New Mandatory 48-hour Grace Period Under Strict Cancellation Policy Destroys My Ability to Host.

[Michelle838]

I have sent this message to Airbnb support...I imagine some low level minion will read it and send me a canned response. This forum is really the only place I have to vent. If this is problematic for you, please let them know as well. They'll probably just ignore us, but at least we will have let them know why we're disappearing from their site.

"I am in stunned disbelief at the new changes to your strict cancellation policy. I host timeshare properties. Once a guest makes a reservation with me, I can not cancel it for any reason, so if a guest cancels on me I have to eat the loss. Even the 50% refund of a strict refund policy means I occasionally have to take a big hit when a guest cancels, but a free 48 hour grace period will absolutely ruin me. I will be unable to be an Airbnb host if this change is implemented.

If hosts want to offer 48 hour penalty free cancellations, by all means, allow them to offer them. But forcing me to do this literally destroys my business. You claim in your glossy email that everyone who has piloted this change loves it. Well of course they do. Everyone who this would work well for opted in to the pilot. You obviously gathered no data from those of us who chose not to participate in the trial--those of us who chose NOT to participate didn't join in because WE CAN NOT DO IT!

I feel angry and sad all at the same time. I loved hosting. I loved helping my guests create amazing vacation memories. I take great pride in giving outstanding customer service. What I cannot do is offer something that I can't do. You have taken hosting away from me. I feel blindsided. Airbnb, you yanked the rug out from underneath me with no warning whatsoever.

Angry. Sad. Frustrated. Discouraged. Disregarded. Made to feel irrelevant. Thanks a lot, Airbnb. It will take me a while to extract myself from bookings, but as soon as I possibly can arrange everything I will have to be done with my time as a host.

Thanks for the memories and the new friends I made through this program. I can't overstate how disappointed I am to see all this come to an end.

Michelle Smith"

[Ange2]

My favorite line: " To help listings with a Strict cancellation policy attract more guests, we’re adding a 48-hour cancellation grace period."

True, it may well attract more guests. But attracting guests is the not the same as attracting solid reservations from responsible people. I'd prefer not to attract guests who are attracted because they can cancel at the drop of a hat and be fully refunded.  I already give refunds if they cancel soon after booking or if the booking is aways away.  This is not about helping listings it's about helping Airbnb. This helps build its brand by attracting more people – hosts are not its only line of revenue.

[Sheree10]

This is so wrong to just throw this change on us. No ethics at all.

[Wesley44]

Can't begin to tell you the problems with their service.  Very inflexible and punative.  Never a positive experience.

[Rebecca181]

@Sheree10 Not only wrong, but terribly confusing. If I did not come here to the Community Center, I would not know about any changes to any policies whatsoever, as I have never once received any sort of notification in my Hosting Dashboard, or a message from Support, or an Email, or...anything. 

@Michelle838 You write: 'Angry. Sad. Frustrated. Discouraged. Disregarded. Made to feel irrelevant.' Boy, can I relate. As a dedicated Super Host, I would like to feel that I am seen and recognized in ways that matter and help me to excel, versus feeling like there is always another bizarre hurdle of one sort or another to overcome. I have never been in agreement with Airbnb's definition of 'moderate' or 'strict', because they are obviously designed to benefit guests, with no thought to how the host will be impacted from such ridiculously flexible terms (e.g., in any other world - or booking site - Airbnb's 'moderate' policy would qualify as being frivolously lenient and incomprehensibly generous toward guests). And now, based on what you write here, it has just gotten worse.

I honestly have to wonder: Does Airbnb simply not care if many of their best hosts are forced off of their platform through ill-conceived policies, nagging reminders to lower our rates, a website that is basically a billboard for 'Plus' and a homage to 'Experiences', 'Concerts', etc, and unapologetic guest-centric orientation?

[BenkaandKeith0]

They actualy do not 🙂
They established great platform by supporting the hosts.
In last 3 years we hostst have seen and experienced nothing but decline of rights, lost of tools. Bothers me as a traveler as well how Airbnb is hiding informations that used to be transparent (but guess what, they remove them from the listing. Like Rates. Like they do not matter at all). Sadly so.

[Lizzie]

Hello @Michelle838, @Sheree10 and @Dianne6,

Thank you for all your feedback here regarding the Strict Cancellation (Grace Period) update.

I wanted to let you know, that your feedback has already been really helpful to the Airbnb Team. We have noticed you have a few additional questions and have raised some specific concerns. In light of this, we wanted to come back and provide you with more information.

We have just posted an update in the Airbnb Updates board here in the Community Center. Please do have a look at this post and if you have any further feedback it would be fantastic to hear it on that topic. 

I hope you find the extra information useful.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Ange, Rebecca I know you have seen this already, so I wanted to save you from receiving another notification about it 🙂 ]

[Michele511]

I am very upset by this new policy. I know they are trying to go public, so maybe doing this ups some number they want to quote to Wall Street, but, I think it will hurt the bottom line. It will certainly hurt ours. I wrote on their feed back page, if they read it. Here is the gist of what I said:

The number one reason I am upset by this is that as soon as people book they have your address, phone number and your full name. If people put check-in instructions out, they will see that. Now they know all that, but, can cancel in 48 hours? Really? How is this fair and safe?

Also, my best guests book much further in advance. They know what they want to do. But, this will allow people to hold a spot that they aren’t really sincere about as they continue to think about what they are doing. And, we all know that the closer you get to a date the cheaper the prices become.

If people want to give the 48 hour cancellation they already can. I am a “super host” and am almost always booked as it is. This will make no difference.

Except, now I am seriously thinking of stopping hosting. So very disappointing!

[Lizzie]

Hello @Michele511,

Thank you for your message. I posted another update a couple of days ago regarding the release of listing details, to find out more take a look here.

Thanks,

Lizzie

[Michele511]

I am relieved that I just read that our detail will not be revealed until the booking is secure. That is a huge relief. Now...how about making it 30 days ahead instead of 14. That would be more reasonable. 

[David126]

If I wanted somebody details then I could probably find it through their listing and other publickly available information.

If I really wanted it I could make a cancellation a long way out and get it and then cancel.

I can see the issues for others, those who have to comit and do not have the benefit of a back to back cancellation arrangement, but you information is not safe whatever.

Also begs the question of how to deal with Extenuating Circumstances which has similar issues.

[Victoria567]

Dealing with extenuating circumstances offer a 50% refund from your strict cancellation policy.

Makes you look reasonable and difficult for the guest to refuse.

Just wish I had stuck to my guns on my strict cancellation policy and then continuing with the 50% resolution route.

I gave an inch and my 2 entitled guests took a further mile!

[Sarah977]

@Victoria567  Accommodating the demands of entitled people never results in a positive outcome, as you've recently experienced. 

[Inna22]

@Michelle838 Are you able to not reserve the actual property for your guest until the 48 hours are up? Perhpas put that in the listing?

[Ray107]

Yeah, just read Airbnb new strict policy, that immediately killed it for me, we are grossing over 150K per year with three vacation rentals.

NO WAY IS THIS POLICY GOING TO WORK FOR ME OR ANY OTHER VACATION RENTAL, DO YOU HEAR US AIRBNB, NO WAY.

60 days was barely good enough with all the headaches I get from Airbnb renters who know and game the system. 

This is intolerable, 

Good Ridence

SpiderLakeCottage.com

[Andy352]

It´s a very unfortunate policy and I think it should be ammended.

I rent a small budget room in a two bedroom apartment, the other room is my own. Occasionally I also rent my whole place when I´m away.

I have gone through great lenghts to never cancell a reservation, even though the amount of money I make from them is not enormous (25€ - 50€ a night). On two occasions I had to book accomodation for me and family in my own city,  because my plans had changed and I wanted to respect the holy dogma of never cancelling a booking.

I think the policy would be more fair if:

- The grace period were reduced to just a few hours (hey anyone can make a mistake, and maybe book the wrong dates)

- Hosts also got a cancellation window (or worst case at least for insta-book reservations)

- Superhosts, who by definition have a record of never cancelling, would have the option of going back to the old policy.