Post by deborah on Sept 23, 2015 6:21:44 GMT
Guest refund
Hi
I have a strict refund policy on my listing. A guest recently canceled and asked for a full refund. I explained that due to her cancellation being during my high season I will not offer her a refund. The guest responded that because of my strict policy she would only cancel 7 days before her arrival as this is what the strict policy dictates. I have since given her a full refund. My question is does the strict cancellation policy say that a guest has the option to cancel only 7 days before arrival? If a guest wants to cancel I would obviously like them to do so as soon as possible so that I can free the dates up for other guests, so it surprised me that my guest said she will only cancel 7 days before the time.
Any advice on this matter will be helpful.
Reply
Hi, check the information on refund policies in the Help Center.
www.airbnb.com/home/cancellation_policies#strict
Reply
With a strict policy, they will get half their money back ( less fees). You will get the rest. I generally follow the rule that if the guests cancel & im able to re rent the room, I'll refund most of their $$ ( less a pain in the ass fee for my trouble). The longer they wait, the less chance I have of doing that & I'll settle for half the money
Reply
I believe tha policy allows a guest to be refunded 1/2 of the initial booking cost minus any fees only if they are able to cancel seven or more days in advance. Any less than seven days, the host keeps the entire booking fee. The host may, at his or her discretion, refund any amount at any time, but may safely rely on the policy that was agreed to by the guest.
Reply
Whenever I am questioned on the cancellation policy, I refer to guest to Airbnb customer service. Let them sort it out and explain the policies if need be.
Reply
She knew that she'd lose half her fee regardless of whether it was 7 days before or 37 days before so she decided she'd punish you by leaving it till the last possible moment and therefore reduce your chance of getting a new booking? And she actually felt cool about telling you this? What a bitch.
I'm getting so fed up with guests who enjoy and expect the certainty of services like Instant Book and who take comfort in knowing that the host is penalised if the host cancels, yet seem astonished when they are expected to assume some small level of personal accountability.
I hope your strategy worked, and that with the extra time you found a booking to fill the gap.
Reply
Try adding this language to your listing and every communication. "Airbnb recommends that all guests purchase traveler's insurance. Please contact your traveler's insurance underwriter for reimbursement of cancellation fees or other losses."
Reply
That's mean behaviour from the guest, lucky save that she didn't stay with you. You probably wouldn't have got great feedback, no matter how much effort you made
Reply
Hi everyone thank you for your responses. I agree maybe it was better that she did not stay. She did bully me into giving her the full refund. She's been travelling with Airbnb a lot so I doubt that she didn't understand the strict policy. I have refunded her and at least I have filled some of her cancelled dates. At least I now know exactly how cancellations work. Thanks!
Reply
Please Hosts, if you cannot enforce the strict policy, then choose the Moderate. By giving in to demanding guests, it makes it difficult for other Hosts to enforce the strict policy. Now these guests will expect and demand that future Hosts refund them and policies do not mean anything to them.
Reply
Agree with Maria!! It sets difficult precedent when hosts cave in to guests. It can be a hard situation to be in for a host, so we dont' want to deny the pressures some hosts feel,but really to be a successful host you need to be able to say NO to many people.
Reply
Something else -- Keith had a good line, when he mentioned I think on another forum, that his response, when guests ask for a refund, is that he will give them a refund if Airbnb refunds the guest their service fees.
THis is an interesting way of responding, for two reasons. One, is it suggests that you will be open to the idea of refunding, but only if Airbnb itself is willing to part with its much smaller fees (compared to your payment). Two, the fact is, as I understand it, that Airbnb never refunds its service fees. Even when Airbnb refunds the guest 100% of fees they paid host, Airbnb keeps its service fees. So why should you refund guest anything, if Airbnb will not refund anything?
So with this method Keith suggested you're able to avoid having to say "no."
Sometimes the guest believes they got the Airbnb service fees refunded, but its' actually only your cleaning fee they got refunded.
Hi
I have a strict refund policy on my listing. A guest recently canceled and asked for a full refund. I explained that due to her cancellation being during my high season I will not offer her a refund. The guest responded that because of my strict policy she would only cancel 7 days before her arrival as this is what the strict policy dictates. I have since given her a full refund. My question is does the strict cancellation policy say that a guest has the option to cancel only 7 days before arrival? If a guest wants to cancel I would obviously like them to do so as soon as possible so that I can free the dates up for other guests, so it surprised me that my guest said she will only cancel 7 days before the time.
Any advice on this matter will be helpful.
Reply
Hi, check the information on refund policies in the Help Center.
www.airbnb.com/home/cancellation_policies#strict
Reply
With a strict policy, they will get half their money back ( less fees). You will get the rest. I generally follow the rule that if the guests cancel & im able to re rent the room, I'll refund most of their $$ ( less a pain in the ass fee for my trouble). The longer they wait, the less chance I have of doing that & I'll settle for half the money
Reply
I believe tha policy allows a guest to be refunded 1/2 of the initial booking cost minus any fees only if they are able to cancel seven or more days in advance. Any less than seven days, the host keeps the entire booking fee. The host may, at his or her discretion, refund any amount at any time, but may safely rely on the policy that was agreed to by the guest.
Reply
Whenever I am questioned on the cancellation policy, I refer to guest to Airbnb customer service. Let them sort it out and explain the policies if need be.
Reply
She knew that she'd lose half her fee regardless of whether it was 7 days before or 37 days before so she decided she'd punish you by leaving it till the last possible moment and therefore reduce your chance of getting a new booking? And she actually felt cool about telling you this? What a bitch.
I'm getting so fed up with guests who enjoy and expect the certainty of services like Instant Book and who take comfort in knowing that the host is penalised if the host cancels, yet seem astonished when they are expected to assume some small level of personal accountability.
I hope your strategy worked, and that with the extra time you found a booking to fill the gap.
Reply
Try adding this language to your listing and every communication. "Airbnb recommends that all guests purchase traveler's insurance. Please contact your traveler's insurance underwriter for reimbursement of cancellation fees or other losses."
Reply
That's mean behaviour from the guest, lucky save that she didn't stay with you. You probably wouldn't have got great feedback, no matter how much effort you made
Reply
Hi everyone thank you for your responses. I agree maybe it was better that she did not stay. She did bully me into giving her the full refund. She's been travelling with Airbnb a lot so I doubt that she didn't understand the strict policy. I have refunded her and at least I have filled some of her cancelled dates. At least I now know exactly how cancellations work. Thanks!
Reply
Please Hosts, if you cannot enforce the strict policy, then choose the Moderate. By giving in to demanding guests, it makes it difficult for other Hosts to enforce the strict policy. Now these guests will expect and demand that future Hosts refund them and policies do not mean anything to them.
Reply
Agree with Maria!! It sets difficult precedent when hosts cave in to guests. It can be a hard situation to be in for a host, so we dont' want to deny the pressures some hosts feel,but really to be a successful host you need to be able to say NO to many people.
Reply
Something else -- Keith had a good line, when he mentioned I think on another forum, that his response, when guests ask for a refund, is that he will give them a refund if Airbnb refunds the guest their service fees.
THis is an interesting way of responding, for two reasons. One, is it suggests that you will be open to the idea of refunding, but only if Airbnb itself is willing to part with its much smaller fees (compared to your payment). Two, the fact is, as I understand it, that Airbnb never refunds its service fees. Even when Airbnb refunds the guest 100% of fees they paid host, Airbnb keeps its service fees. So why should you refund guest anything, if Airbnb will not refund anything?
So with this method Keith suggested you're able to avoid having to say "no."
Sometimes the guest believes they got the Airbnb service fees refunded, but its' actually only your cleaning fee they got refunded.