HELP! I can't get any help from Airbnb! I've waited over a week for a supervisor to contact me. NO phone help!!

[Sharon31]

I had guests that booked for 2 nights at my home. They held the reservation for 1.5 weeks before they decided to move their reservation up a day. I knew since it was only 4 days away I would probably lose the possibility of another booking for the last day but I did it anyhow to be nice and go the extra mile as I always do for my guests.  I immediately messaged them to let them know that check-in would have to be between 2-4 pm bc I had to go to work that night. The guest had not replied to any other correspondence I had sent so I made sure she wrote back saying "I understand. check-in is between 2-4 pm". The day they were to arrive I started messaging them asking if they could give me an ETA reminding them that I had to be at work. I sent several messages saying I hope everything is alright. I waited 2 hrs and 45 min for them. I finally had to leave a note for the door and call Airbnb. Airbnb called the guest and she immediately sent me a txt saying that they had left late to give me more time to clean??? She was angry with me and wanted to know what they were supposed to. The reservation was for a private room in my house. I don't let anyone is without my being there. I also have a dog so I can't and responsibly wouldn't leave a key. My last client canceled at work and I texted the guest at 5:45 saying I could do an 8:30 pm check-in. Again no response. Airbnb said she was refusing to check in at all and asked if I would allow a check- in the next day. I offer a 10 am check-in. Airbnb told me that they would leave the reservation open so the guest could check-in if she wanted to the next day. She never showed up and the reservation stayed open for the whole time. Airbnb refunded her because she claimed they hit traffic and had car problems and that I had refused to check them in. All of this is NOT true of course. Airbnb then told me they refunded her and are now taking that money out of my account. So not only did I lose the 2-day reservation but am not getting paid for it either. To top it off the guest has left a review for me that I haven't seen and I'm sure it's going to be nasty. I now have sent about 6 messages asking for mitigation on my behalf and no one is replying to me. Or if they do they say a ticket is already open. What do I do? I am physically sick over this. If guests can just come whenever they want to and ignore check-in times whats the4 point of having a listing with rules at all? I write this sitting here waiting for a guest that was supposed to arrive at 4:30 pm today. It's now 8:25 pm. Once again the guests have no regard for me, my listing, or my life for that matter. I can't do anything because I am constantly waiting for guests to arrive on their time schedule. 

[Sarah977]

@Sharon31 When you message guests about something like check-in time, you need to make it sound like they will be inconvenienced if they don't observe the rules, not you. Because they don't care about your inconvenience. So instead of saying you'll have to leave for work at 4PM, in the future, say that they won't be able to gain access to the room after 4, , and since you wouldn't want them to be left outside waiting for hours, the check-in time needs to be honored. 

I know telling them you have to leave for work at 4 should make it evident, but obviously for some guests it just doesn't compute.

[Sharon31]

Thank you! Good advice 🙂 But I feel that they violated the check-in time by not showing. How is it that Airbnb thinks it's alright to take away my payment? I'm sure that the "case manager" is probably sitting in his pajamas eating a bowl of cereal while he messages me at 2:30 am in the morning making my life decisions. I need a Supervisor. I have called at least 10 times. They are no longer taking calls unless it has to do with the current reservation. I have also written to no avail whatsoever! 

[Mark116]

@Sharon31  I agree w/what @Sarah977  said, always put things to guests as if you are trying to prevent any hardship, but you may need to be more forceful in your communications with guests on the check in time, stress to them that the schedule is such that check-in must be done in person and cannot be done outside the agreed up window of XX.  If guests timing change and they are unable to check in at the agreed upon time, they will need to cancel the reservation because they won't be able to access the property.  Something along those line.  Fish or cut bait as it were. 

It seems like the guest should have to pay for at least the first night, so maybe keep trying until you get a decent CS rep who will help you get a partial payment.

[Sharon31]

Thank you!  That's helpful. I've been a Super host for 5 yrs straight and this has always been an issue. I'm sitting here right now waiting on a guest that was due here at 4:30 pm. It's now 9:40 pm.

If Airbnb and the guest did not cancel the reservation I should be paid in full.

[Sarah977]

@Sharon31  Here is a word of advice when dealing with Airbnb CS- you have to state the issue as simply as possible. So if your message to them was anything like your original post here, it will get shoved on the back burner. 

Do not write in paragraphs or long explanatory sentences. State the issue in bullet point form in chronological order and leave out any extraneous information.

"Reservation XXXXXXXXX.

 Guests were told that check in was from 2-4 ONLY.

 Guests called after check-in time saying they wouldn't be here until XX.

 Guests were told that couldn't be accommodated as host needs to leave for work, as previously   explained to them.

 Guests then never showed up and were issued full refund.

 Etc.

 Etc.

 Etc."

The more simply you state your issue, the more likely CS is to attend to it. Many of the reps aren't even that fluent in English- you have to make it dead easy for them.

Of course, CS is in shambles right now and taking forever to get back to anyone, but in general, I have that this approach gets better, prompter responses.

[Sharon31]

Thank you! You're right. I'm just exhausted from all of this. 

[Mark116]

@Sharon31  To add to what @Sarah977  said, it is helpful to include whatever Terms of Service would apply in your favor.  Don't expect that Airbnb reps will know the rules. 

So, at the end, write whatever the TOS are that would apply in this situation, assuming they would qualify you for a refund.  If not, just ignore them like Airbnb does. LOL. 

ETA...I did a quick look at the guest refund policy, and I am guessing she got a refund under 'travel issue' but you will want to fight that by your evidence that you were available long past the agreed on check in time. Also, if she never mentioned any traffic as the reason for the delay, this would be in your favor as well.

[Sharon31]

Thank you. She never communicated with me until Airbnb called her. She did txt me then and said what I wrote above that they left late (on purpose) to give me more time to clean. 

[Sarah977]

@Sharon31  So they left late to give you more time to clean, as if she's the considerate one, yet ignored the fact that you told them they could only check in before 4. I think she's BSing to make herself look good.

[Sharon31]

Of course she is. She told Airbnb that they had traffic and car issues. I sent screenshots of what she told me. I just feel that if I offered to check them in later or even on the next day (2-day reservation) and they didn't show or refused to come at that point I should be paid out. Airbnb canceled the reservation after the 2 days and refunded them. That left me no option to rebook as the reservation was left open. 

[Mark116]

@Sarah977   She's BS so she can get a refund, making herself the victim, oh, poor me, I was stuck in traffic and the bad host refused entry.  When the truth is, she was running late, disregarded the host's timetable, lied to the host about it, figured the host would just wait on her or work it out so she could enter at her leisure, then when that didn't work out she made up a totally different lie about traffic.

[Sharon31]

THAT is exactly what happened. Then I got penalized and lost two days of bookings. This all after I was kind enough to move their reservation up by one day. And now she’s left me a review I cannot wait to read that and respond! But I would like to fight this with Airbnb as I know I’m in the right and settle this first. 

[Sarah977]

@Sharon31  " I'm sure that the "case manager" is probably sitting in his pajamas eating a bowl of cereal while he messages me at 2:30 am in the morning making my life decisions."

Thanks for the laugh. That's exactly how I picture them.

Don't let yourself get physically sick over this, like you say you are. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that huge a deal- it's 2 night's income, which I'm sure matters to you, but it's not the end of the world. Just be persistent and patient with Airbnb CS, but don't let it take over your life. Watch a funny movie, have a glass of wine. 

[Sharon31]

Actually, Sarah, It is like the end of the world to me as I'm barely getting by I lost all 3 jobs when COVID hit and my getting physically ill is not something I can't control. I have an autoimmune disease and when I get stressed my body attacks itself.  I appreciate your words but it's just not that easy, unfortunately. 

I will take your advice, as it's been good, (Yours as well @Mark116) and I'll let you know how it all unfolds.