Have you ever had a fake extenuating circumstances certificate?

[Inna22]

 I have a reservation for early September from a fully grown adult guest coming according to him with his friends.

Today I get a note from Airbnb that his mother passed away and his reservation is canceled under extenuating circumstances. First off, while of course needless to say I feel for him and it is a tragedy to lose a mother, how is  this connected to a reservation six months out she is not part of? Ok, maybe this is a matter of opinion – maybe his religion requires him to mourne for a year.  I don’t know. The kicker is that the certificate is fake. I checked and it is from a small clinic where he works himself, however the Dr who signed the certificate does not work there! Or even comes up as dr. in search.

I contacted Airbnb and they just said they felt it was legitimate. No explanation of discussion. I understand this is so far out, I will hopefully get another reservation but that’s not the point. 

[Cormac0]

do you think he planning to murder his mother?

[Cathie19]

Okay I’ll pay that comment @Cormac0! You win the prize .... 🏆

[Inna22]

@Alon1 death certificate would make total sense. But no one is asking us. Here is the response I got. It was sent a second after I sent my message so they investigated nothing

[Ange2]

@Inna22   Re: Airbnb reply:  " The document submitted by the guest is legitimate",  the document may well be a legitimate document, but is it a legitimate death certificate?

[Patricia--Pat-0]

Ina, I was told Airbnb could not show me the documentation.

My guest Alice Kim tried to cnacel several weeks before with a differnt reason and decided to continue when she was apprised of the penalty. Then a few days before arrival she went directly to AIRBNB and said her comappanion had surgery. I was not notified until AIRBNB canceled it them selves. The guest should have cancelled as soon as surgery was scheduled. not after the fact.

How did you get to see the documentation?

.

[Inna22]

@Patricia--Pat-0

they sent it to me, I did not even ask. Can you point out the fact that the guest intended to cancel all along? Was the companion part of the reservation officially? I guess non of it really matters. Airbnb will not reverse the decision, I am sure of it

[Patricia--Pat-0]

They will not reverse their decision.

Yes companion was part of reservation

Yes i pointed out how she tried tocancel earlier and changed her mind after being assesed a penalty. It was in the record.

I asked for it and was told no.

[Inna22]

I recall them asking me in the past if I wanted to see it (for other cancellations). But seeing makes no difference as there is no logic that would make them not take someone else’s money to make their own customer happy 

[Alon1]

@Inna22 

Thanks for posting.

Airbnb are stating 'the document submitted by the guest is legitimate'.

In view of this assertion, we should assume they are applying their own Policy:

What if I need to cancel because of an emergency or unavoidable circumstance?

We may be able to give you a refund or waive the penalties if you have to cancel because of an unexpected circumstance that’s out of your control. Below is a list of circumstances covered by our Extenuating Circumstances Policy. Before you cancel, check that your circumstance is included in the list below and that you can provide the required documentation.

Circumstances that require documentation

Death of a host, guest, or their immediate family member. You’ll be asked to provide one of these documents:

• Death certificate
• Obituary
• News article naming the deceased

--------------

If you still wish to query, or have any rights to do so, you could try escalate the issue, stating greater concern beyond your case, i.e. for the good of the Airbnb Community.

If I was questioning it, I would go a step further:

Death Certificate should soon after be supported by Burial certificate. There must be a public record of the death.

[Gulay1]

This is all logical and valid, but Airbnb would accept a scrap piece of paper with a smiley face on it for a Death Certificate, if the guest submitted it —which is the problem, at the end of the day.

😞

[Inna22]

@Alon1 you are so right! I read the policy but did not pay attention to this part! I called abb and was promised a call back. 

[Alon1]

@Inna22 

Be careful. You might wake the dead!

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Alon1  😄 lol @Inna22  be careful you may get a zombi guest

[Ange2]

@Inna22     Airbnb " felt it was legitimate",   so it's all about feelings not fact. 

Interesting way to decide the merits of a case, it does explain why Airbnb rulings are so arbitrary.

[Alon1]

@Inna22 @Branka-and-Silvia0 

The underlying question here was well debated by Groucho & Chico

The Sanity Clause - A Night at the Opera - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Sy6oiJbEk