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Post by High Priestess on Jun 12, 2019 16:33:09 GMT
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Post by Mabel on Jun 12, 2019 20:44:03 GMT
No. They will never "rethink these tactics" (pressuring for better refunds) just because more hosts say no. What hosts can do instead is state specifically "...and if I can rebook the room for an equal or higher amount, I will be happy to refund you". I don't know if this host specified that, or just stated that he will refund if rebooked. As for how far airbnb will apply the pressure and ultimately override your policy, yes I have in the past had them as me to refund and, after my having refused, they informed me that they are overriding my decision (as is within their legal contractual allowance) and refunding the guest in full. That was eventually ok with me as it was a matter of documentation provided, and I did get the bump in SEO so got a replacement booking for full amount.
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Post by High Priestess on Jun 12, 2019 20:58:11 GMT
There are some ways to try to fight back against these tactics by Airbnb...which violate their own terms and really amount to theft from the host. Airbnb may often do things like this, but these actions are actually illegal and could be fought in small claims court, if a host had the time and energy to put into that. They are violating the stated cancellation policy as well as their statement in TOS that it is the host, not Airbnb, who runs their own listing.
One option, though it takes more effort on the part of the host, and may not be worth it if your guest is not demanding a refund...is to use a different listing for any rebookings for the dates involved.
Airbnb may be much more inclined to refund a guest, if they see that you've rebooked the dates involved in the guest cancellation. But if you do not rebook those dates on the same listing, they won't be able to see that you've rebooked the dates. You could rebook them on a different listing (perhaps with a different listing name) or rebook using another platform, eg VRBO or what have you. Doing this doesn't guarantee that Airbnb wouldn't refund the guest anyhow, but it might make it a little less likely.
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Post by rhonda on Jun 12, 2019 21:40:17 GMT
I think this is part of the host learning curve.
David should have offered nothing more than to state that hosts are unable to cancel a reservation on guests behalf with the cancellation policies being stated on their confirmed reservation which they agreed to prior to booking.
I have offered full refunds for many reasons with a simple Thank-you received approximately 2% of the time.
If David hadn't put the words into writing welcoming customer service to misconstrue what was meant, he would have had grounds to force Airbnb to uphold the cancellation agreement as stated.
I ONCE made the mistake to inform a guest of their option to call Airbnb and complain directly as I was tired of hearing their whining and lame excuses via repeated phone calls.
Full refund was immediately given and I spent hours, days, and probably a week pestering Airbnb to uphold their agreement with ME.
I won the payout and they were so sick of me escalating the issue Airbnb forgot to subtract the host fee.
I think I remember David stating he had 40 reservations in 2 years.
5000+ guests later, I have my first guest who freely admitted they had not read the listing or any of my correspondence for a reservation they had made over a month in advance.
They were forced to peruse the information to figure out the gate code for entry while I was unwilling to assist them with what they should have known.
I am admittedly easily amused.
Humor IS my best medicine.
Happier hosting to all of us!
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Post by rhonda on Jun 12, 2019 22:23:11 GMT
Oh Yes Deborah!
TOS
Terms of Service.
That gets the Customer Service Reps forced to agree with the host's side every time.
Good Memory you have.
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