Guest wants refund for late cancellation

[Carly13]

A guest canceled at the same time they were do to arrive in my host country, siteing an accident that made him miss his flight. He then sent a request for me to refund his money, yet I didn't receive a payout of his money. If I issue him the refund does the money come out of my account/next payout?

Our cancellation policy is very lax (1 day) and I have an issue with the timing that everything took place that makes me suspect dishonesty on his behalf. I don't feel obligated to refund his money, as it was just a one night reservation and he let me know at the time of his check-in rather than when he knew he'd be delayed (it was a 10 hour flight that he missed).

I just want to know what will happen if I approve his refund; where will the money come from, me or Airbnb? Should I just refer him to file a refund with Airbnb directly since it was in violation of the cancelation setting, and if so how do I do that?

[Helen3]

Personally in your situation - I would not refund the guest.

Advise your guest, that they need to contact Airbnb to cancel their booking and that AIRBNB will then deal with his cancellation and refund any money due in line with your cancellation policy. Make sure you keep all discussions on Airbnb messaging, so there is a record. You guest can do this, through his booking confirmation, there is a button on it to cancel the booking.

You will get a notice from BNB saying the guest is booking and asking you whether you want to offer a voluntary refund. You can decline and say no. Or say you might consider a partial refund if you get a replacement booking.

Be careful some sneaky guests send BNB a note to say the host has asked them to cancel. When hosts receive this cancellation notice, they click yes and then find themselve liable for the cancellation. Alway decline if you get this message.

If you want to call BNB full contact details on the 1st post on this forum.

[Lynn66]

what is Airbnb messaging.  I have been trying to reach them on a cancellation matter and all I get is a list of irrelavant questions.  Airbnb has violated my policy of non-refundable reservations and I cannot reach a customer service representative.  Lynn

[Dee9]

I would highly discourage from "advising" him anything. Its not your place. I would just decline the refund request and let him deal with it on his end. The less dialogue the better. If he contacts airbnb, so be it.

[Lynn66]

I am the owner and I have complied with Airbnb's platform choices which in my case is Strict.  I also specified in my profile that the reservation is non-refundable and that I would directly communicate with Airbnb if Iwanted to make an exception after speaking with my paid guest.  According to Airbnb, the owner profile is the last word (legally) on the matter.  I need to know how to reach Airbnb directly.  I can do so with VRBO.

Lynn

[Linda108]

@Carly13  I agree with @Helen3.  Let the guest work with Air BNB regarding the cancellation.  It is possible that they will see his transportation issue as an extenuating circumstance and provide a refund.  More important than a single night refund is that you DO NOT do the cancellation.

@Lynn66  What is being referred to in this thread is the communication system between the host and guest about booking.  If you need a way to reach Air BNB please see the first community guide on this site.