AirBNB won’t issue a refund

[Michael Nahm]

Hi all, would appreciate some objective feedback as I only own LTR's and not STR's.

My family and I recently booked a trip to Europe and used AirBNB for accommodations.

The first place we booked was for 2 nights and was non-refundable (we didn’t look at the cancellation policy).

About a week prior to the flight, we realized that there was a mandatory 5 day quarantine for children (us adults are vaccinated). The host informed us that there is another guest checking in immediately after us so we couldn’t extend our stay.

We sent the host a message requesting a cancellation. He did not respond.

We then canceled the booking and were refunded the cleaning fee.

I kept checking if the 2 days we booked were still available for booking. A couple of days later, I saw that the 2 days we initially booked and canceled, were rebooked by someone else.

I then contacted AirBNB asking if they would issue a full refund since the host is not out any money.

AirBNB inquired with the host, and informed us he is refusing to issue a refund.

I’m all for fairness, and wouldn’t have asked for a refund if the rental stayed vacant, however, it wasn’t and personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping someone’s money if I wasn’t out anything.

I’m wondering if I’m right in feeling that a refund is adequate or am I completely off.

Thanks I’m advance.

[Joe Splitrock]

Originally posted by @Michael Nahm:

Hi all, would appreciate some objective feedback as I only own LTR's and not STR's.

My family and I recently booked a trip to Europe and used AirBNB for accommodations.

The first place we booked was for 2 nights and was non-refundable (we didn’t look at the cancellation policy).

About a week prior to the flight, we realized that there was a mandatory 5 day quarantine for children (us adults are vaccinated). The host informed us that there is another guest checking in immediately after us so we couldn’t extend our stay.

We sent the host a message requesting a cancellation. He did not respond.

We then canceled the booking and were refunded the cleaning fee.

I kept checking if the 2 days we booked were still available for booking. A couple of days later, I saw that the 2 days we initially booked and canceled, were rebooked by someone else.

I then contacted AirBNB asking if they would issue a full refund since the host is not out any money.

AirBNB inquired with the host, and informed us he is refusing to issue a refund.

I’m all for fairness, and wouldn’t have asked for a refund if the rental stayed vacant, however, it wasn’t and personally, I wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping someone’s money if I wasn’t out anything.

I’m wondering if I’m right in feeling that a refund is adequate or am I completely off.

Thanks I’m advance.

We have LTR and STR host on AirBNB. When we first started, we had a flexible cancellation policy. A third of our reservations were cancelled. Some we were able to rebook and others we were not. Some were rebooked at a lower nightly rate. Over time we moved to a non-concealable policy.

You booked a non cancellable trip. AirBNB makes it very clear that it is non-cancellable, so this is 100% on you. It doesn't matter if they rebook the room or not, you agreed to the policy. This is the same way that hotels handle non-cancellable rates. 

I think the 5 day quarantine policy has been in effect for months, along with negative COVID test before flight. I had a friend who went to Europe three months ago and had to do similar. Maybe you just realized these policies were in place, but did you read all the things you agreed to when you purchased tickets? Probably not. My guess is you just agreed to warnings without reading them like you did on AirBNB. 

Most importantly, you don't know if those days were rebooked by someone else. All you know is that the days are unavailable on the calendar. They could be blocked by the host or blocked by AirBNB. They are not necessarily billable nights. 

My advice is only book cancellable rooms in the future, even if that means paying more money. I would also suggest reading things that you agree to. It may be an expensive lesson, but I am sure you won't repeat this mistake.