Post by High Priestess on May 28, 2016 15:41:59 GMT
Ernie/Josh shared this on NEw Hosts Forum in June 2014
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-91162
Fraudulent profile (two identities to create one profile)/Third-party booking
Rather than re-explain what transpired, this email I sent in response to an Airbnb customer service representative will be self-explanatory:
"Thank you Brie,
I am satisfied that the payout for the booking went through. What I am dissatisfied with is that I was not compensated for the late check-in fee that was agreed to by the guest when they confirmed the booking. The guest arrived well after the normal check-in time requiring me to be present at the property and to check-in the guest. Our house rules state: "Check-ins are welcome anytime between 3 PM and 7 PM. Please check-out by 11 AM. Late check-ins are available upon special request and will incur a $25 convenience fee. We will not accept check-ins past 10 PM under any circumstances." The guest arrived at 7:35 pm. He was sent an altered reservation to account for the late check-in fee. When I answered the door I asked him to please accept the altered reservation request before he and his guest check-in. He claimed to not have seen the request although he had no issue paying the fee as he was well aware of the rule. Although the check-in never occurred, it was due to no fault of mine as the host. The fault lies with both Airbnb and with the guest.
I see Airbnb at fault in two ways. Firstly, Airbnb has deliberately chosen to leave the burden of guest education upon the guest and the hosts. Rather than creating a simple "how to become verified and properly use Airbnb" video, Airbnb has deliberately chosen to place terms and conditions upon the site to be digested by both hosts and by guests despite the fact that it is foreseeable many will not read through this information.
Secondly, Airbnb allowed a guest (as happened last night at my house) to create a fraudulent profile. While at the front door discussing the late check-in fee, I was put-off by the fact that the reservation had been made for two people yet there were three people at my front door. The man who had booked the room, Kuan, explained that he was new to Airbnb and that he had in fact booked the room for the other two people standing with him because they did not speak English but spoke only Chinese. I explained that third-party bookings were not allowed by Airbnb and that I follow Airbnb's terms and conditions to the letter. I told him that he may check-in with one other party as it was his profile that had booked the room. He then explained that it was not a third party booking because, although the profile was created with his name and photograph, the passport, credit card and telephone numbers (as well as other information) belonged to the other man, the one for whom he had booked the room. I cannot understand how this is possible unless Airbnb's verification process is somehow not as secure as I believed it to be. This for me is the biggest issue. I have had around 450 bookings in the past 13 1/2 months that I have been a host (I am now a Super Host). I strongly believed that the verification process was ironclad such that each person who booked a room with me was, in fact, the person they claimed to be due to the stringent verification and identification process. This is clearly not the case as was evidenced by the facts surrounding last night's incident. We have a very serious problem here. This could compromise the trust and safety that is vital to Airbnb's entire business model. This profile was essentially created by merging two people's separate identities. Wow!
I believe the guest is also partly at fault due to the fact that he didn't take the time to educate himself regarding Airbnb's terms and conditions prior to creating a profile and booking a room with me. He should have know that 1) his account was fraudulent and 2) that he is not permitted to create third party bookings for other guests using his profile. I believe that I was following the rules to the letter and now have lost a late check-in fee that I am certainly entitled to. I spent nearly three more hours and two telephone conversations last evening to 10pm dealing with this situation (not to mention responding to the first agent's inadequate email response to me). I make more money when things go according to the rules and people are who they say they are. I rely on Airbnb to ensure that is what occurs.
I am further dissatisfied for other reasons. Namely, that when I called into customer service last night, your agent had no idea what to do. She first placed me on hold for nearly 20 minutes while the guest sat waiting on my front porch and I sat waiting in my living room. This placed both the guest and me in a very awkward and uncomfortable situation, not to mention the fact that this left these poor people with no place to go being shut out of a place they paid good money to be permitted to stay in. After 20 minutes of conversation with your agent, there was still no resolution. She promised finally at 7:58pm that I would absolutely hear form a qualified member of your team within one hour. Having heard from nobody at Airbnb after 90 minutes, I called back and got another agent who was great. You are lucky to have that agent on your team. I asked her to please read through the notes left by the previous agent such that she could orient herself with my predicament. She said that the agent had placed into the notes my dissatisfaction that I had not been compensated for the late check-in fee, that I had asked for the reservation to be cancelled (which I had not) and that I had asked for the cancellation because I was unhappy it had been made as a third party booking (only part of the truth). She said there was nothing about the promise made by the previous agent that I would be reached out to within one hour and nothing regarding the creation of a fraudulent account that had bypassed the verification process. I asked her to start a new file with these issues included as well as a complaint that the initial agent had created an incomplete and inaccurate file. She apologized profusely and assured me that this issue would be escalated and that someone would reach out to me, although she said she could not say when. She said the previous agent should not have promised such a timeline.
As mentioned, I am a Super Host. I also have an enormous amount of bookings flow through my property having had around 450 or so since starting as a host (three listings in one single family residence). Of course there have been some wonderful guests (the majority) but there have also been some problematic guests, as is to be expected. The problem I continue to have is the inadequate customer service. I have no account manager with whom I am familiar or who is familiar with me, my property or my circumstances. Every time I call I get a random agent who often times is brand new to Airbnb as was Shelley last night (2 months with Airbnb). These new agents have no ability to help me, so why are they in a position whereby they are the only person to whom I have access?!? When I have a situation such as last night whereby I am refusing entry to a guest based upon a third party booking or fraudulent account or some there problem, and the guest is sitting on my front steps not knowing where to go or what to do, I need to feel like I can call Airbnb and find a timely resolution rather than sitting up half the night speaking with two different agents, neither of whom have the authority to make a critical decision and help me find a reasonable solution for myself and the guest. What will Airbnb do to solve this problem? This has happened two or three times now in the last year and Airbnb keeps telling me that it is adding staff and providing its agents access to a supervisor on location to make these critical and timely decisions, yet Airbnb keeps failing to follow through on this promise. When I call in I need access and advice from someone who has authority or for the answering agent to have immediate access to someone with authority. Please help me here. We are in a partnership and I'd like feel that I am being treated like a valued partner. When I am left holding the bag not knowing what is happening, I don't feel as such. Last night the agent told me that the reservation had been cancelled, I was to receive no payout and that the guest had been placed in a hotel on Airbnb's dime. I couldn't help but feel that I was the only person following the rules and the only person being penalized, meanwhile the guest, who had broken several rules of protocol, was being rewarded and might be sitting with his feet up at the Ritz Carleton. I was furious and disappointed with the treatment I received from Airbnb for enforcing its policies.
It would be nice if Super Hosts, like myself, were assigned account managers who we could call for advice or instruction when things go wrong and for all other hosts to be able to find adequate support when they call in for assistance.
Cheers, Ernie Thayer"
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Javier and Kym
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Danny
Danny2 years ago
In my opinion the Superhost status is worth squat! I read that Superhosts were su[posed to receive special Customer Service access andresolution, guess thats still a work in process.
As for the verification process, another bad cosmetic practice. The verification protocol is outsourced to an company who only states that they can basically do whatever they want with the data, sell it, rent it, display it on a pixel board in downtown NYC.
I am sorry to hear of your bad experience with management, I am sure it won't be the last time. I hope the verification problems can be brought up at the upcoming AirBnb opening!
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Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
Did they read it?
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Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
They have read it and responded that someone would get back to me addressing all points raised. They said they would ensure I will receive the late check-in fee. Waiting for their reply.
Kelly and Fabian
Kelly and Fabian2 years ago
Ugh! So awkward for you. Sorry to hear about that. As far as late checkins, it seems that people definitely don't care that they keep you up waiting.
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Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
This is why we implemented the fee and forbid check-ins after 10pm under any circumstances. Usually people arrive within the four hour window we give them.
Maria Lurdes
Maria Lurdes2 years ago
Hey Ernest, I've been a superhost for a few years, and up to the beginning of 2013 we did have dedicated support. That was the good ol' days when you could actually send an email to "support at airbnb" and have "superhost help required" in the subject line and get a timely response. I can't pinpoint the date this stopped, but I guess it would be around the time of the expanded Help section. I have had some wonderful support reps to deal with over the years, but it seems like it's the luck of the draw now to get someone on the phone that will first listen without jumping to conclusions about the issue, then try and help you. I pull my hair out every time I have to contact support now. It's extremely frustrating, especially trying to use the help resolution tool rather than calling in.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
The verification process is a fallible, deeply-flawed, smoke-and-mirrors PR exercise that lulls many hosts into a false sense of security, and people need to be aware of the realities of verification, rather than unquestioningly placing their blind faith in it. There is NO guarantee - ever - that the person who turns up at your door is who they say they are - fully verified by Airbnb or otherwise - so we all need to take our own precautions and even more importantly, trust our own instincts.
Bear in mind, when somebody uploads a copy of a passport/driving licence, there's no proof whatsoever that the pic is of the actual person named on the document. Nobody is manually checking these documents and a computer has no way of telling whether or not they have already been tampered with in any way. Additionally, criminals have easy access to any amount of false ID documents, so they're not exactly difficult to get hold of for anyone with less-than-honourable intentions.
Credit card details are also not part of the verification process. I've had several guests telling me that the payment would be made from their partner/friend/parent's credit card, so the card details linked to any profile aren't necessarily those of the named guest. And as Danny points out, the outfit to whom Airbnb outsources and entrusts YOUR most sensitive personal information - Jumio - publicy state that they'll do whatever the hell they want with it, as long as it's in the interests of THEIR company.
So people very wrongly believe that the verification process provides them with a high level of safety and security. Sorry guys but no - it doesn't. There have been several serious incidents reported where the offending guests have been fully verified - including a host in London whose place was robbed to the tune of several thousands of pounds by her guest - so to trust that just because someone is verified, automatically means they're above board, is a rather foolhardy course of action to take.
Quoted directly from Airbnb's own Help page on Verified ID....
'Hosts and guests alike tell us they find Verified ID useful when deciding who to interact with on Airbnb, BUT IT'S NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OR GUARANTEE OF SOMEONE'S IDENTITY'
So ultimately, Airbnb are admitting themselves that their beloved Verified ID does NOT do what it says on the tin and is, in fact, about as much use as a chocolate tea-pot.
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Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
As evidenced here: www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-91268
Andrew
Andrew2 years ago
I think it's advisable to take the Verified ID system with a grain of salt - it's one layer of filtration, probably more useful than no verification at all, but it's by no means foolproof. I'm just trying to imagine the cost that would be involved in a system where actual people analyzed the ID scans of each applicant, cross-checked them against the profile data, and confirmed that each person is exactly who they say they are - and as useful as that might be, it sounds like an enormously expensive undertaking whose costs we'd have to absorb in much higher fees. And truth be told, it would have to be a more sophisticated system than even governments use, considering how many people get through airports with forged passports and visas.
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
It might be better to call it The ID Review System. Calling it a Verified ID is akin to saying that all reviews hosts leave guests are positive.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Totally agree that the costs of a more sophisticated system would most likely be hugely prohibitive, yet one would also have to question the cost vs benefit ratio of the current system too. Yes, there's some degree of value in the fact that the validity of each ID card/document is verified using advanced image recognition. However, in the absence of any biometric scanning component, Jumio remains unable to confirm that the person holding the document is indeed the same person named/pictured, which renders the whole exercise somewhat futile - especially for our purposes. Considering also that many people either have serious misgivings and/or flatly refuse to upload a copy of their Govt-issued ID to a website that's already plagued with security breaches, so choose instead to take their business somewhere less intrusive, perhaps the undisclosed sums being paid to Jumio might possibly be better utilised in other areas, such as investing in the shambolic and seriously under-performing IT and CX deparments?
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Somewhat irrelevant but interesting to note though, that Facebook, Airbnb and Jumio all share a major backer in super angel investors and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. (Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, is also one of the main backers of Jumio) Nice trinity...
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
What you are saying Susan makes sense, and it makes me think again about the comments I have read in the past on the forums where some hosts pointed out that there are other ways that guest's identities could be verified, other than what Airbnb uses, which would be more reliable as well as perhaps easier for guests to use.
I mean, for instance, I just have never been able to understand how someone uploading a video of themselves--one of the ways Airbnb allows for ID verification -- (how can they prove it's really them?!?) constitutes verification of ID.
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Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
So true. I've just changed my requirements as a result.
Jana
Jana2 years ago
If I require guests to have verified ID's, does that mean all guests need to upload a video? Does Airbnb require all guests to have a video? I can't find anything in help about that.
Andrew
Andrew2 years ago
No, the video is not required. Actually none of the verifications are required - they're only suggested. Hosts who adjust their settings accordingly can choose to block bookings from guests without Verified ID, but aside from that anyone can throw together some random clicks on the keyboard to make a profile and book a room within minutes. I should add, though, that I've gotten a hotel room at 4 AM in Mexico City with a stranger from a bar under the name Klaus Kinski, and nobody raised an eyebrow. We're all dabbling in an industry with many deep shadows.
Andrew
Andrew2 years ago
This may be the first time I've heard of a host with a "late check-in" fee. I can certainly understand charging for an early check-in, or a late check-out, as these can affect your ability to accommodate other guests. But when you're hosting travelers, a late arrival is often beyond their control. Charging extra money when they're actually using your facilities for a slightly shorter period seems kind of hard to justify. And if someone's flight is delayed and they can't make it until after 10 PM, would you really refuse to let them in the house?
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Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
We feel that a four hour window is more than generous. I have a life outside of Airbnb and often am not home after 7pm. If a guest wants the luxury of expanding a four hour window to a 7 hour window, that's fine but that's a concession for which I expect to be paid. All potential guests are put on notice prior to reaching out to me and/or booking the space so they can make an informed decision if that is a bargain they are willing to make. And yes, I have refused several people entry past 10pm and have been supported in this by Airbnb. Travelers have the option of purchasing traveler's insurance for these foreseeable delays.
Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
We initially implemented the late check-in fee and the 10pm cut-off when a guest felt it perfectly acceptable to check-in at 1am. This had happened many times before that and we had just had enough of people treating us as though we are a 24 hour front-desk of an hotel. Also taking into account the sheer volume of guests that we accommodate, we had to draw the line somewhere and set some reasonable boundaries. We still have occupancy of over 90% in all three of our listings and these policies have worked out for nearly every guest we've hosted but we do realize that you can't please everyone.
Kelly and Fabian
Kelly and Fabian2 years ago
It's a very interesting way that you have dealt with this, and there are many times I have sat frustrated and waiting for guests. However, I feel like a majority of our guests check in late so it may affect our business. I like your idea though and I'm considering it now. We do have lives outside Airbnb and 70% of the time people do not show up when promised. I've sat and sat and was treated like well you should wait on me. We have waited 4-5 hours past the time people told me they would arrive.
Nic and Rach
Nic and Rach2 years ago
I totally agree with Andrew, why charge late check in fee ?? as far as Airbnb it is a business entity that can only do much like other businesses llc and there are protections/guaranty for host and guests in placed but of course that would be based on airbnb terms so, fraudulent or not /// third party or what and if a third party booking arise set your deposits to the highs $1k to 10K for your own damage protection or what not. for me super host status is just a rewarding feeling of hosting that airbnb is rewarding you for doing a good job in treating, providing, and following airbnb's culture and for guests satisfactions. so, you are the host , you are running a business, trust your instinct, and treat airbnb as your financial/marketings-support/resource... that's my 2 cents.
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Chantal
Chantal2 years ago
Ernest, you are checking guests in between 3 pm and 7 pm, but "The guest arrived at 0735 PM" ...So you are charging a guest $25 for being 5 minutes late?! I think I know what I would do if I were your guest..
..I find this a terribly sad charge.
I have waited 12 hours for guests to check in and was glad that they made it alive to the house. I don't think that being 5 minutes late required "penalizing" a guest. Some hosts here are forgetting this is a service industry and the guests pays for service.
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Maggie
Maggie2 years ago
We came across late check in fees in Europe - it was fine by us as we were aware when we made our decision to book that place and figured into our math - Ernest makes this obvious on his listing - if guests don't like it they can book another listing.
Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
The guest was not 5 minutes late, they were 35 minutes late. As explained earlier, we give a generous window for check-in and allow for an additional 3 hours at an additional fee. All of these policies are clearly outlined on the listing and made available to the potential guest prior to their contacting me or booking the listing. As Maggie says, if they don't care for the policy, there are many other listings available to them. We used to have a six hour window and guests abused is so greatly so many times that I have checked guests in as late as 2am. Finally, after about the 400 + booking I decided to change my policy. The goal was not to collect fees but to discourage people for whom the window would not work. If I have to cancel dinner plans and remain tethered to the property so that a guest can enjoy dinner themselves before checking in, I believe that service warrants a small fee. Additionally, a smaller check-in window, during more reasonable hours, fosters a more relaxed and quiet atmosphere for my other guests who may be sleeping, resting, reading or relaxing. Allowing people to check-in and become oriented to the property at 10pm or later is quite intrusive to the tranquility provided my other guests. For all I know, some guests book a listing with me as a result of their knowledge that I don't allow intrusive check-ins late into the evening.
Nonya
Nonya2 years ago
I am currently under 'review' for superhost. I have had over 1000 reservations. I have close to 550 reviews currently. April - October....100% plus booked. I understand Ernest point. I also understand the viewpoint that others stated that 'flexibility' should have been used for being 35 minutes late. When you are receiving guests on a daily basis, a person can tend to loose 'their own lives' in the process where they are literally stuck at home waiting for these guests. I made a lot of changes this year myself after 'having enough'. I no longer take one night stays. Because my area is not the most desireable, it takes guests a couple of days to get used to before they figure its not as bad as they say. But one nighters tend to have the most to say about nothing after taking their own sweet time, coming in at 1-2 am and leaving out at 7 a.m. with a mouthful of comments with regards about nothing experienced. I used to do free shuttles to the train station at all times of the day. Draining. Now its only from 9p.m. - 2 a.m. At this point, I'm almost at the point of saying no early morning checkin. They always state they want to drop their bags off and go back out. The problem is that when they arrive they are either tired and then bother other guests who may be going to the bathroom when they are suppose to stay in the waiting room in the back to either rest or whatever, and they start going thru the house just being nosy while others are sleep for those who have not checked out.
The bottom line is that guests take liberty, intentially and unintentionally. If you provide a guideline that you feel will benefit them as well as yourself, then a host can get host fatigue. I tell my guests to at least call or text me what time do you feel that they will be arriving and you be surprise how many DONT mention anything until they get to the stairs of my door. I have a website with everything they need to know to get to my place, and they still will do whatever they want.....now, with consequences.
As for airbnb customer service....yeah...i don't know whats up with that. I actually almost went off on one of them. A guests came in at 1:30 a.m. and wanted to look around. I told them that its late and i will show you to your airbed in the dark because there are guests in the room sleep. They then said they wanted to go to the store (which were closed). I told them, 'i have a meeting in the morning and the door will be locked. You can go around the back when you return'. I was thinking they were going to get their bags and come back. They went to their car, sat in the car for literally 45 minutes and then left. I assumed they were going to go somewhere else. 3:30 a.m., some of my other guests came home from the clubs and they were among them. The girls came back upstairs to the room, took pictures and then left...with the back door WIDE open.
They called airbnb the next day i guess and asked for a refund saying that their were 10 air mattresses in the room (room only holds 5) and their were windows boarded up. (The boarded up window was in another guests room who broke the window trying to kill a bee). So airbnb customer service, without contacting me, sent me an email after resolving it with the guests saying that I need to update my pictures, what complaints they made and that they were issued a full refund. I was ballistic. I called a supervisor. When that same customer service lady found out, she contacted me and tried to apologize. All of what the guests had told her were complete lies and i told the customer service that when I have guests who are not happy, I need Airbnb to do one thing....stick to the script. The customer service had stated that 'I (she) cancelled the reservation on YOUR (MY) behalf and that any future cancellations you do will be a penalty on you'. Thats when I told the supervisor and her...you don't cancel anything or do anything on my behalf. You didn't have the decency to contact me about her complaint and then now you are affecting my status by canceling somebody on MY behalf? I guess someone talked to her about that and she apologize. I said that I don't want your apology, I want that cancellation state removed from my reviews. She did. I also stated that an AIRBNB photographer just recently took my photos and these were the latest verified photos for this year. So unless these guests provide any REAL proof of their claims, you need to stick to script and follow the terms of the policies we as hosts have stated.
I have so much information in my ad and on my website that if a guest don't want to read what to expect, because it was clear how many people would be sharing the room for $13 a night. If they don't like it, there are 100s of hosts to choose from. My time is just as precious as they think their trips are to them. If a guests can't read the first paragraph, they don't need to be taking a trip.
So customer service gave me at least 1/2 of the reservation even tho it was a strict policy. But this was the 3rd time this year, a customer service rep tried to take it upon themselves to render judgement without contacting me....unsuccessfully. I don't know if its the increased popularity of Airbnb thats making them overwhelmed but they really need to rethink providing account managers to those who host past a certain number of reservations. I used to love just calling airbnb to resolve an issue. Now I have my boxing gloves on when I see a customer service email over somebody who don't have a profile, no review nothing...only a complaint, making me feel like I was the bad host.
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Deborah
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-91162
Fraudulent profile (two identities to create one profile)/Third-party booking
Rather than re-explain what transpired, this email I sent in response to an Airbnb customer service representative will be self-explanatory:
"Thank you Brie,
I am satisfied that the payout for the booking went through. What I am dissatisfied with is that I was not compensated for the late check-in fee that was agreed to by the guest when they confirmed the booking. The guest arrived well after the normal check-in time requiring me to be present at the property and to check-in the guest. Our house rules state: "Check-ins are welcome anytime between 3 PM and 7 PM. Please check-out by 11 AM. Late check-ins are available upon special request and will incur a $25 convenience fee. We will not accept check-ins past 10 PM under any circumstances." The guest arrived at 7:35 pm. He was sent an altered reservation to account for the late check-in fee. When I answered the door I asked him to please accept the altered reservation request before he and his guest check-in. He claimed to not have seen the request although he had no issue paying the fee as he was well aware of the rule. Although the check-in never occurred, it was due to no fault of mine as the host. The fault lies with both Airbnb and with the guest.
I see Airbnb at fault in two ways. Firstly, Airbnb has deliberately chosen to leave the burden of guest education upon the guest and the hosts. Rather than creating a simple "how to become verified and properly use Airbnb" video, Airbnb has deliberately chosen to place terms and conditions upon the site to be digested by both hosts and by guests despite the fact that it is foreseeable many will not read through this information.
Secondly, Airbnb allowed a guest (as happened last night at my house) to create a fraudulent profile. While at the front door discussing the late check-in fee, I was put-off by the fact that the reservation had been made for two people yet there were three people at my front door. The man who had booked the room, Kuan, explained that he was new to Airbnb and that he had in fact booked the room for the other two people standing with him because they did not speak English but spoke only Chinese. I explained that third-party bookings were not allowed by Airbnb and that I follow Airbnb's terms and conditions to the letter. I told him that he may check-in with one other party as it was his profile that had booked the room. He then explained that it was not a third party booking because, although the profile was created with his name and photograph, the passport, credit card and telephone numbers (as well as other information) belonged to the other man, the one for whom he had booked the room. I cannot understand how this is possible unless Airbnb's verification process is somehow not as secure as I believed it to be. This for me is the biggest issue. I have had around 450 bookings in the past 13 1/2 months that I have been a host (I am now a Super Host). I strongly believed that the verification process was ironclad such that each person who booked a room with me was, in fact, the person they claimed to be due to the stringent verification and identification process. This is clearly not the case as was evidenced by the facts surrounding last night's incident. We have a very serious problem here. This could compromise the trust and safety that is vital to Airbnb's entire business model. This profile was essentially created by merging two people's separate identities. Wow!
I believe the guest is also partly at fault due to the fact that he didn't take the time to educate himself regarding Airbnb's terms and conditions prior to creating a profile and booking a room with me. He should have know that 1) his account was fraudulent and 2) that he is not permitted to create third party bookings for other guests using his profile. I believe that I was following the rules to the letter and now have lost a late check-in fee that I am certainly entitled to. I spent nearly three more hours and two telephone conversations last evening to 10pm dealing with this situation (not to mention responding to the first agent's inadequate email response to me). I make more money when things go according to the rules and people are who they say they are. I rely on Airbnb to ensure that is what occurs.
I am further dissatisfied for other reasons. Namely, that when I called into customer service last night, your agent had no idea what to do. She first placed me on hold for nearly 20 minutes while the guest sat waiting on my front porch and I sat waiting in my living room. This placed both the guest and me in a very awkward and uncomfortable situation, not to mention the fact that this left these poor people with no place to go being shut out of a place they paid good money to be permitted to stay in. After 20 minutes of conversation with your agent, there was still no resolution. She promised finally at 7:58pm that I would absolutely hear form a qualified member of your team within one hour. Having heard from nobody at Airbnb after 90 minutes, I called back and got another agent who was great. You are lucky to have that agent on your team. I asked her to please read through the notes left by the previous agent such that she could orient herself with my predicament. She said that the agent had placed into the notes my dissatisfaction that I had not been compensated for the late check-in fee, that I had asked for the reservation to be cancelled (which I had not) and that I had asked for the cancellation because I was unhappy it had been made as a third party booking (only part of the truth). She said there was nothing about the promise made by the previous agent that I would be reached out to within one hour and nothing regarding the creation of a fraudulent account that had bypassed the verification process. I asked her to start a new file with these issues included as well as a complaint that the initial agent had created an incomplete and inaccurate file. She apologized profusely and assured me that this issue would be escalated and that someone would reach out to me, although she said she could not say when. She said the previous agent should not have promised such a timeline.
As mentioned, I am a Super Host. I also have an enormous amount of bookings flow through my property having had around 450 or so since starting as a host (three listings in one single family residence). Of course there have been some wonderful guests (the majority) but there have also been some problematic guests, as is to be expected. The problem I continue to have is the inadequate customer service. I have no account manager with whom I am familiar or who is familiar with me, my property or my circumstances. Every time I call I get a random agent who often times is brand new to Airbnb as was Shelley last night (2 months with Airbnb). These new agents have no ability to help me, so why are they in a position whereby they are the only person to whom I have access?!? When I have a situation such as last night whereby I am refusing entry to a guest based upon a third party booking or fraudulent account or some there problem, and the guest is sitting on my front steps not knowing where to go or what to do, I need to feel like I can call Airbnb and find a timely resolution rather than sitting up half the night speaking with two different agents, neither of whom have the authority to make a critical decision and help me find a reasonable solution for myself and the guest. What will Airbnb do to solve this problem? This has happened two or three times now in the last year and Airbnb keeps telling me that it is adding staff and providing its agents access to a supervisor on location to make these critical and timely decisions, yet Airbnb keeps failing to follow through on this promise. When I call in I need access and advice from someone who has authority or for the answering agent to have immediate access to someone with authority. Please help me here. We are in a partnership and I'd like feel that I am being treated like a valued partner. When I am left holding the bag not knowing what is happening, I don't feel as such. Last night the agent told me that the reservation had been cancelled, I was to receive no payout and that the guest had been placed in a hotel on Airbnb's dime. I couldn't help but feel that I was the only person following the rules and the only person being penalized, meanwhile the guest, who had broken several rules of protocol, was being rewarded and might be sitting with his feet up at the Ritz Carleton. I was furious and disappointed with the treatment I received from Airbnb for enforcing its policies.
It would be nice if Super Hosts, like myself, were assigned account managers who we could call for advice or instruction when things go wrong and for all other hosts to be able to find adequate support when they call in for assistance.
Cheers, Ernie Thayer"
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Danny
Danny2 years ago
In my opinion the Superhost status is worth squat! I read that Superhosts were su[posed to receive special Customer Service access andresolution, guess thats still a work in process.
As for the verification process, another bad cosmetic practice. The verification protocol is outsourced to an company who only states that they can basically do whatever they want with the data, sell it, rent it, display it on a pixel board in downtown NYC.
I am sorry to hear of your bad experience with management, I am sure it won't be the last time. I hope the verification problems can be brought up at the upcoming AirBnb opening!
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Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
Did they read it?
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Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
They have read it and responded that someone would get back to me addressing all points raised. They said they would ensure I will receive the late check-in fee. Waiting for their reply.
Kelly and Fabian
Kelly and Fabian2 years ago
Ugh! So awkward for you. Sorry to hear about that. As far as late checkins, it seems that people definitely don't care that they keep you up waiting.
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Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
This is why we implemented the fee and forbid check-ins after 10pm under any circumstances. Usually people arrive within the four hour window we give them.
Maria Lurdes
Maria Lurdes2 years ago
Hey Ernest, I've been a superhost for a few years, and up to the beginning of 2013 we did have dedicated support. That was the good ol' days when you could actually send an email to "support at airbnb" and have "superhost help required" in the subject line and get a timely response. I can't pinpoint the date this stopped, but I guess it would be around the time of the expanded Help section. I have had some wonderful support reps to deal with over the years, but it seems like it's the luck of the draw now to get someone on the phone that will first listen without jumping to conclusions about the issue, then try and help you. I pull my hair out every time I have to contact support now. It's extremely frustrating, especially trying to use the help resolution tool rather than calling in.
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Susan
Susan2 years ago
The verification process is a fallible, deeply-flawed, smoke-and-mirrors PR exercise that lulls many hosts into a false sense of security, and people need to be aware of the realities of verification, rather than unquestioningly placing their blind faith in it. There is NO guarantee - ever - that the person who turns up at your door is who they say they are - fully verified by Airbnb or otherwise - so we all need to take our own precautions and even more importantly, trust our own instincts.
Bear in mind, when somebody uploads a copy of a passport/driving licence, there's no proof whatsoever that the pic is of the actual person named on the document. Nobody is manually checking these documents and a computer has no way of telling whether or not they have already been tampered with in any way. Additionally, criminals have easy access to any amount of false ID documents, so they're not exactly difficult to get hold of for anyone with less-than-honourable intentions.
Credit card details are also not part of the verification process. I've had several guests telling me that the payment would be made from their partner/friend/parent's credit card, so the card details linked to any profile aren't necessarily those of the named guest. And as Danny points out, the outfit to whom Airbnb outsources and entrusts YOUR most sensitive personal information - Jumio - publicy state that they'll do whatever the hell they want with it, as long as it's in the interests of THEIR company.
So people very wrongly believe that the verification process provides them with a high level of safety and security. Sorry guys but no - it doesn't. There have been several serious incidents reported where the offending guests have been fully verified - including a host in London whose place was robbed to the tune of several thousands of pounds by her guest - so to trust that just because someone is verified, automatically means they're above board, is a rather foolhardy course of action to take.
Quoted directly from Airbnb's own Help page on Verified ID....
'Hosts and guests alike tell us they find Verified ID useful when deciding who to interact with on Airbnb, BUT IT'S NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OR GUARANTEE OF SOMEONE'S IDENTITY'
So ultimately, Airbnb are admitting themselves that their beloved Verified ID does NOT do what it says on the tin and is, in fact, about as much use as a chocolate tea-pot.
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Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
As evidenced here: www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-91268
Andrew
Andrew2 years ago
I think it's advisable to take the Verified ID system with a grain of salt - it's one layer of filtration, probably more useful than no verification at all, but it's by no means foolproof. I'm just trying to imagine the cost that would be involved in a system where actual people analyzed the ID scans of each applicant, cross-checked them against the profile data, and confirmed that each person is exactly who they say they are - and as useful as that might be, it sounds like an enormously expensive undertaking whose costs we'd have to absorb in much higher fees. And truth be told, it would have to be a more sophisticated system than even governments use, considering how many people get through airports with forged passports and visas.
Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
It might be better to call it The ID Review System. Calling it a Verified ID is akin to saying that all reviews hosts leave guests are positive.
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Totally agree that the costs of a more sophisticated system would most likely be hugely prohibitive, yet one would also have to question the cost vs benefit ratio of the current system too. Yes, there's some degree of value in the fact that the validity of each ID card/document is verified using advanced image recognition. However, in the absence of any biometric scanning component, Jumio remains unable to confirm that the person holding the document is indeed the same person named/pictured, which renders the whole exercise somewhat futile - especially for our purposes. Considering also that many people either have serious misgivings and/or flatly refuse to upload a copy of their Govt-issued ID to a website that's already plagued with security breaches, so choose instead to take their business somewhere less intrusive, perhaps the undisclosed sums being paid to Jumio might possibly be better utilised in other areas, such as investing in the shambolic and seriously under-performing IT and CX deparments?
Susan
Susan2 years ago
Somewhat irrelevant but interesting to note though, that Facebook, Airbnb and Jumio all share a major backer in super angel investors and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. (Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook, is also one of the main backers of Jumio) Nice trinity...
Deborah
Deborah2 years ago
What you are saying Susan makes sense, and it makes me think again about the comments I have read in the past on the forums where some hosts pointed out that there are other ways that guest's identities could be verified, other than what Airbnb uses, which would be more reliable as well as perhaps easier for guests to use.
I mean, for instance, I just have never been able to understand how someone uploading a video of themselves--one of the ways Airbnb allows for ID verification -- (how can they prove it's really them?!?) constitutes verification of ID.
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Julie and Eric
Julie and Eric2 years ago
So true. I've just changed my requirements as a result.
Jana
Jana2 years ago
If I require guests to have verified ID's, does that mean all guests need to upload a video? Does Airbnb require all guests to have a video? I can't find anything in help about that.
Andrew
Andrew2 years ago
No, the video is not required. Actually none of the verifications are required - they're only suggested. Hosts who adjust their settings accordingly can choose to block bookings from guests without Verified ID, but aside from that anyone can throw together some random clicks on the keyboard to make a profile and book a room within minutes. I should add, though, that I've gotten a hotel room at 4 AM in Mexico City with a stranger from a bar under the name Klaus Kinski, and nobody raised an eyebrow. We're all dabbling in an industry with many deep shadows.
Andrew
Andrew2 years ago
This may be the first time I've heard of a host with a "late check-in" fee. I can certainly understand charging for an early check-in, or a late check-out, as these can affect your ability to accommodate other guests. But when you're hosting travelers, a late arrival is often beyond their control. Charging extra money when they're actually using your facilities for a slightly shorter period seems kind of hard to justify. And if someone's flight is delayed and they can't make it until after 10 PM, would you really refuse to let them in the house?
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Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
We feel that a four hour window is more than generous. I have a life outside of Airbnb and often am not home after 7pm. If a guest wants the luxury of expanding a four hour window to a 7 hour window, that's fine but that's a concession for which I expect to be paid. All potential guests are put on notice prior to reaching out to me and/or booking the space so they can make an informed decision if that is a bargain they are willing to make. And yes, I have refused several people entry past 10pm and have been supported in this by Airbnb. Travelers have the option of purchasing traveler's insurance for these foreseeable delays.
Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
We initially implemented the late check-in fee and the 10pm cut-off when a guest felt it perfectly acceptable to check-in at 1am. This had happened many times before that and we had just had enough of people treating us as though we are a 24 hour front-desk of an hotel. Also taking into account the sheer volume of guests that we accommodate, we had to draw the line somewhere and set some reasonable boundaries. We still have occupancy of over 90% in all three of our listings and these policies have worked out for nearly every guest we've hosted but we do realize that you can't please everyone.
Kelly and Fabian
Kelly and Fabian2 years ago
It's a very interesting way that you have dealt with this, and there are many times I have sat frustrated and waiting for guests. However, I feel like a majority of our guests check in late so it may affect our business. I like your idea though and I'm considering it now. We do have lives outside Airbnb and 70% of the time people do not show up when promised. I've sat and sat and was treated like well you should wait on me. We have waited 4-5 hours past the time people told me they would arrive.
Nic and Rach
Nic and Rach2 years ago
I totally agree with Andrew, why charge late check in fee ?? as far as Airbnb it is a business entity that can only do much like other businesses llc and there are protections/guaranty for host and guests in placed but of course that would be based on airbnb terms so, fraudulent or not /// third party or what and if a third party booking arise set your deposits to the highs $1k to 10K for your own damage protection or what not. for me super host status is just a rewarding feeling of hosting that airbnb is rewarding you for doing a good job in treating, providing, and following airbnb's culture and for guests satisfactions. so, you are the host , you are running a business, trust your instinct, and treat airbnb as your financial/marketings-support/resource... that's my 2 cents.
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Chantal
Chantal2 years ago
Ernest, you are checking guests in between 3 pm and 7 pm, but "The guest arrived at 0735 PM" ...So you are charging a guest $25 for being 5 minutes late?! I think I know what I would do if I were your guest..
..I find this a terribly sad charge.I have waited 12 hours for guests to check in and was glad that they made it alive to the house. I don't think that being 5 minutes late required "penalizing" a guest. Some hosts here are forgetting this is a service industry and the guests pays for service.
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Maggie
Maggie2 years ago
We came across late check in fees in Europe - it was fine by us as we were aware when we made our decision to book that place and figured into our math - Ernest makes this obvious on his listing - if guests don't like it they can book another listing.
Ernie
Ernie 2 years ago
The guest was not 5 minutes late, they were 35 minutes late. As explained earlier, we give a generous window for check-in and allow for an additional 3 hours at an additional fee. All of these policies are clearly outlined on the listing and made available to the potential guest prior to their contacting me or booking the listing. As Maggie says, if they don't care for the policy, there are many other listings available to them. We used to have a six hour window and guests abused is so greatly so many times that I have checked guests in as late as 2am. Finally, after about the 400 + booking I decided to change my policy. The goal was not to collect fees but to discourage people for whom the window would not work. If I have to cancel dinner plans and remain tethered to the property so that a guest can enjoy dinner themselves before checking in, I believe that service warrants a small fee. Additionally, a smaller check-in window, during more reasonable hours, fosters a more relaxed and quiet atmosphere for my other guests who may be sleeping, resting, reading or relaxing. Allowing people to check-in and become oriented to the property at 10pm or later is quite intrusive to the tranquility provided my other guests. For all I know, some guests book a listing with me as a result of their knowledge that I don't allow intrusive check-ins late into the evening.
Nonya
Nonya2 years ago
I am currently under 'review' for superhost. I have had over 1000 reservations. I have close to 550 reviews currently. April - October....100% plus booked. I understand Ernest point. I also understand the viewpoint that others stated that 'flexibility' should have been used for being 35 minutes late. When you are receiving guests on a daily basis, a person can tend to loose 'their own lives' in the process where they are literally stuck at home waiting for these guests. I made a lot of changes this year myself after 'having enough'. I no longer take one night stays. Because my area is not the most desireable, it takes guests a couple of days to get used to before they figure its not as bad as they say. But one nighters tend to have the most to say about nothing after taking their own sweet time, coming in at 1-2 am and leaving out at 7 a.m. with a mouthful of comments with regards about nothing experienced. I used to do free shuttles to the train station at all times of the day. Draining. Now its only from 9p.m. - 2 a.m. At this point, I'm almost at the point of saying no early morning checkin. They always state they want to drop their bags off and go back out. The problem is that when they arrive they are either tired and then bother other guests who may be going to the bathroom when they are suppose to stay in the waiting room in the back to either rest or whatever, and they start going thru the house just being nosy while others are sleep for those who have not checked out.
The bottom line is that guests take liberty, intentially and unintentionally. If you provide a guideline that you feel will benefit them as well as yourself, then a host can get host fatigue. I tell my guests to at least call or text me what time do you feel that they will be arriving and you be surprise how many DONT mention anything until they get to the stairs of my door. I have a website with everything they need to know to get to my place, and they still will do whatever they want.....now, with consequences.
As for airbnb customer service....yeah...i don't know whats up with that. I actually almost went off on one of them. A guests came in at 1:30 a.m. and wanted to look around. I told them that its late and i will show you to your airbed in the dark because there are guests in the room sleep. They then said they wanted to go to the store (which were closed). I told them, 'i have a meeting in the morning and the door will be locked. You can go around the back when you return'. I was thinking they were going to get their bags and come back. They went to their car, sat in the car for literally 45 minutes and then left. I assumed they were going to go somewhere else. 3:30 a.m., some of my other guests came home from the clubs and they were among them. The girls came back upstairs to the room, took pictures and then left...with the back door WIDE open.
They called airbnb the next day i guess and asked for a refund saying that their were 10 air mattresses in the room (room only holds 5) and their were windows boarded up. (The boarded up window was in another guests room who broke the window trying to kill a bee). So airbnb customer service, without contacting me, sent me an email after resolving it with the guests saying that I need to update my pictures, what complaints they made and that they were issued a full refund. I was ballistic. I called a supervisor. When that same customer service lady found out, she contacted me and tried to apologize. All of what the guests had told her were complete lies and i told the customer service that when I have guests who are not happy, I need Airbnb to do one thing....stick to the script. The customer service had stated that 'I (she) cancelled the reservation on YOUR (MY) behalf and that any future cancellations you do will be a penalty on you'. Thats when I told the supervisor and her...you don't cancel anything or do anything on my behalf. You didn't have the decency to contact me about her complaint and then now you are affecting my status by canceling somebody on MY behalf? I guess someone talked to her about that and she apologize. I said that I don't want your apology, I want that cancellation state removed from my reviews. She did. I also stated that an AIRBNB photographer just recently took my photos and these were the latest verified photos for this year. So unless these guests provide any REAL proof of their claims, you need to stick to script and follow the terms of the policies we as hosts have stated.
I have so much information in my ad and on my website that if a guest don't want to read what to expect, because it was clear how many people would be sharing the room for $13 a night. If they don't like it, there are 100s of hosts to choose from. My time is just as precious as they think their trips are to them. If a guests can't read the first paragraph, they don't need to be taking a trip.
So customer service gave me at least 1/2 of the reservation even tho it was a strict policy. But this was the 3rd time this year, a customer service rep tried to take it upon themselves to render judgement without contacting me....unsuccessfully. I don't know if its the increased popularity of Airbnb thats making them overwhelmed but they really need to rethink providing account managers to those who host past a certain number of reservations. I used to love just calling airbnb to resolve an issue. Now I have my boxing gloves on when I see a customer service email over somebody who don't have a profile, no review nothing...only a complaint, making me feel like I was the bad host.
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Deborah