Farewell Airbnb

[Neeraj20]

Retained Superhost for consecutive quarter today after hosting for 6 months and 153 stays over my 8 listings.

Yesterday a guest in try to get a full refund while he had some emergency and needed to leave decided to provided Airbnb with an edited image of our room with a mold and Airbnb decided without even verifying the same with me and charged me a cancellation fee over that for 100 dollar which is a big amount here for us in India as we only charge around 12 bucks for a room.

Airbnb support didnt feel like checking my reviews for the same listing from guests who had stayed just a night before this purticular guest and didn't feel the need to talk to me. So I decided to quit Airbnb, removed all my listings and texted all the active reservations that we won't be hosting them.

Till today Airbnb neither has looked into this matter to atleast help customers with cancellation and alternative arrangements nor they have even texted me once for why a superhost de listed his all 8 listings from the platform. 

 

[Ricardo85]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 

Even though I lost my Superhost status last year this did not affect my bookings

Rethinking the real "importance" of having this status...

It seems to me that, in the end, what really makes a guest book with you is: (1) Price, (2) Reviews, and (3) Photos.

Superhost = Burnout

Ricardo

[Neeraj20]

After submitting pictures from our side Airbnb did revoke the listing and made it active agreeing it was a mistake but did not revert the cancellation fee. Anyway I quit Airbnb after this incident and informed all upcoming guests they can raise for their cancellation and refunds with Airbnb which will surely be charged as cancellation on my behalf and they will never realize what cost them. But anyway I hope someone at higher authority looks and see what Airbnb lost. It was my sidegig but I even went and stayed in hostels when at times I got overbooked and had to give my room to guests to avoid cancellations. But Airbnb never cared about anythings hosts do anyway. 

[Christine615]

@Catherine-PowellHow is this possible that Airbnb rescinded their original assessment but still retained the $100 fine? How do hosts not have the opportunity for rebuttal before action is taken in the first place?

[Jenny]

Hi @Neeraj20, I'm really sorry to hear about your experience.  Did you hear anything back from us?  If not, please feel free to get in touch with me, and I can escalate this for you.

Jenny

[Neeraj20]

It's alright. I have already quit Airbnb and have no hope from them anyway. I have moved ahead. I surrendered the lease of the apartment and planning to start a homestay in Rishikesh, India. I too wanted to move from Delhi. This gave me a strong reason. See you guys in the city of Yoga 🙂 

[Colleen253]

@Neeraj20 Best of luck! You’ll do well, no doubt. Airbnb’s loss. 

[Lindie6]

@Neeraj20 This is so scary to hear for someone like me as I'm currently putting so much effort into my listing on Airbnb. Perhaps I should also rather focus on renting it out directly or on other platforms. 😳

[Suzann0]

Yes I too have had enough. It was fun 9 years ago and now not so. No support for hosts and no understanding of the risks they take. Onwards and upwards as things change.

[Suzann0]

Oh and I just got an 8 day booking cancelled by Airbnb and they did not tell me. Only found out late last night when I got home and the guests were not there. Rang Airbnb and it was cancelled 36 hours before and they can't tell me why. 

[Robin4]

@Neeraj20  

Neeraj, so sorry to read that this has happened to you but, the reality is, this is a carbon copy of what we have been seeing here on the CC for half a decade now. Things don't change, the guest makes a complaint and the company backs them......happens almost every time! A Superhosts long standing years of honest, faithful respect means nothing compared to that of some whining blow-in with less than a handful of reviews!

It would be more palatable if we could rely on some semblance of order by the company.....but we can't!

Neeraj, I wish you every success in where you are going with your hosting, with 153 hostings in 6 months and Superhost status, in all probability the only ones that are going to be hurt over this are Airbnb and their reputation through all your cancellations. All because of one random unsubstantiated complaint!

What an incredibly strange sense of logic!

Move on mate, and all the best! 

Cheers........Rob

@Suzann0  @Christine615  @Paul1255  @Branka-and-Silvia0  

[John5097]

@Neeraj20 

Very sorry this happened to you. I charge ten time more for my rental so that would be the equivalent of a $1000 fine to me. Ouch! For me that would be reason enough to change platforms. 

Generally I think its best for host to complete their existing reservations for the guest only and to be honest that was my first assessment. 

But after some thought, and I'm not sure if this is a word, but this case seems like a form of Corporate Colonialism? 

So your decision seems understandable. After all host need to be paid for their work and $100 would be the next ten reservations. 

I do wish you the best of luck with your next venture! India is a place I want to visit but its so big! 

A friend once sent me a container of water he hiked up and gathered from the headwaters of the Ganges if I recall. He was really into yoga and lived in ashrams many years over there. I still have that little bottle but the water long since evaporated. 

Anyway hopefully I'll make it there and stay a while! At times I check to compare cost of living in different places, including India as it seems like that I have a lot in common. That was my thinking that led me to hosting. 





 

[Catherine-Powell · Accepted solution]

Thanks you Clara for bringing this to my attention. @Clara116 

@Neeraj20,

I'm looking into this right away. I'm told our teams have been in touch with you, but I am digging into what happened. We want to get this right and would love to find a way to get you back on the platform. Please standby.

Warmly,
Catherine

[Clara116]

@Catherine-Powell so glad you got this and are responding...I knew you would. I'm saddened by those hosts that are choosing to lean so negatively and refuse seeing that mistakes do occur. And that those errors/mistakes can often be addressed and also corrected. 

Best regards, Clara

[Neeraj20]

@@Catherine-Powell @ Hi Catherine. I am glad someone is working on it. I will be happy to restart hosting if my cancellations which was made because this incident gets waived off. The amount of cancellation fee which is showing in my account which is around 800 dollars is just too much. 

[Dimi924]

If I will write all the incidents of this year about unfair treatment from Airnbnb and owful way of guests ....I need to write a book. I am a loyal Airbnb host  the last 3 years with 5 flats but start mooving to other platform due to no reasonable treatment.