full refund due to internet service provider outage

[Ryan-and-Darnie0]

We had a guest who decided to leave 3 days early into a 4 day booking because there was an outage that day with our internet service provider (not our fault). She made no attempt to contact us, and then asked for a full refund. Airbnb support decided to give it to her and claimed it violated their Host Reliability Standards.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2895/host-reliability-standards

Does this seem fair? Do you agree with this resolution? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Ryan-and-Darnie0 Given the importance of internet these days if it was not working on arrival and the guest didn't stay then it is probably fair. If the guest stayed 1 night and then left then a 75% refund sounds fair.

What would not be right is a full refund if the guest stayed

[Ryan-and-Darnie0]

1) internet outages happen frequently, especially where this property is located, but it can happen even in big cities. It happens.

2) It's possible the outage would have resolved itself in  a few hours, or if the guest had contacted us so we could contact the service provider. If a person is that impatient, they are probably not a reasonable person.

3) no where in the "host reliability standards" document does it say internet is a key feature and a requirement to host guests.

IMO this kind of policy sets a dangerous precedent for guests to demand refunds for any reason, e.g. if Netflix is down. 

[Mark116]

@Ryan-and-Darnie0 @Mike-And-Jane0  I thought the process was that the guest is supposed to contact the host to attempt to resolve any issues as the first step.  

[Ryan-and-Darnie0]

It is.  It's likely that if they had contacted us then we would have been able to get it resolved. 

They are also supposed to provide documentation for issues, and they didn't do that either. Airbnb gave them a full refund anyway. It's mind boggling.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mark116 A very good point given that it might (though not in this case) have been easily solved.

[Debra300]

@Ryan-and-Darnie0,

Given that the internet service for your property can be unpredictable, maybe getting a Tmobile or Verizon 5g Home Internet service is a good back up option, if and when it becomes available in your area.

https://www.cnet.com/news/verizon-5g-home-internet-vs-t-mobile-home-internet/