Non-refundable option doesn't show up and different cancel policies by season?

[Nicole2223]

Hello more-experienced-hosts,

A friend is trying to book my place. He showed me what it looks like on his end when he tried to finalize the booking in the app. He was presented with 2 payment options:  "Pay now" or "pay some now and the rest later" (those weren't the exact words). Our cancellation policy is currently set to moderate or non-refundable....yet this friend was not shown the non-refundable rate/choice.  That's question/concern #1.

My second concern is about using different cancellations policies for different times of year. Ever since the non-refundable option was introduced, we've used it (in combination with the strict policy). One of our places has not been booking up over the winter, so I dropped it down to a moderate policy, thinking the strict might be scaring people off at a time when things are still in flux with Covid. BUT, now that summer bookings are starting to come in, I want the 'strict' policy to apply to those. We use a rule set to get the rates and discounts right for the summer months, but I don't see the option of adjusting the policy for the selected time frame.

So I'm gathering that we don't get to flip flop between different cancellation policies for different times of year. Has anyone found a clever way to do this?

Thanks much,

Nicole

[Emiel1]

@Nicole2223 

You can choose 1 cancelation policy on a listing, used for all future bookings.

If you want another cancellation policy for a certain time period, then create a second listing.

Airbnb offers a payment plan to guest for specifc bookings, so they can pay in two installments.

Offering the non-refundable option has some limitations:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2600/offer-a-nonrefundable-option

added:

Your listing with nr 44685734 offers the non-refundable option when i simulated some appropriate bookings

Please note your new listing offers 20% promotional discount fo first 3 bookings.

[Linda639]

I am having a similar issue with booking and trying to fix with host. The non-refundable rate repeatedly appears with my specific dates but once I go through all of the prompts to the very end, that option disappears and I am stuck with only the higher refundable rate. 

[Reece36]

This exact same issue is happening to me, booking only 3 weeks into future. I get all the way to "pay now" and the price suddenly update to refundable price.

This is an AirBNB bug and needs to be fixed.

[Brenda1714]

Hi Reece36 and Nicole2223, 

I know this post is a couple years old but just wanted to share a recent experience with airbnb which has been incredibly disappointing so far. Can't count now how many customer service representations have closed my case without resolution. 

The issue still exists, where certain users are not able to book non-refundable prices once they log on. I had to book a reservation through someone else's profile to secure it. 

It is either an Airbnb bug that needs to be fixed, or a user history based algorithm (that blocks a selected transaction type) that they are not sharing publicly. Maybe this kind of discrimination is not even legal, which is why I can't seem to get them to admit it. 

Either way, Host revenue is certainly affected by a smaller pool of potential guests who are able to proceed with a non-cancellable rate.

I gave feedback to Airbnb already about providing a 5-10 minute grace period for transaction reversal if the Guest has for example has booked the wrong dates by accident.  It would save Guest, Host, and Airbnb platform so much time and energy to have an Amazon.com like mechanism in place, since we live in a world of autopay.

But no one at Airbnb so far has seemed grateful for a community member's constructive feedback.

No wonder more users and hosts are switching to other platforms... I am very sad after being a loyal host and guest on the platform for many years. 

[Serge728]

I have the same problem. The host wants to offer me no cancellation and a 10% discount, or moderate cancelation policy. When the host calls Airbnb support the support insist to her that she is doing that.

I, nor my friend, see those options when we try to book. We only see moderate cancellation policy. When we call Airbnb support, they insist to us that everything is right on our end and the host is not offering the non-refundable cancellation choice. 

Because the same support person is not able to help us (me, and the host) the problem seems unfixable/horrible

[Brenda1714]

Hi Serge, 

I am probably replying to an old post but I am doing a bit more research on this. 

The practice of discriminating user profiles is ILLEGAL and is probably why you and I recently, have been so frustrated with Airbnb support. I imagine, based on what I have experienced with them for the last several weeks, is that they were trained to either deflect the issue or blame the issue on the guest. But that is wrong. 

This is what an AI had to say on the matter:

If Airbnb had an algorithm that blocks certain users from selecting a non-refundable option, it would likely raise legal and ethical concerns, particularly regarding transparency and fairness:

Transparency requirements: Under data protection laws like the GDPR, companies are required to be transparent about automated decision-making processes that significantly affect users. If such an algorithm existed, Airbnb would likely be obligated to disclose its existence and provide information about its functioning.

Potential discrimination: An algorithm that selectively blocks users from certain options could potentially lead to discriminatory practices, which would be illegal in many jurisdictions.

Consumer rights: Blocking access to certain payment options without clear justification could potentially violate consumer protection laws in some regions.

Platform accountability: There's a growing emphasis on the need for transparency and accountability in algorithmic decision-making on digital platforms. Airbnb would likely face pressure to explain and justify such an algorithm if it existed.

User trust: Lack of transparency about such practices could erode user trust, which is crucial for platforms like Airbnb
If Airbnb were to implement such an algorithm, they would likely need to:

Clearly disclose its existence and purpose to users.

Provide a mechanism for users to contest decisions or seek human review, as required by regulations like the GDPR.

Ensure the algorithm doesn't result in unfair discrimination.

Be prepared to justify the algorithm's use and demonstrate its fairness if challenged legally or by regulatory bodies.

As part of the airbnb community, I would strongly urge Airbnb to address this issue rather than allowing it continue unaddressed for this long, and losing market share to other platforms.

[Debra300]

@Nicole2223,

I know you started this conversation several months ago, but I missed it.  Airbnb's non-refundable rate is not like those provided on other platforms.  We have posted on five platforms and our own site, and only Booking and Expedia give property owners non-refundable rate options and flexible settings.

1. The non-refundable rate is only available for the upcoming 60 days.  It will not be presented in searches for stays that are more than two months away.  Booking and Expedia's non-refundable rate is available for the same periods as the standard rate.
2. Hosts cannot choose to make specific dates non-refundable only, e.g., during special events or holiday periods.  Both Booking and Expedia offer this option.
3. Hosts cannot set minimum or maximum length of stays separately from those set for the standard rate.  On Booking and Expedia, a host could set a 2 night minimum stay for standard rates and a 3 night minimum stay for non-refundable.

[Nicole2223]

@Debra300 

i missed your reply - thank you for taking the time to respond. (I also missed the response from @Emiel1 - thank you too.). I need to find a better way to be notified of community activity!

The 60 day requirement explains the issue my friend was seeing.  I wonder why they don’t make that more obvious to the host when selecting that option in the cancellation settings.  

With regard to your final bullet point, perhaps  your other platforms have more functionality around LOS.   It looks like I can do this using the LOS discount feature in my Rule Sets, but perhaps that’s different than what route referring to.  

thanks again!