Changes Needed in Cancellation Policy

[David1668]

Many guests cancel reservations beyond the cancellation date for reasons that don't rise to the standards necessary to receive a refund; perhaps their plans change, they become ill but did not take insurance, or they're unhappy with the property. The current cancellation policy allows no recourse.

I owned a 10-room bed and breakfast for 10 years. When guests had to cancel, I would immediately put the room back into inventory and if it rebooked at the same rate, refund them. The idea of taking money from two guests for the same room made me sick. I just couldn't do it. I think AirBnB should require the same of its hosts.

Also, AirBnB doesn't allow for advance cancellations once the reservation has begun. For example, if a guest arrives for a one-month stay but after arrival their plans change and they have to leave for two weeks, if they cancel immediately, the property is not blocked until their departure but becomes immediately available. This greatly reduces the host's opportunities of re-leasing it.

I'm leaving a property midway through a three-week stay and have an understanding host who will block the property on the calendar for the nights between when I cancel and when I leave, and who will refund me if he rebooks it.

This should be standard practice at AirBnB. There is no reason it shouldn't be.

David

[Shannon151]

We are in a remote location with high maintenance fees. When a guest cancels at the last minute (within 30 days) we lose everything. An administration fee would be essential .  It is very difficult to change the policy on the air bnb site as well.  We had the 60 days in place and for some reason it was changed.  Vrbo is much easier to deal with and fair to hosts. 

[Michael8252]

100% agree. I'm in a situation where we booked a family trip to Iceland. One of the people in our group, (86-year-old grandma) got very nervous at the news of volcanic eruption which was supposed to happen "in the next few hours" over the last two weeks, so we cancelled due to risk of potentially disrupted, flights, reports of potential power/water outage, and potential bad air quality. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/iceland-scientists-optimistic-volcano-may-spare-town-as-major-erup...

Anyway - I cancelled within the timeframe of receiving only a partial refund. I explained to the host what was happening, and he basically told me too bad - if he refunds me, he'll be out the funds and the apartment will sit empty. I understood, but I liked the apartment and went to rebook for a couple of months later. When I did, I realized the dates we initially booked had already been rebooked by other guests. I asked the host if the host could consider a full refund, since the dates had obviously been rebooked, but I was simply ignored. 

Perhaps worse, Airbnb is collecting DOUBLE SERVICE FEES on the booking. They will not refund my service fee, and they are of course collecting another service fee for the SAME unit on the SAME dates for other guests. So my host is double dipping on fees, and Airbnb is also double dipping on fees. 

I feel it's salt in the wound that we were trying to do a special family vacation for grandma who has a lifelong dream of seeing the northern lights (which was communicated to the host prior to booking, because I asked about accessibility / stairs / lift for my grandma prior to booking). The host would rather double dip than allow us to rebook another time (and I offered twice in messages to rebook another set of dates in exchange for full refund, but host ignored the request). It's going to be extra difficult to rebook this trip being out the nearly $2,000 for nothing. 

[David1668]

AirBnb has a natural disaster refund policy. But the disaster has to be definite and a government emergency declared I'm sure. Has AirBnB said anything about refunding you your service fee?

[Dale1098]

The major issue is when you cancel a reservation and you do not get any refund back even if the host gets the property rebooked for the same time you had it booked. That is double dipping so they basically are getting paid 2 times! Which is called Double Dipping and it is illegal! yet airbnb is allowing this and it's the property management places that are doing the double dipping! AIRBNB is allowing the property management companies to get away with it! They love when you cancel the reservation because then they get it rebooked and they make double if not triple what they were going to make! it is insane and we are working on a class action lawsuit now to find all the millions if not billions of dollars that Airbnb has stolen from people and THIS IS COMPLETELY UN ETHICAL! If you can cancel your reservation and it gets rebooked you SHOULD GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK NO MATTER WHAT! Currently this is not what is happening! What is happening is AIRBNB and Certain large Hosts (property management companies are double dipping)! INSANE and A MAJOR LAWSUIT! 

[David1668 · Accepted solution]

I'll join as a plaintiff. I had a terrible property manager/host on a long-term stay, I canceled, and AirBnb and the host both walked away with a lot of money.

[Dale1098]

EXACTLY MY POINT! I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON SEEING THIS. MAJOR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES AND AIRBNB ARE ALLOWING PEOPLE TO DOUBLE DIP ON CANCELLED RESVERATIONS THAT GET REBOOKED AND REFUSE TO ISSUE REFUNDS TO THE INITIAL GUEST/TRAVELER WHO HAD TO CANCEL THE RESERVATION. IF YOU ARE A HOST AND SOMEONE CANCELS THE RESERVATION AND IT DOES NOT REBOOK I COMPLETLY UNDERSTAND NOW REFUNDING THE MONEY BUT IF THEY CANCEL AND THE PROPERTY GETS REBOOKED AND YOU DO NOT LOOSE ANY MONEY REFUND THE GUEST AND TRAVELERS MONEY ALL OF IT! IF NOT I DO NOT KNOW HOW YOU PEOPLE SLEEP THIS WOULD MAKE ME SICK DOUBLE DIPPING. BUT HERE WE ARE IN 2024 AND AIRBNB IS ALLOWING THIS BECAUSE THEY ARE MAKING MONEY OFF OF IT AS WELL. IT IS SICKENING.