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 . 

[Susan17]

@David6 

I've been hearing for at least 6 months now that hosts in certain markets are being told that the 3 free IB cancellations are being phased out, and that they're now only permitted one free cancellation per year.

I've asked Airbnb several times to clarify whether or not this is true, and if it is, are there plans to roll it out universally. As always, no answers forthcoming. 

However, cancellations by host are far and away the biggest issue that guests face with using the platform - and getting worse by the day - so I'd expect that Airbnb will definitely be making it increasingly difficult (if not impossible) for hosts to cancel at all . 

And then, there's the latest Anti-Discrimination Update, from August 13th, which will inevitability lead to more stringent clampdowns on hosts attempting to cancel. 

https://press.airbnb.com/update-on-anti-discrimination/

[David6]

Nothing would surprise me. Booking.com have been able to get away with treating hoteliers/hosts with utter contempt for years - you face huge financial penalties if you cancel a booking . And you are not permitted to cancel ANY bookings. 

I think the monster that is Airbnb, needs to be cautious though. Because I know many hosts who will switch of IB if they loose the safety net. Not that seems to be a concern to Airbnb though. 

[Susan17]

@David6 

They're probably counting on the fact that hosts in over-saturated markets - ie most markets now -won't (can't) turn off IB, because they know they won't have a snowball's chance in hell of appearing high up enough in the search rankings to get any  bookings. 

[David6]

@Susan17 

Totally agree . Without IB I’d be bust 

[Mark116]

@Susan17   It sounds like they are going to stop displaying guest names as well as the photos going forward, so since they don't require guests to fill out their profile it will be a total blank, no name, no photo, no profile that you will be accepting onto your property.  Yikes.  I really have to get off this platform.

[Susan17]

@Mark116 

I'm already getting some (though not all) inquiries with only the guest's initial, in a grey circle, and that's it. No other info whatsoever - no visible reviews, no location, nothing. Are you seeing any of those yet?

[Mark116]

@Susan17  Ha, well we're so far down on the listings that our views are 70% under the median [thanks for valuing the super hosts airbnb], so I haven't gotten too many recent inquiries, but I think they are showing no photo, initial but there is one review if they have one showing and whatever they put in their profile, so maybe or maybe not a location.

If airbnb stops giving you first names and locations, I don't see how we can continue.

[Sean433]

@Mark116

@Susan17 

Mark, do you think your views are down because we criticize airbnb on this message board? always wondered if they manipulate our search rank based on these things or based on claiming damages. That is why I tread lightly. You never know.

[Jennifer464]

Requesting to converse outside of the app is against Aibnb policy. Report them for that and block them. Then tell airbnb the guest is violating their policies. 

In addition:

I NEVER allow 1 day bookings. It's always for a party. ALWAYS. 

Turning off instabook really has little baring on the search algorithm, I think anyway. 

Airbnb's guarantee is that you are allowed to cancel 2 instabookings a year (unless things have changed and god knows they always do) 

[Susan17]

@Jennifer464 

I tested turning off IB, because I cater for groups of 12, so having it switched on is like living with a constantly ticking time bomb. Dropped 12 pages in the search rankings. Had no choice but to turn it back on, pronto. 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@David6 glad you got it sorted.

One wonders what would have happened if you couldn't show a diverse list of previous guests?

I couldn't...most of my guests are white British. Just a feature of where I am I think since I've never cancelled anyone.

[Shaun69]

@David6  I have been following this thread with interest and I am pleased you have resolved the issue. I think that what you have highlighted is the lack of consistency within the C/S reps. My own experience has been limited by the fact that I will only involve them as a last ditch thing when all other avenues have been exhausted. It is clear that reading scripted replies over the phone is a total waste of time, I know we all have to start somewhere but the training provided by BNB needs to allow human beings to make a sensible judgements within laid down guidelines. My worry is we are heading for simple automated replies at which point my hosting career will end and you will find this old man on a beach somewhere just chilling with his bottle of rum.

BE HAPPY SHAUN.

[Julia346]

I feel for you! I had a similar nightmare situation with a guest who was sending up nothing but red flags right from the start. “Beyoncé”  had no profile pic, no reviews, no profile description and when I told her it would make me feel more comfortable if she filled those things out, I learned she was 16, from the same town as my listing, and celebrating her 17th birthday party. Her first question was “will you be at the house” which is not only frightening to thing of why she wouldn’t want me to be, but also indicates that she didn’t read the entire listing. Her second question was “can I have 87 cents off the reservation...??!! I called Airbnb and they told me these things were not all that strange and to continue to feel it out. In the end the booking for 6 guests for one night turned into upwards of 60 guests in and around my home,  police were involved, the teens were despondent and threatening to neighbors who asked that their driveways not be blocked, marijuana smell was so strong I think the whole neighborhood got a contact high. I still laugh about the “Beyoncé” event because it was truly mind blowing and a first by far after hosing over 400 guests. Believe it or not, Airbnb did not even allow me to keep her security deposit. 

[Emilia42]

@Julia346 Ugh, so sorry that happened! Lessoned learned.. you cannot always rely on Airbnb. Next time you get this feeling .... "Yes, I will be at the house. I will be there to wish you a Happy Birthday and to help you make your cake and to tuck you in at night. If my presence will make you uncomfortable and you would like a more secluded place to celebrate your birthday I will give you the opportunity to cancel within the next two hours for a full refund!"

[Susan17]

@Julia346 

As per Airbnb's Terms of Service, under-18s aren't permitted to create an Airbnb account. Did you mention the girl's age when you called Airbnb support?