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What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

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Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#51

Post by devrelm »

lotharbot wrote: post #17

> "I can’t even leave feedback... as we never got to stay there." I think this is a bigger deal than the cancellation -- the fact that, on a site that's all about reputation, there's no reputation hit for a host canceling someone's rental. Airbnb should create a feedback system that allows feedback to be given for various steps of the process, not just the stay itself.

Indeed. Even if it's just an automated post saying that the reservation was cancelled by the host. More than one of those and I think that many people wouldn't want to take the risk.

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#52

Post by [deleted] »

kingnight wrote: post #18
ashray wrote: post #10

Well, this is some way similar to the experience I had when renting through AirBNB in Rio de Janeiro during carnival. We were 4 people and booked a place with two bedrooms which said it accommodates 4 people. Sounds right. When we showed up at the place, there were just 3 beds - a double bed in one room and a single bed in another. Mind you, this being carnival season and stuff, we were paying a handsome amount for o…

"3 beds - a double bed in one room and a single bed in another" ? At least you weren't stranded without a place all together, or... I once booked a house via vrbo and found spaghetti in the sheets of one of the beds!

[deleted]

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#53

Post by ashray »

ericd wrote: post #43
ashray wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uhh no. AirBNB has a field on listings that clearly indicates "Bed Type". In this case "Bed Type" said Real Bed. Random example: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1229577?checkin=02%2F21%2F2014&... One isn't likely to clarify that with the host prior to arrival given that it's on the listing. AirBNB needs to take responsibility for this kind of thing given that you pay about 15% as AirBNB fees and 3% is also paid by the h…

No, that indicates that you're not renting just a couch in someone's apartment (a la couchsurfing). In the vacation rental world, that max accommodation figure almost always includes the couches (especially if it's a pullout couch).

Sure, but usually that would be mentioned in the property description. Also, it was not a pullout couch. In fact, it wasn't big enough for a person to comfortably sleep on.

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#54

Post by brianchesky »

stephenson wrote: post #24

My attempt to book an apartment with AirBNB in Helsinki for Slush.org last year ended up in 3 cancelations (people got better offers) and us staying in a hotel. No word from AirBNB support. I am sadly not going to use AirBNB agin to big events.

I am sorry you did not get better support from Airbnb. That is a bad experience. You can email me at brian.chesky@airbnb.com if you would like to elaborate further.

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#55

Post by blackdogie »

brianchesky wrote: post #49

hey everyone, I have looked into this and a few things are going on here. (1) Turns out there was a bug in our system where a guest was actually allowed to double-book this host's listing, so this was our fault. The host did not cancel, we double-booked. We are fixing this bug now, and I haven't heard of any other guests being affected by this. (2) I just want to note this is a statistically rare event (though by rea…

Thanks for the clarification Brian, I appreciate your honesty.

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#56

Post by blackdogie »

nanidin wrote: post #40
ashray wrote: post #10

Well, this is some way similar to the experience I had when renting through AirBNB in Rio de Janeiro during carnival. We were 4 people and booked a place with two bedrooms which said it accommodates 4 people. Sounds right. When we showed up at the place, there were just 3 beds - a double bed in one room and a single bed in another. Mind you, this being carnival season and stuff, we were paying a handsome amount for o…

Did you pay with a credit card? When companies try to blow me off like this and I used a credit card, the next email usually goes as follows: > I'm sorry that we have been unable to resolve this issue. If {demand for refunded amount} is not processed by {date one week from now} I will begin the chargeback process with my credit card issuer {bankname} as I did not receive what I paid for. Please keep me updated if any…

In all respect I don't think issuing a chargeback is the way to go here. This doesn't solve anything really, and in fact it could really hurt a business. Why issue a chargeback when a company offers a refund ?

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#57

Post by nanidin »

ericd wrote: post #43
ashray wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Uhh no. AirBNB has a field on listings that clearly indicates "Bed Type". In this case "Bed Type" said Real Bed. Random example: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1229577?checkin=02%2F21%2F2014&... One isn't likely to clarify that with the host prior to arrival given that it's on the listing. AirBNB needs to take responsibility for this kind of thing given that you pay about 15% as AirBNB fees and 3% is also paid by the h…

No, that indicates that you're not renting just a couch in someone's apartment (a la couchsurfing). In the vacation rental world, that max accommodation figure almost always includes the couches (especially if it's a pullout couch).

Did you visit the link provided? There is clearly a "Room type" classification, which would be used to indicate that you're renting a room in a house, a whole house, a bed in a room, or a couch in a room, for example. And there is also a "Bed type" classification to specify the type of bed you will be sleeping in.

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#58

Post by nanidin »

blackdogie wrote: post #56
nanidin wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you pay with a credit card? When companies try to blow me off like this and I used a credit card, the next email usually goes as follows: > I'm sorry that we have been unable to resolve this issue. If {demand for refunded amount} is not processed by {date one week from now} I will begin the chargeback process with my credit card issuer {bankname} as I did not receive what I paid for. Please keep me updated if any…

In all respect I don't think issuing a chargeback is the way to go here. This doesn't solve anything really, and in fact it could really hurt a business. Why issue a chargeback when a company offers a refund ?

As I see it, the customer didn't get what they paid for. Instead of getting back a partial refund for what they didn't receive (4 beds vs 3 beds) they were refunded the fees that AirBnB charged - which according to AirBnB was because the host had already been paid out the rest of the money. Clearly AirBnB is capable of refunding this guy, regardless (or at least I'd hope they have more than a few hundred cash on hand for incidents like this...)

Ok, so customer didn't get what they paid for. Company takes a hardline stance & refuses to work with customer beyond telling them to buy an air mattress with the refunded fees. Where else does the customer have to turn at this point? The chargeback.

The whole point of putting it on the table and giving a 1 week deadline is exactly that it will hurt the business. You know it and they know it. Now suddenly they're not the only one with bargaining power in the relationship, so they might actually offer a partial refund of the actual rental based on the difference between what was offered & what was received. Or they might stick to their guns & fight the chargeback if they think they were correct in their initial assessment.

The chargeback is really like a turbo button - it boosts you up real quick past the grunt level CS people to actual decision makers who can and will do what they can to avoid the chargeback and maintain a positive relationship with you.

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#59

Post by buro9 »

brianchesky wrote: post #49

hey everyone, I have looked into this and a few things are going on here. (1) Turns out there was a bug in our system where a guest was actually allowed to double-book this host's listing, so this was our fault. The host did not cancel, we double-booked. We are fixing this bug now, and I haven't heard of any other guests being affected by this. (2) I just want to note this is a statistically rare event (though by rea…

On #3 it may be worth penalising those who do it during annual events like the Boston Marathon, Wimbledon, etc.

Accommodation is extremely hard to find and highly competitive at this time and the host should factor this in.

If it becomes an annual thing that hosts cancel and allow gazumping ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazumping ) then it will seriously damage the AirBNB relationship with renters as AirBNB will become an untrusted place for accommodation during such events.

It is so hard to find replacement accommodation during such events that the inconvenience is greatly multiplied.

(And annual things go for conferences too, SXSW for example)

I would go so far as to suggest that during events the relationship be inverted and the renter be given more weight than the host. Once the host has priced fairly, they should be penalised harshly for causing great inconvenience to a renter. The extra money during such events already more than compensates the host side.

Re: What happens when a host cancels with Airbnb?

#60

Post by avalaunch »

brianchesky wrote: post #49

hey everyone, I have looked into this and a few things are going on here. (1) Turns out there was a bug in our system where a guest was actually allowed to double-book this host's listing, so this was our fault. The host did not cancel, we double-booked. We are fixing this bug now, and I haven't heard of any other guests being affected by this. (2) I just want to note this is a statistically rare event (though by rea…

If it is a statistically rare event then offering a full refund shouldn't be much of a hit to you. If that's not the case then you should let renters know up front that there is a statistically significant chance that despite reserving a room, they may not actually get a room.
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