Refund to a Closed Account

[Katie1550]

I cancelled a reservation due to my trip getting cancelled last minute and unfortunately I forgot when I booked the trip I booked it using a bank account which has since been closed. 

I tried contacting Airbnb to explain the situation and figure out how to get my refund. I keep getting passed round to multiple people telling me the exact same thing "It's showing processed on our end, contact your bank. The refund will be sent to the original payment method, even if it's closed." Clearly no one understands that a CLOSED bank account can not receive any funds. Everytime I call my bank they can not help me or even track the ARN because the account is no longer existent and they say contact the merchant Airbnb.

Even Airbnb's website acknowledges it your refund is sent to a closed account to contact them for assistance- clearly customer service isn't in the know about this but I can't seem to get ahold of ANYONE at Airbnb to help me or send me any info other then the generic response I've received 8x already. 

"Note: If your original payment method's account was closed, the refund sent by Airbnb won't process. If this happens, you can contact Airbnb to step in and help."

I've received so many messages from Airbnb customer service handing me over to a different agent daily if not multiple times per day saying they are now handling my case and to call the bank, sending me the same replies, then closing the chat saying it's been resolved. 

I'm at a loss on how to get my money back or even talk to a real person who knows their own company policies they advertise on their website. 

[Alicia753]

Hi @Katie1550 

I hope these step-by-step guides help you resolve this issue with Airbnb:

1. Contact Airbnb Support - If you already have a ticket, follow up regularly with them. 

2. Discuss Alternative Refund Methods - Their Resolutions Team might be able to help you re-route your refund to an active bank account. 

3. Provide Necessary Documentation - You may need to provide proof that the original bank account is closed. This could be a letter from the bank or a closure statement. Also, be prepared to provide details of your alternative bank account if they agree to reroute the refund.

I really hope this helps! 😊

[Katie1550]

I have tried that, I have contacted their team probably over 10x both by messaging and calls and every single one of their customer services agents (I've probably been contacted/ spoken to about 15 different people) all tell me"sorry not out problem we sent it and it processed contact your bank." It's literally like talking to a brick wall. 

Every person has refused to listen to me that the bank account it closed and I have literally showed them proof it's closed and they don't seem to care. 

[Brock62]

Hello! Did you ever get this resolved? I am currently going through the same thing right now, and I am now filing a complaint with the attorney general of california, since that is where they are headquartered. I am at a total loss at what the next step would be. 

[Cha5]

I would tell the Airbnb customer service that if they can’t help to resolve this problem, I would get Brian Cheeky ( hope I spelled his name correctly) to help solve it.  Hope this helps.
Good luck.

[Lorina14]

@Brock62 

Im sorry to hear about your issues with getting a refund. I’m going to flag some community support managers to see if they can send your message to the right team to help you out. They are not support directly but moderate these community boards, flag messages and send them to the right team. 

@Bhumika @Rebecca @Paula do you think you can help Brock out with his issue? Thank you!

[Rebecca]

Thank you for tagging me @Lorina14. 😍

Hi there @Brock62 👋

Sorry to read your experience regarding your refund to a closed account. I wanted to let you know that I've popped you a direct message with some more information. 

I hope this helps,
Rebecca 🌟 

[Christina1934]

Same thing I am going through right now!! I can’t make anybody understand that my account has been closed since April 2 they refunded the money and the bank rejected it.. I don’t know what to do to get my actual refund. Can you please let me know what else I need to do because I am at a standstill. Nobody can help.  
christina Bell

**[E-mail address removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines]

[Ursulla1]

Hi Rebecca, unfortunately I'm also going through the exact same dilemma. 

My host cancelled my accommodation and refunded the money back to the original payment method (MasterCard). This along with my bank account got closed a month ago. I have spoken to my bank several times to which they said that any refunds to a closed bank account will bounce back to the issuer. 

I have being going back and forth with Airbnb customer care since March. No one seems to listen! It's getting so frustrating. 

They asked me to provide proof of the closure of my bank account and I did. Still absolutely no help from them. They keep giving me the same spill again and again. It's exactly like talking to a brick wall. 

What can I do. Can anyone help? Did any of the situations above get resolved successfully?