Host not responding

[Pedro161]

I've tried to contact my host both in the airbnb messaging system and whatsapp . I've sent him 2 messages on both platforms and I can confirm that the host has seen my message on whatsapp.

He still hasn't replied.... I'm pretty sure he's ignoring me deliberately.

My flight is this Wednesday and I still have to receive a confirmation if the host is expecting me, if he'll host me , etc.

I'll be arriving at around 8pm so going into a strange city, during night time , look for an unknown apartment where the host doesn't have the decency to reply to my messages, is not very reassuring.

I've contacted airbnb this afternoon and got a quick reply from someone who told me they would forward my problem to a support team that had access to more info. I still haven't heard from them. It has been around 8 hours and while it's not a long time , since my flight is in around 35hours I'm getting concerned I'll have to book another place, spending even more money.

I'll probably have to pay a lot more since I won't be able to find a good deal one day before arrival. I'm even considering using booking.com and just go to a cheap hotel and be done with all this hassle.

When I posted my problem in the help center there was a phone number that I could call ( for urgent situations) but I can't find it anymore.

I'll wait until tomorrow and see if I get a reply from airbnb, but would still like to know which number I should call to reach airbnb's support.

Also, has anyone been in this situation before? This is my first time using airbnb and honestly , it's not a good experience so far.

How did airbnb solve your problem? Will I get a refund? Will they help me find a new place?

[Mike1155]

We booked late February 2019. I immediately sent a request to the host for the address via ABB; no response. I sent a second request the following week; second request ignored. We are now two weeks away from our travel dates. The “host” (a misnomer if ever there was one)  ignored the third request, to no one’s surprise. 

The host only provided a phone number and an email to ABB, no ID. After our booking he cancelled on short notice to two other people. It appears that he may have changed his profile, too, because now those two cancellations are his only two “reviews”.

ABB help centre advised to call the host to resolve. Sing along with me if you know the tune - he can’t be reached at that phone number.

I messaged the ABB help centre; not everyone has social media accounts, and they shouldn’t be necessary to do business with an online company.  Although their reply indicated that we woukd receive a response within 24 hours, it is now been 72 hours yet there has been no written reply. Eventually, we called ABB.  The agent told us that they must provide the host with 72 hours in which to respond. 

ABB should set up their own flagging system. If a host with insifficient credentials and fewer than ten confirmed reviews cancels reservations or doesn’t respond to messages, it should be ABB’s obligation to immediately notify any guests who could be affected. They took our money, so they are responsible when their system doesn’t work. The guest shouldn’t be left to find accommodations at the last minute that will invariably be more expensive, may not be in the same area and may not have the same features. We booked ABB well in advance because we are trying to SAVE money in some of the most expensive cities in the world! If we wanted to pay through the nose two weeks in advance then we would have booked a hotel last-minute!

[Sarah977]

@Mike1155  Contact Airbnb again and insist that you need them to make contact with the host. Whatever rep you got who told you to give the host 3 days to respond is clueless. Normally they will attempt to make contact with hosts or guests who aren't responding. They've done it for me 3 times now. Make sure to tell them that the host's phone number isn't getting a response either, and that you will expect them to cancel your reservation penalty-free if you continue to not get a response from the host, as you are not about to put yourself in the position of arriving to find the place doesn't exist or the host cancels on you last minute, as you can see he has done already 2 times. Tell Airbnb that there are no reviews, only 2 cancellations showing.