Ripped off by Airbnb

[Wes428]

So I booked an AIRBNB in Ft. Myers Beach for part of August and September 2022.  I booked directly from the owner for the month of August.  We came to this area to  purchase a home.  We decided t stay after the first 10 days and spoke with the owner.  He indicated he had another property in the same community a little cheaper and we negotiated a good deal.  After spending about 5 days in the new place my wfe was getting eaten at night by unknown creatures as she slept.  We tried everything to get rid of this problem.  The owner offered to let us move back to the original lodging for the same price.  We agreed, but when we re-did the paperwork AIRBNB popped in and took $3000.00 out of my Paypal account.  We tried to get it refunded and they just don't listen.  The owner was absolutely no help here either, he laughed about it and said it would take months.  Owner also claims he did ot get the money????  So AIRBNB not only took my money illegally, the took it and deposited it into a foreign bank!  So if the owner does NOT get the  rental fee who does????  And when??? AIRBNB call center was through a foreign entity that I could not understand half the time and would not provided a stateside contact for this.  I have exhausted their contacts with info they just do not see the problem...along with receipts showing the transactions.  So Caveat Emptor....avoid Ft. Myers Beach, the owner **, and AIRBNB entirely.

** [Name hidden due to privacy concerns - Community Center Guidelines]

[Wes428]

Exactly, transferred..and that is what did not happen as AIRBNB took the money the minutge the paperwork was filed before the owner had a chance to square it up...it should never have been charged.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Wes428 you keep talking about filing the paperwork. The trouble I have is there is no paperwork to file when you go through Airbnb.

[Huma0]

@Wes428 

No, that is not how it works. As others have said, there is no paperwork to file. If the booking was made via the Airbnb system, you hit book (if host uses instant booking) and the reservation is made. No paperwork to file. If the host doesn't use instant booking, you send them a booking request for the dates, they accept it and the reservation is made. No paperwork to file.

Who told you there was paperwork? The host?

As for transferring the booking, I think you misunderstand. What others are saying is that the host should have sent you an alteration request, changing the booking from one listing to another. The guest then just has to accept it and it's a done deal. No paperwork to file. There would also be no additional payment, unless the listing you are transferring to is more expensive, in which case, the alteration request would show you what the additional cost is BEFORE you accept/decline it.

Instead, it seems like you made separate bookings for the two listings and got charged twice. That was all totally unavoidable if the host had simply sent you an alteration request as outlined above.

The people who are responding to you here are experienced hosts who have managed their Airbnb bookings day in and day out for years. I don't know why you insist on tell them they don't know what they are talking about.

And this forum has nothing to do with customer support. It is a community forum for hosts and guests to discuss topics and reach out for advice. Your experiences with CS have nothing to do with the people responding to you, so stop blaming them.

[Wes428]

what planet you from....the minute you "book" and hit enter PAPERWORK is generated and you receive a copy...same with all of their transactions, it is all there to be reproduced via PAPER copy...

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Wes428I could similarly ask what century you are from. There isn't an elf printing off paper copies of bookings to file them in Airbnb HQ. It is all electronic unless an individual decides to print out their itinerary so No paperwork is not generated when you book.

Anyway I think we have established your issue is with the host who has all the money from your 3 bookings. Have you asked him to refund you?

[Wes428]

He was the first contact, see too much info in all this, I believe that was in the first salvo...he claims he received no money, hence MY questions that never get answered, like who gets the money? Question 2, why a foreign bank?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Wes428Airbnb will use banks in whatever country give them a cost/tax advantage. I think the nationality of the bank is a red herring.

[Wes428]

Also, you expect me to answer, so how abou tyou, when/who gets the money AIRBNB takes out for the stay?  Does it not go to the owner, who then coud reimburse?

[Mark116]

@Wes428  Airbnb gets the money when you book.  The host is paid usually the first or second day of the stay.  There is no 'invoice' only the reservation itinerary which yes, will list the reservation number and the $$

[Gillian166]

@Wes428  because you keep describing the situation in a way that is NOT how an Airbnb reservation works. you don't "get an invoice to pay". 

How long is it going to take you to realise you aren't explain anything clearly? 

[Gillian166]

@Wes428  you keep saying "paperwork" which is not how anything is done. nor do they "kick out an invoice"

So we are trying to understand the situation, by translating your incorrect phrasing into what we think has happened, but it's really difficult.  

[Wes428]

I suggest if you use AIRBNB you look at how you are invoiced...you know not of what you speak.

[Wes428]

The paperwork is behind the scenes between AIRBNB and owner (records, insurancec, etc.), you DO, however, receive the itinerary, which if you read, is essentilly a receipt.  And if you use Paypal, you get an invoice showing who/what entity (URL) your money went...in my case every one shows AIRBNB in the URL as the seller/payee.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Wes428 we have hosted many guests and never has there been paperwork behind the scenes with Airbnb. I strongly suspect your host is being economical with the truth. Sadly the fact you have left positive reviews for both your stays will confuse Airbnb customer support staff.

Oh and I think you are confusing the word invoice with the word receipt. The latter is what you get from Airbnb (and presumably Paypal)

[Wes428]

The invoices, all from Paypal have been distributed to the reps at AIRBNB, of which I do not know if you are one of them....if it took this posting in a forum to waken a issue not resolved through normal channels, then I applaud it.  All, and I mean ALL correspondence with AIRBNB and the owner was facilitaed through AIRBNB, so the record is there and obvious.  ALL reservations are documents and distributed through AIRBNB as well.  So it shows two payments for the same time frame, one for each of the units.  I would post these, but I do not think that is prudent for public record.