Post by High Priestess on May 21, 2016 2:41:39 GMT
Certain circumstances in guest's life will make them eligible for a full refund, regardless of host's cancellation policy. This information can be found here:
www.airbnb.com/help/article/934/what-extenuating-circumstances-are-eligible-for-a-refund
What Extenuating Circumstances are eligible for a refund?
We understand that unexpected situations can sometimes prevent you from taking a trip that you’ve already planned. If you’re unable to change the dates of your trip and need to cancel, it’s important to do so as soon as possible.
Depending on the situation, you may be eligible for a refund outside of your host’s cancellation policy—which can be found on your trip itinerary. Such cases will be contingent on proper documentation, where valid.
What’s covered:
Death in the family
Serious illness or serious illness in the family
Natural disaster in the destination country
Political unrest in the destination country
Civil obligations
What's not covered:
Flight cancellations due to something other than a natural disaster
Lost baggage
Loss of employment
Death of someone other than an immediate family member
I'd be interested to know if any hosts know of any other circumstances, other than these listed, in which a guest has obtained a full refund from Airbnb, based on some other interpretation of "extenuating circumstances", when the cancellation policy does not warrant that.
I would also be interested to hear, in any case where a guest has been given a full refund based on extenuating circumstances, if in any of those cases, Airbnb refunded the guest out of their own pocket rather than from the host's anticipated payment for that reservation.
I actually think that all extenuating circumstances refunds should be covered by Airbnb rather than by the host. While most of us will empathize with these reasons for needing to cancel a reservation, many hosts are running a business and the fact that the guest may for instance suddenly receive a notice that they have jury duty on the dates they were going to travel, or their grandfather passed away, does not in my view make it reasonable that hosts should lose the income. Particularly if the cancellation is on such short notice that host cannot rebook the dates, it seems more unfair/inappropriate to expect a host to have to bear the cost of a guest who suddenly has jury duty or a death in the family, than to expect the guest themselves to bear that cost. By placing the burden of the capricious nature of life upon the host, Airbnb is essentially forcing the host into the position of being a sort of travel insurer for the guest. This seems inappropriate.
When a guest books at a hotel, they don't give a reason for their visit to the area, and when they cancel ,they don't give a reason for the cancellation. That Airbnb or hosts solicit such information, and encourages users to view home sharing as "belonging" and as opportunity to develop friendships, does not in my mind make it reasonable to burden hosts with the costs of sudden cancellations based on certain stated reasons for cancellation.
Guests who have travel insurance could be reimbursed by travel insurance for such cancellations, as well as all others listed here, so I feel Airbnb should strongly encourage guests to obtain travel insurance.
www.airbnb.com/help/article/934/what-extenuating-circumstances-are-eligible-for-a-refund
What Extenuating Circumstances are eligible for a refund?
We understand that unexpected situations can sometimes prevent you from taking a trip that you’ve already planned. If you’re unable to change the dates of your trip and need to cancel, it’s important to do so as soon as possible.
Depending on the situation, you may be eligible for a refund outside of your host’s cancellation policy—which can be found on your trip itinerary. Such cases will be contingent on proper documentation, where valid.
What’s covered:
Death in the family
Serious illness or serious illness in the family
Natural disaster in the destination country
Political unrest in the destination country
Civil obligations
What's not covered:
Flight cancellations due to something other than a natural disaster
Lost baggage
Loss of employment
Death of someone other than an immediate family member
I'd be interested to know if any hosts know of any other circumstances, other than these listed, in which a guest has obtained a full refund from Airbnb, based on some other interpretation of "extenuating circumstances", when the cancellation policy does not warrant that.
I would also be interested to hear, in any case where a guest has been given a full refund based on extenuating circumstances, if in any of those cases, Airbnb refunded the guest out of their own pocket rather than from the host's anticipated payment for that reservation.
I actually think that all extenuating circumstances refunds should be covered by Airbnb rather than by the host. While most of us will empathize with these reasons for needing to cancel a reservation, many hosts are running a business and the fact that the guest may for instance suddenly receive a notice that they have jury duty on the dates they were going to travel, or their grandfather passed away, does not in my view make it reasonable that hosts should lose the income. Particularly if the cancellation is on such short notice that host cannot rebook the dates, it seems more unfair/inappropriate to expect a host to have to bear the cost of a guest who suddenly has jury duty or a death in the family, than to expect the guest themselves to bear that cost. By placing the burden of the capricious nature of life upon the host, Airbnb is essentially forcing the host into the position of being a sort of travel insurer for the guest. This seems inappropriate.
When a guest books at a hotel, they don't give a reason for their visit to the area, and when they cancel ,they don't give a reason for the cancellation. That Airbnb or hosts solicit such information, and encourages users to view home sharing as "belonging" and as opportunity to develop friendships, does not in my mind make it reasonable to burden hosts with the costs of sudden cancellations based on certain stated reasons for cancellation.
Guests who have travel insurance could be reimbursed by travel insurance for such cancellations, as well as all others listed here, so I feel Airbnb should strongly encourage guests to obtain travel insurance.
