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Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

airbnb.com

21–30 of 79 posts

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#21

Airbnb, and others, cancellation policies will be a major reason for the spread of this virus. The sunk cost fallacy is alive and well here, people don't want to lose money just because they feel sick even though they know they shouldn't go when not feeling well. I think at this time the travel industry needs to stand up and relax it's policies even further. Airbnb will not refund you a stay unless your flight has be…

Can't overemphasised. The fine print of the travel insurance is very important! However, I don't get why cancellation policies will be a major reason of the spread. Your explanation on sunk cost fallacy and cancellation seems to be missing. Airbnb has a clause to refund under "Epidemic disease or illness"

The link says you can only automatically cancel for mainland china and korean trips.

So any trips to Italy, Iran, Washington State etc can’t be refunded. It encourages people to still go.

Sunk cost fallacy: people might not take a free trip to italy now, but they may go if they previously paid for one.

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#22
post #18
post #4

If you’re in a major city, this is the time to start taking preventative measures. Avoid mass gatherings and public transport if you can.

There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.

It could have been zero cases if they didn’t start detection, and right now is very limited detection and found 70.

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#23

Airbnb, and others, cancellation policies will be a major reason for the spread of this virus. The sunk cost fallacy is alive and well here, people don't want to lose money just because they feel sick even though they know they shouldn't go when not feeling well. I think at this time the travel industry needs to stand up and relax it's policies even further. Airbnb will not refund you a stay unless your flight has be…

The major reason is far too many people exhibit an exaggerated state of self entitlement which they use to excuse their actions including those which put others at risk. Some will do it just to spite others, some will do it out ignorance. We just have so many people who have the means to travel that you cannot properly contain any outbreak so you do the best to mitigate the impact The end result usually is the same,…

I think you mean corporations display an exaggerated sense of self-entitlement, and by not making full refunds easy and well-understood, they create these negative externalities.

Asking individuals to bear the financial risk related to these types of emergencies seems wrong to me on all levels, moral, pragmatism, effectiveness, social fairness, etc.

These types of risks should be borne by corporations in the form of strictly less profit for executives and shareholders. Not by raising prices, not by cutting staff, not by reducing employee benefits. These are risks that have to absorbed by classes of people with extreme financial reserves to cushion the blow, not by classes of people without those means.

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#24
post #18
post #4

If you’re in a major city, this is the time to start taking preventative measures. Avoid mass gatherings and public transport if you can.

There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.

I understand what you are saying about overreacting, but citing 70 current cases is misleading. The current thinking according to a tweet I can’t find is that there is a cluster of at least 300 in Washington.

I’m guessing if the USA was actually testing as much as they should the current count would be closer to 1,000. The fiasco with the returned cruise ship passengers alone could have dramatically spread it.

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#25
post #18
post #4

If you’re in a major city, this is the time to start taking preventative measures. Avoid mass gatherings and public transport if you can.

There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.

Believing 70 "known" cases in the US = 70 existing cases in the US is a fallacy.

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#26
post #18
post #4

If you’re in a major city, this is the time to start taking preventative measures. Avoid mass gatherings and public transport if you can.

There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.

The US has had a severe shortage of tests. Scientests estimate there are probably 150 actual cases in Washington State now

We’ll know more as tests are rolled out. But there’s community spread in four states. In a couple weeks American numbers will probably look like South Korea’s now, if not higher. Two weeks about SK had 30 cases. Now almost 4,000.

I generally agree about not going to extremes, but your timeline is way too slow.

https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#27
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.

I understand what you are saying about overreacting, but citing 70 current cases is misleading. The current thinking according to a tweet I can’t find is that there is a cluster of at least 300 in Washington. I’m guessing if the USA was actually testing as much as they should the current count would be closer to 1,000. The fiasco with the returned cruise ship passengers alone could have dramatically spread it.

This thread: https://twitter.com/trvrb/status/1233970271318503426

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#28
post #18
post #4

If you’re in a major city, this is the time to start taking preventative measures. Avoid mass gatherings and public transport if you can.

There are 70 known cases of Coronavirus in the US. Making precautions at this point is reasonable, going to extremes is not. My suggestion is to prepare for the possibility of major disruption starting 2 to 6 months from now. Avoid non refundable trips etc.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-in-us.html There are only 70 known cases because the US has only tested 472 people. Compare this to South Korea which has tested 90k+ people or Italy which has tested 9.5k people. The virus is well spread around the world and you shouldn't base your decisions around the confirmed number of cases.

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#29
post #20

I'm traveling in Seattle, where as of this morning the health department has confirmed 6 cases of coronavirus of which only one was a recent traveler to China.[0] I would appreciate the ability to cancel a reservation if I feel sick, especially at a reservation with a shared bathroom. [0] https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus

FYI Washington state has declared a state of emergency. Fears are that it's gone communal with hundreds or thousands of estimated infections in the community.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-us-reports-fir...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/01/world/coronavirus-news.ht...

Re: Coronavirus information and extenuating circumstances policy

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The major reason is far too many people exhibit an exaggerated state of self entitlement which they use to excuse their actions including those which put others at risk. Some will do it just to spite others, some will do it out ignorance. We just have so many people who have the means to travel that you cannot properly contain any outbreak so you do the best to mitigate the impact The end result usually is the same,…

I think you mean corporations display an exaggerated sense of self-entitlement, and by not making full refunds easy and well-understood, they create these negative externalities. Asking individuals to bear the financial risk related to these types of emergencies seems wrong to me on all levels, moral, pragmatism, effectiveness, social fairness, etc. These types of risks should be borne by corporations in the form of…

Corporations are people. Not just legally people, which they are, but in plain fact they are legal fictions which are wrapped around the actions of people.
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