Host demanding more money having paid in full for accommodation.

[Wayne2]

Under UK law this is a contract. The host claims that she quoted winter and not summer dates were clear on Airbnb site and accepted. What would you do?

Have already told her that have a contract and looking forward to our stay. She wants us to cancel!

[Maxine0]

You are right @Wayne2 - it is a contract and ABB would insist the host honour it, especially if she had not altered her pricing, something you have no control over.

Also she knows that she will incur a cancellation fine (between $50 and $100) and the calendar dates will be blocked if 'she' cancels. So insisting you cancel where you will lose your ABB 12 % admin / service fee paid, is also wholly unfair.

If she believes the error over pricing lies with ABB she needs to sort it out with them, not dump it on you.

The problem now, is that you are faced with a reluctant host, and that could impact on your stay.

See if you can find an alternative place - but insist that she cancel, as it is not you who wishes to cancel, and neither do you wish to incur the loss of your ABB service fee already paid. Or have the cancellation show on your profile which makes you look unreliable to future hosts.

[Donna15]

@Wayne2, another option - which you would first discuss with the host - is that you would agree to cancel on condition that she reimburse you the AirBnB service fee. She would need to do this via the Resolution Centre. 

https://community.airbnb.com/t5/General-Hosting/The-Resolution-Center-A-Community-Help-Guide-Request...

There's no justification for you being out of pocket because of the host's mistake. 

[Clare0]

@Wayne2 Hosts who don't keep their prices updated  are the bane of Airbnb.  Under the new Terms of Service effective May 19, it will be a violation if hosts ask for more money than the price of a reservation posted on their calendar.  Definitely do not cancel or pay extra.  I would contact Airbnb, ask them to find you a new place and let them deal with the host.  

[Claudia2]

Hi @Wayne2, I would call it the learning curve of the host. It is not your fault and the listing ist published as it is. That's the game.

[Eileen4]

Just to play devil's advocate here...if the booking was for a longish stay and there's a big difference between the winter and summer rates (there's a huge difference in mine, for example), I can understand why the host is panicking. I have a mortgage on my property and during the winter, I am extremely lucky if I am able to cover it. I definitely don't cover the hydro and wifi, etc. Those are out-of-pocket. It's the summer months that help me cover my expenses and generate a bit of extra income. If this host has a mortgage, and if she really didn't understand the pricing, my tendency is to feel a bit of sympathy here. It's hard to get things right in the first few months. 

I also noticed that when my listing was new, guests would often get the weekly rate even if they weren't staying the entire week. I did wonder if Airbnb was doing that in order to generate more business and more reviews for me. It happened a number of times and I had to re-jig my pricing an awful lot. I would look at a five day booking and wonder why on earth it was about a third less than I was expecting, given my nightly price.

I also remember adding one night to an eight night stay and instead of getting the nightly rate of $99, I got around 30! I couldn't figure it out...the math really didn't seem right to me, but in the first year, I had a lot of those moments...like, how did this number turn up when I expecting something else?

I would try to reach a compromise with her. She may just be panicking. 

[Ericka7]

I am having the same issue. I reserved a room for 4 people a full 4 months in advance for a single night. This host has "strict" refund policy that if I cancel I only get. 50% refund until the week prior? Today the deposit is now non refundable. Today, 4 months after booking and paying in full, the host informs me the booking price wasn't right and I need to pay triple. I stated that I would never have paid that price for the room and would not pay any additional then agreed upon originally when he accepted my reservation. If I had known there was a problem 4 months ago I would have bugrudgingly cancelled and cut my 50% loss. Since this happened on the first day of being non refundable with my stay still 6 days away, I am a bit leery of the host. He tried to get me to cancel but I said if he is not agreeable to cancel it on the host side. He told me " good luck with that" I tried to to the resolution center and searched the help center. I even called the 800 #. There is no way to talk to someone and everything is to the benefit of the host. It is up to the host to cancel if I am to get a refund. I am at the mercy of the host if I cancel. I do not see how airbnb mediates fairly or in any way. I seem, as a guest, to have no repercussions at all.

[Clare0]

@Ericka7 Actually, you do have some recourse here.  If this host refuses to honor your reservation as originally booked and paid for (which they are obligated to do)  you can make a formal request for the host to cancel so you will receive a full refund. 

Here's how: 

Go the the reservation under Trips.

Click on Cancel and select the reason as "My Host needs to Cancel"

Airbnb will send a notice to the host asking him or her to confirm that they will honor the reservation and if not, cancel.  If the host ignores the message, Airbnb will cancel the reservation on your behalf and issue a full refund. 

Here's a link that provides more information on how to do this: 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1250/what-should-i-do-if-my-host-needs-to-cancel

If the host cancels the reservation, all applicable cancellation penalties will apply to the host. 

I'm very sorry the host is treating you this way. 

Clare

[Ericka7]

I tried that and the only message I recieved is that I should not cancel my reservation for the host and that I should send a message to the host to cancel on his end. Which I had already done when he first tried to say he had an emergency and I couldn't come then immediately took that back and said that it wasn't the emergency but that the website charged me incorrectly. During the messaging I was notified of an artinerary change and asked to accept or deny. I denied. 

[Monika64]

@Ericka7 If it was an emergency on the host's side he needs to sort it out with Airbnb and cancel (whether Airbnb will penalize him it's a different matter) but you'll get your money back. Same with a pricing mistake or glitch, it's not your fault. Call Airbnb and insist that they cancel this reservation on the host behalf and find you a new accomodation. He cannot force you to pay more money.

[Robin4]

@Ericka7

Erica get onto Airbnb again and state 'The host has altered the terms of the booking and will not honour my reservation'!

That is all you need to do....if the host has a problem, that should not be your concern, you have booked and paid as per the price and conditions at that time and are prepared to go through with the booking on that basis.

You are only getting the messages that you have received because the host will not agree to cancel the booking on their end and this puts Airbnb in a bind....somebody has to accept responsibility for the cancellation.

Stand you ground Erika and say you will under no circumstance accept responsibility for this cancellation and force Airbnb's hand!

Cheers.....Rob

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

Hello @Ericka7,

How frustrating!  Again, keeping pricing up to date is the host's responsibility.  You should not cancel.  It is up to the host to cancel, and if he does, the date will be blocked.  Keep all your messaging on Airbnb, and either flag it or call 1-855-424-7262.  You will get a human within a few minutes.

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

Hello @Wayne2,

You are totally correct.  This is all on the host.  If she does not keep her prices up to date, that is her problem.  I would not cancel if I were you.  She wants you to cancel so she can avoid host penalties, but that is not your problem at all.  If she cancel, her dates will be blocked for future bookings, so it is in her interest to keep your reservation.

[Ericka7]

I called the number. When I called last night and followed the options that seemed to pertain to me the most. I recieved the same automated message as the website was providing and the none of the options were to speak to a rep. I called again this morning and chose option 1 after giving my phone number. A wonderful gentleman came on and listened to me. He read all my messages and credited me. He confirmed the host changed his pricing after my reservation and that I made it correctly. The cancellation will go against him and future bookings for that location will be blocked. I now have my credit to go to another reservation.

this shows how we should always be professional in our communications and keep them in the airbnb app. I'm glad I didn't call him names that were going through my head because that rep that I relied on for help read every single one. Lol. Thanks for all the answers 🙂

[Robin4]

@Ericka7

Bloody wonderful.....I so love hearing outcomes like that.

We hear so much doom and gloom here, but Airbnb do have a heart and it is really satisfying when we hear that an injustice has been made right! And good on you for remaining calm and professional, it always gets you a lot further than ranting and raving!

Thank you so much for telling us Erika....now go out and book yourself a nice ABB listing, there are plenty to choose from!

Cheers.....Rob