I’ve been a Superhost for many years. I am generally, but not exclusively, in the house with my guests during their stay. I’ve always used a Strict cancellation policy, which has actually (as you likely know) changed over the years to be more accommodating to guests.
Here’s the thing: twice this month I’ve had guests who booked quite a bit in advance decide to cancel. Each of them contacted me and asked me to refund their money. Each had a reason: Guest A had not read the listing; when I wrote with additional info a week prior to their stay, he said the size of the space and size of the bed would just not work for them. He said they simply hadn’t read the listing AT ALL. Guest B booked for Christmas, saying she would be visiting nearby family. Tonight, she said they told her she could stay with them, so she wanted to cancel and get a full refund.
I use Airbnb because I don’t not WANT to discuss money with guests. THAT is what I pay Airbnb to do. I cannot assert myself in that capacity with people begging for a refund. I’d prefer to let Airbnb take that heat. I’d prefer being able to say that my contract with Airbnb requires them to discuss refunds with Airbnb, not with me.
Do I pay a bigger fee for my Strict policy? I’m thinking I should just stop using it, since it never stops people from asking for refunds anyway. It puts me into exactly the position I don’t want to be in.
I’d love to hear how others deal with guest cancellations. I definitely don’t want someone staying who doesn’t want to, and most of the time, I’m going to cave if someone asks for a refund. I’d like to at least keep a “cancellation processing fee” of some kind, because it ends up taking me an hour of speaking, texting, and screwing with an Airbnb or guest phone call or two and the website or app stuff.
Comments??
