AirBnB Reached a new Low & refunded a guest for mosquito bites

AirBnB Reached a new Low & refunded a guest for mosquito bites

Investor · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2014 · 94 posts · 46 votes

We recently had a guest from New Jersey who arrived on July 23rd and was booked until August 6th.  He was a difficult guest from the start and very needy!  After they were there for 12 days and also tried to have additional guests stay, which we denied, he said his step mother was severely bitten by bugs and they needed to leave early and go to a hotel.  Our properties are on the East Coast of Florida on a barrier island.  I knew immediately that these were Nosseums bites and forwarded him a link explaining what they were as well as suggested repellents,...https://g.co/kgs/sSesLa.   His response was we should have disclosed this and thus now they have to leave for a hotel and we should refund him for the 2 days he left early.  At this point I ceased all communication via texts and did all my communication thru the AirBnB portal as well as called them to make them aware that he may call and complain.

Below is some screen shots of the conversation,...

In the end AirBnB sided with the guest and declared it vermin and refunded him $221.00 which they deducted from a later payout for us.  We had no idea until they sent a Payout email for a different booking and it showed a $221 adjustment for "Dispute Reconciliation"  They say they sent me an email but the only one we got had no content or details and now 6 days later nobody from AirBnB has been able to produce this mysterious email that I never responded to,  and below is the response I received,..

I have called repeatedly and whenever a rep picks up and starts the research the case the call just drops.  We've been Superhosts for 3 years now and have never had an issue like this before.  I'm amazed how poor the treatment of hots has gotten within AirBnB.  I write this to see if anyone else out there in the community has experienced this or if anyone has any suggestions on how to appeal this.  

Its not about the money but the principal.  The treatment of hosts is getting worse and there has to be something we can do as a community.  And before someone suggests creating our own website and going Direct Bookings, personally I don't believe its that easy so we feel stuck having to rely on the OTA's!!!!

They are setting a precedent by not supporting the hosts for insects bites that occur in nature.  I've since added specific language to our Rental Agreement that releases us of responsibility for things like insects bites or aquatic mammal stings.

Just curious what the community feels about this?

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Jonathan GreeneBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Madison, NJ · Member since 2016 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y

My best AirBnb/Homeaway strategy over the years, and I don't know if this was the case with your people @Joe Garvin, was that if the potential renters ever asked any questions before renting, we denied or cancelled the booking. Everything necessary was included in the listing so we began to realize that the people who want to clarify things or who don't read the listing are the same ones who start complaining right away and say they can't turn on the tv when there is a 30-page instruction booklet on everything on the dining room table.

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  • Luke CarlPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Tennessee Florida · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    6y

    @Joe Garvin. TLDR but I feel your pain brother. Customer service has been increasingly more difficult to deal with.

  • Investor · Orlando, FL · Member since 2012 · 312 posts · 165 votes
    6y

    wow smh at airbnb

  • Real Estate Agent · Surf City, NC · Member since 2017 · 648 posts · 597 votes
    6y

    Wow! I would continue to fight this one. I have had an issue with some minor reconciliations also. One guest stayed at our beach rental and broke a chair we had in the living room. The guest went comms black as soon as I messaged him asking if they were responsible for that damage (I know it was them..). When we tried to file a claim on Airbnb, no one responded or actioned (apparently not a word..) the claim. The chair was only $25 so eventually I just counted it as a loss and gave up which makes me sad to say. Your issue is considerably larger and I am interested to see how it turns out. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Northern NJ · Member since 2019 · 673 posts · 677 votes
    6y

    @Jonathan Greene were you not just talking about this.... F* that.

  • Jonathan GreeneBusiness Member
    Real Estate Consultant · Madison, NJ · Member since 2016 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    6y

    My best AirBnb/Homeaway strategy over the years, and I don't know if this was the case with your people @Joe Garvin, was that if the potential renters ever asked any questions before renting, we denied or cancelled the booking. Everything necessary was included in the listing so we began to realize that the people who want to clarify things or who don't read the listing are the same ones who start complaining right away and say they can't turn on the tv when there is a 30-page instruction booklet on everything on the dining room table.

  • Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Start promoting your property on competitor websites: https://blog.tortugabackpacks.com/airbnb-competitors/

  • Plantation, FL · Member since 2009 · 329 posts · 119 votes
    6y

    That sucks. Agreed that customer service and the training required to deal with these situations has nosedived since the pandemic and they laid off a significant chunk of staff.

    We had a situation over the July 4th weekend, just after our county reopened after 3 months (and in desperate need of income), with a 7 night stay that was worth $6K. The Guest informed us at check-in of some minor issues which we were happy to resolve but instead they decided to leave. We notified ABB of the situation, so did the guest, and I asked them to at least open the dates so I could rebook, what is peak season during a time when hosts in this region are bleeding due to the pandemic, while they deliberated the case. Six days later they opened the dates (one day before the scheduled checkout) and notified me that they refunded the guest their entire amount. I was shocked! They did not even provide a specific reason just "After reviewing your guest documentation, we have decided to process the full refund based on our guest refund policy:

    https://www.airbnb.com/terms/guest_refund_policy

    Since we have already paid you out for this reservation, an adjustment of $6,134.28 has been added to your account and will be automatically deducted from your future payouts until it has been reconciled.

    You can check the status of your payouts in your transaction history."


    I called ABB and fumed for days but nothing could be done. Two weeks later the county shut us down again. 

  • Investor · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2014 · 94 posts · 46 votes
    6y

    @Anand S.

    That's crazy. I dont plan to let it go. I'll call customer support every day because I can until I feel its cost AirBnB $200 in rep time. Pretty tired of seeing the smug weasel Brian Chesky trying to spin like they looked out for hosts.

  • Rental Property Investor · Campbell, CA · Member since 2017 · 419 posts · 499 votes
    6y

    File a complaint with the BBB and everything will be fixed.

  • Plantation, FL · Member since 2009 · 329 posts · 119 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Joe Garvin:

    @Anand S.

    That's crazy. I dont plan to let it go. I'll call customer support every day because I can until I feel its cost AirBnB $200 in rep time. Pretty tired of seeing the smug weasel Brian Chesky trying to spin like they looked out for hosts.

    I called and wrote everyday that they held my home hostage and nothing worked. That's what the problem is -- they appear to be understaffed, and the folks working are inexperienced and don't understand the challenges hosts face. Before, given my status and revenue level, I would call and speak with a high-level rep who would ask the right questions and would understand the situation from both sides and make a fair judgement. Now, they don't even reach out for clarification or follow up. 

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