Stop blocking our calendar with verification pending

[Callum4]

. I contacted Airbnb 3 times last night for help, they didn't reply.

. They blocked my calendar for a same day potential booking and allowed other people in the area to take bookings but not me.

. I have a moderate cancellation but received no money when the guest cancelled after blocking my calendar for 12 hours.

* Airbnb do not care about hosts.

. I had no way to decline the guest I was held hostage by their pending verification and I received no money for the night they blocked.

Yesterday I changed to same day booking for the first time. There were limited places left in my area and I needed the money so I thought why not 🙂 

At about 3:30 I searched for how many listings were still available in my area and my own one didn't come up. At first I thought great because that meant I had a booking right? Well I had received no email or text.

So I check my calendar and the 22nd and 23rd are blocked off (my preparation day) with "Verification pending". So two of my nights are blocked off by a guest who isn't ready to book. I have received no notification or explanation from Airbnb and have to come here to learn what on earth is going on. Well the facts are this, Airbnb is happy to block your calendar for 12 hours on the same day 

[Cormac0]

@Callum4

This is quite simply wrong of Airbnb, you loose two days potential sales while you guest is looking for something cheaper while your kept on hold.

sales velocity = number of leads x average sales x conversion rate

                            ---------------------------------------------------------------

                                             Average Conversion Time.

its about sales stupid (Airbnb)

[Callum4]

Thanks @Cormac0 

Hopefully it doesn't happen to you (or me again) but there's no way to guarantee this until they change their currently anti-host policy. 

[DragonflyHill-Collective0]

You actually control that, not airbnb. You can adjust your settings so that instant book only applies to guests who have been verified. Go to your listing, and go to "booking".  

You have the following choices, select all of them. Then you won't have this problem. : 

Guest requirements

Guests will always meet these requirements before they book your place.

• Confirmed phone number
• Profile photo
• Email address
• Payment information
  
  

Be sure not to approve any inquiries unless someone has been verified. 

[Callum4]

I'm sorry @DragonflyHill-Collective0 but you're wrong, I hope this never happens to you but at the minute it could. You can email Airbnb if you don't believe me. 

I have an email from Airbnb saying this could happen to anyone. The guest hasn't "booked" my place, they're held it pending verification. I received no message from the guest and no message from Airbnb the only way I knew was that I happened to check my calendar. The calendar gets blocked for 12 hours but I had no way of knowing when that 12 hours started/would end. 

My settings are already set to only verfified guests can book, there is nothing a host can do to stop this happening at the minute.

[Callum4]

@DragonflyHill-Collective0

Read this if you want to know more https://community.airbnb.com/t5/forums/v3_1/forumtopicpage/board-id/listing-and-reservations/thread-...

It's quiet a few hosts explaining how it happened to to them 

[DragonflyHill-Collective0]

It happened to me once or twice too, and I changed my settings and it hasn't happened since. I have 3 active listings, and I'm a superhost, with almost 100% occupancy,  so it's not from lack of activity or interest.

[My-Chyl-And-Rodney0]

We've called airbnb on several occasions and had no problem getting our verification pending to unblock the room.  The secret is telling them that you have someone waiting to book the room for that night and the day after (or however works) and they can't due to the block.

[Keith6]

I had two verfication pending instant bookings blocking my calendar Friday and Saturday night, in which neither one booked.   

This is an absolute waste of my available rooms and there needs to be a change here.   Both of these bookings with verification pending were done the same day as the night they were requesting.   My opinion would be that if the booking request is made by a new user that needs verification, that is done WITHIN 72 HOURS of the night they are requesting, airbnb allows 1 HOUR/ONE HOUR FOR THEM TO SUBMIT VERIFICATION, then if it is not received within that hour,  the calendar is opened back up for other guests to book.   For someone not verified to book a room at Noon of the night they request, then never send verification, that blocks the room so no one else can book it FOR 12 HOURS.  It is absolutely aweful AND DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE.    Allow them one hour, if they are serious about using airbnb, then they will send in the verification.  

[Mike329]

I just ran into the same problem today, a pending verification on the same night, so guess what, they never got it confirmed and now we missed out on a nights booking, how rediculous to take it off avaialble whilst they confirm the id. If they do not have id and as a host i said only can book with id confirmed, then pending should not be an option, only with id confirmed I said, not allow them to book it and then go off to get it confirmed, i said confirmed. The settings are ignoring what you have requested, terrible. Wish they would listen to the hosts and at least reconise this problem, no id no booking please. Thats what the tick box option says..... 

[Andrew126]

I've just had the same problem. I have set to Instant Booking where a guest has positive reviews. Therefore, no newbie should be able to "block" the space, one would presume, yet this is exactly what has happened today.

Contacting Airbnb was not helpful, nor was my status as Superhost. Admittedly I did get right through on the phone... but no good answer or solution was offered, other than, "that's the way the system works, you just have to wait..." and I was given the very distinct feeling of being brushed off.

Hard to understand why Airbnb programming is set up this way -- how many of these "pending verifications" are turned into actual bookings I wonder?

Anyway, for the first time I am actively looking at other platforms... I've heard too much and seen too much lately to be completley satisfied with Airbnb's performance of late. Keep it Simple should be the motto, but they are trying too hard to do and be everything...

[Gorkem0]

I have the same problem right now. It is unbelievable that Airbnb allow as such, in the expense of the hosts. You have no control over it whatsoever. You are at the total discretion of the guest that s/he would cancel on time, so that you will have an open calendar. It is just ridiculuous how Airbnb system allows someone who is not meeting the requirements could send a request and eventually block your calendar. I am just wasting a valuable part of the day for booking for tomorrow. And I could do nothing about it.  Airbnb should not allow a guest to send a request, but allow just an inquiry if the person does not meet the requirements!

[Mark_Karen0]

We also have a "Verification Pending" that is blocking our calendar!!  And we received no notification of this.  This is not fair to Hosts.  Guests should not even be permitted to block any dates until all of their verification information has been throroughly completed!  Looks like I will have to change my settings, which is disappointing because we may lose guests due to too many restrictions.  Maybe it's time for another computer whiz to start a new rental platform.