Cancellation confusion

[Gray0]

A guest asked me if he could add extra people and I refused according to my house rules which he had previously reviewed and agreed. Then he wanted to cancel his reservation three days before arrival and asked for me to issue a bigger refund than the "strict" cancellation policy allowed. I agreed to an additional 30% of AirBnB refund. He said he would initiate the cancellation. I received an AirBnB email asking me to click "Cancel" which I thought was my confirmation of his cancellation. It was not my intention to cancel his trip - I did him a favor and agreed to give him a refund. Now I get zilch, plus mucho aggravation. Plus a penalty! 

[David126]

It has been said on this forum a million times, hosts should never cancel.

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

The email you received is a tricky thing - they make it sound like you're agreeing to the guest cancelling, when in actuality it places the "blame" of the cancellation on the host.  It's been talked about many times here in the Community Center, as many hosts have done the same thing you've done.  Nothing you can do but move on and wait for your next reservation.  Lesson learned:  always click NO/DECLINE/DENY if you receive that email in the future.

[Gray0]

Exactly! Guest was high pressuring me for an hour with multiple phone calls about changing my house rules to accomodate more guests. I was anticipating disaster when he checked in Pissed Off. I agreed to give the guest a partial refund instead of him losing the whole amount. The web interface to "Issue Refund" was non existent. The email said HE cancelled. Web interface said Patrick RequestsTo Cancel in huge 64 point type. FAIL! What a trap! I am waiting for case manager to review and I hope they decide to do a chargeback. Then, I will issue a partial refund.