. In end secured  an apartment via booking. 

airbnb are trying to compete with booking.com (the market leader) they will HAVE to if they want to be successful long term with their ‘hotel’ offerings. But as they push IB so hard, surely they need to have policies in place to sort out such issues? I don’t feel it’s appropriate to ‘investigate’ a host who has an open door policy to everyone. 

luckily enough a rep called me today. He was actual human and decent, not some cloned robot. He listened,  and could see from just my recent 20 bookings that I never discriminate  or filter. Anyone can stay here as long as they are respectful and play by the rules. 

[Anonymous]

@David6  Glad to hear you got a successful resolution on this one. Personally, I'd rather have less business than have to field situations like these. But if you've been having better luck with other platforms anyway, why not use that opportunity to filter your Airbnb listings?  3-night minimum, no instant-book, etc?

If another platform gives you better yield, better service, and more control over your deposit, you could just use Airbnb to fill in the gaps.

[David6]

Good idea. Thank you 

[Mark1706]

Perhaps this exists already, but it might be helpful to have an option for hosts to allow Instant Book only for guests with: a minimum rating; a minimum number of successful transactions; and substantially-verified identity.

[Mark116]

I'm not surprised really to hear that the 'cancel anyone if you aren't comfortable' is another one of airbnb's slogans that does not reflect reality, and that the 'three free cancellations a year' are made difficult.  It's a shame though.

[Sarah977]

It's "Cancel anyone if you aren't comfortable, but our interpretation of "anyone" may be different from yours."

[David6]

@Sarah977  

I have a fight with Airbnb most weeks. I just REFUSE to accept their nonsense. And also because the initial front line team are utterly clueless and read/respond  from a script. I always escalate my case and the more senior reps do *mostly* listen and 9 times out of 10 they will agree with me. At end of day, after all these years I know the ‘red flags’ and I will NEVER host the guests who set the alarms ringing. Because every time when I’ve gone against my instincts, it’s been a nightmare. 

[Kira32]

 @David6 If she doesn't want to check_in and checkout within the timeframe you offer, than she does not follow the rules and her reservation is not valid.

Period!

Stay strong!

Kira♡