Covid Refunds

[Jenny349]

Are hosts aware that Airbnb will grant guests a full, no-questions-asked refund if « proof » is provided that someone in the group tested positive with Covid? 
Yesterday, less than 24h before arrival, Airbnb « Support » (huh!) emailed me to inform me guest cancelled due to Covid and was given a full refund despite our strict cancellation policy.

I’m not happy, but Airbnb reps just quote policy at me and refuse to do anything further.

How is it that the host takes a 100% hit in this situation? I could just about tolerate a 50/50 split, but a full refund seems grossly unfair to the host. Just wondering if anyone else has had to suffer the same situation? 

[Huma0]

@Jenny349 

Sorry for your situation, but this has been the case for a long time now. I am not sure how long, but I kind of remember it from last year...

[Jenny349]

Ah, ok! Thank you @Huma0 , I’m a bit behind, eobviously. Seems extremely unfair but I can see it’s time to stop banging my head against a brick wall!

[Colleen253]

@Jenny349 Yes, this is in the Covid EC policy. 

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/2701/extenuating-circumstances-policy-and-the-coronavirus-covid19

I have not had any guest use this to cancel, as yet. 

[Jenny349]

Thank you @Colleen253 ! I think guests probably have to be a bit savvy to use this option. My guest is a host herself…

[Felix401]

@Jenny349 We have a similar issue and we are still pursuing it as I think it is very clear what the policy is regarding extenuating circumstances, but Airbnb is not following its own policy.

Our guests had checked in for one day and left with a full refund, no cleaning fee neither.

The guests did not satisfy all 4 criterion for a full refund, but a refund was given.

Unfortunately, so far we have been given the explanation that the guests are entitled to full refund and the host is penalised 100%. Upon questioning the factor that the guests had checked in stay 1 day which is against Airbnb's extenuating circumstances policy, there was no answer and the conversation was closed. We have so far restarted our compliant four times and no direct answer why the policy was not followed.

[Sarah977]

@Felix401  "The guests did not satisfy all 4 criterion for a full refund, but a refund was given."

What 4 criteria? And you haven't explained on what basis the guest cancelled nor why you are being penalized? Hosts don't get penalized if a guest cancels under the EC policy.

[Felix401]

@Sarah977the guests cancelled due to a positive covid test after staying for a day.

The 4 criterion are as following. The way I understand it is the guests have checked in, the check in date is not within the next 14 days, 2 out of the 4 points are not satisfied for a full refund. Although my interpretation is deemed incorrect and we are still waiting for an explanation after 2 months.

If you booked after 14 March 2020, your reservation is eligible if all of the following are true

• Your check-in date is within the next 14 days
• and you haven’t already cancelled it
• and you haven’t already checked in
• and you or another guest in your travelling party is currently sick with COVID-19

If all those things are true, you can cancel by contacting our community support team. We’ll ask you to verify this with documentation (such as a COVID-19 test result), where legally allowed. Your account will also be temporarily blocked from making new reservations, and any upcoming reservations within the next 14 days will be cancelled.

If you’re not eligible and you cancel, your refund is determined by your Host’s cancellation policy, and we’ll show your refund amount before you confirm the cancellation. In this case, Host payouts and guest refunds are released according to the Host cancellation policy you agreed to when you booked.

[Huma0]

@Felix401 

This is very useful to know. Could you please include the link to where you found this information as I can't see it either on the COVID EC policy or the general EC policy?

[Felix401]

@Huma0 

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/2823/does-the-extenuating-circumstances-policy-apply-to-my-res...

although in our case the guests had checked in and stayed for 1 day, but still got a full refund.

[Huma0]

@Felix401 

Thank you. This is very useful to know and I will definitely refer back to it if I experience any wrongful Airbnb COVID refunds to guests, although I know it's a real battle.

At the start of the pandemic, I had guests refunded (even for nights/weeks that they had already stayed). I didn't like losing most of my income due to COVID cancellations, but I accepted it as that's just the situation we were all dealing with. However, I did not accept refunds that were clearly outside of the EC policy.

I really had to battle hard to get Airbnb to issue those payouts. It took about a month (sorry you have been waiting two months, which is crazy), but I really was relentless in badgering CS until they paid me back. What helped me get there in the end was repeating their policy back to them word for word, over and over and over again.

[Felix401]

@Huma0   Thanks for sharing your experience. It really energises my struggle.  I have repeated their policy to them 4 times, but they have avoiding explaining why they broke their policy. The only answer was they are already following the EC policy (which is not true).

To cover up their mistake they offered to pay out 1 day.  We were barred from taking another booking for 1 week.  Our cleaning fee was not paid out. Of course the guest had used our products and welcome gifts as well.

Other than the money involved, I think they should either follow their own policy or change it so hosts are clear what to expect. 

[Sarah977]

@Felix401  Thanks for explanation, I see what you mean. It seems that Airbnb has been fully refunding a whole lot of guests under the EC policy irregardless of those criteria.

[Felix401]

@Sarah977yes... thus we are asking them why are they not following their own very specific Covid-19 EC policy. We have been waiting for over 2 months for an explanation.

[Debra300]

@Jenny349,

I had a guest cancel two days before their scheduled arrival on Christmas Day, and claimed that they had tested positive the week before their trip.  I contacted CS, and in my situation the guest canceled, but I received the payout.  I am guessing that the guest wasn't able to provide a copy of the documented test result. 

Folks here in the community no that I am a big proponent of travel insurance, but I can envision some tricky situation in the near future since home testing is being heavily promoted.  The results from these types of tests are not accepted for most business or official matters (travel, return to work, access to restricted venues, etc.), but it may take a few days before a genuinely infected guest can produce the results from a test administered by a medical professional.  Leading to late/last minute cancellations, and an inability for hosts to rebook the space.  I can also see guests who try to snake out of losing money, and submit a photo of a positive test strip as "proof" of their extenuating circumstances claim.