Hi everyone. @Inna22 - @Ute42, Andrew, Cormac, Alon and others...
@Inna22 , I’m going to throw a spanner in the proverbial works and play devils advocate. If I was you, I would be spitting chips and wondering where is the justice! Disregarding Airbnb’s latitude in resolving some forementioned cases, including yours, it does feel that the hosts are not being given an equal hearing when it comes to cancellation policy and time out from the actual expected date of arrival by guests. Terms of service should operate both ways.... Guests come and go across varying rental and booking platforms, but Airbnb should be trying harder to retain good hosts with good and proven track records.
I’m emphasising that I always appreciate hearing different viewpoints from all the various hosts and guests. Our individual lifetime experiences outside Airbnb are invaluable when looking at an issue. In fact, they provide a greater balance within and outside the Airbnb bubble and it’s operational platform. ( * Otherwise the information is known as “misinformation”, “limited” or the same information travelling around and around, being agreed upon by the same group of people.) There are hosts here I have great admiration for, who have experience I can never get ahead of; but life skills and their insights can not be underestimated. Everything is about the here and now for guests and hosts.
Forums give us a voice, they do not make class actions because we are all different people with different personalities and stories at that “now” time. We react differently depending on that “now” set of circumstances.
A commonsense approach would be to expect all documents meet scrutiny with dates and details that can be verified. Names that can be validated. Cancellation policies honoured. A review on Extenuating Circumstances undertaken.
However, @Inna22 , your situation does sound a bit dodgy, but an outlier thought: could the doctor have been a visiting locum? Or my likely scenario: acting as “in loco parentis” for the grown man! Without being disrespectful, some mothers do have them....... (Shake of my head and short laugh here....)
A furphy shouldn’t be allowed when dealing with large monetary amounts. Nor for lower ones either... but definitely long distance bookings should require better business practise and scrutiny by Airbnb; including a more even playing field for hosts and guests alike. Fraudulent behaviour should be tracked and dealt with.
So through discussion, debate and forums, we need to keep these concerns alive. @Inna22, I’m so sorry this has happened to you, but thank you for highlighting the current outcome. You have always come across as a great host and your properties are wonderful. I’m sure you will get new bookings... positive vibes heading your way. “I do believe in karma, I do, I do....”
