Urgent Complaint: Host Cancelled Confirmed Airbnb Booking After 23 Days

[Riaan195]

Dear Airbnb Customer Support,

I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with the service I have received regarding my recent booking experience.

On September 22, 2024, I made a booking with the host, Marilyn, for a property in Ballito. The booking was promptly approved, and I paid the deposit to secure my stay. I arranged my entire holiday around this booking, only to be informed on October 13th, 21 days later, that the booking had been canceled due to a double booking issue.

It is completely unacceptable that I was only informed of this after nearly three weeks. This delay has not only disrupted my plans but has left me with limited options to find alternative accommodations that suit my needs. The lack of communication and oversight from Marilyn is unprofessional and reflects poorly on the Airbnb platform.

Because of this incident, I am deeply dissatisfied and am reconsidering my trust in Airbnb. I expected a higher level of service and reliability, and this experience has been nothing short of frustrating. I demand an immediate response addressing this matter and a resolution that compensates for the inconvenience caused.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely

Riaan Hattingh

[Shelley159 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Riaan195 

You need to contact Airbnb Customer Support. In the drop-down menu above, change from community center to help center. Select the relevant booking before you proceed, or type the reservation number into the text.

It's very frustrating that your accommodation was canceled, and even reporting it to Airbnb will still leave you with the problem of having to find a suitable alternative. However, the system will automatically punish the host - Airbnb takes host cancelations very seriously.

[Riaan195]

Hi Shelly

Thanks so much for your rapid response. 

Kind Regards
Riaan

[Rebecca]

Hi @Riaan195, 

I'm really sorry to hear your booking was cancelled and that the process was frustrating. Did you get a chance contact customer support since your post, as @Shelley159 suggested?

Let us know how you get on please! 🙂

[Zheng49]

If it's any consolation, the host will be punished severely including but not limited to : 

1) losing the superhost badge for a year

2) paying fines

3) possibly getting a listing issue which will contribute towards getting the listing/account suspended

[Joelle43]

Hello @Riaan195 

Airbnb have recently tightened their penalties on hosts who cancel on guests and it is something that they take very seriously and as you quite rightly say, reflects badly on everyone.  

That is why you have Air Cover for guests and Airbnb should help you find another place as detailed in the link below but:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/170

All the best
Joëlle