Unfairly penalised not just by a public automated post but also by blocking the dates concerned.

[Em4]

Was hoping there is something we can do about this:

AUTORESPONSE:
The host canceled this reservation 55 days before arrival. This is an automated posting.

 
Response from Christine:

IN RESPONSE TO THE AUTOPOSTING just so we're clear. A request was made for accommodation for 7 people in a maximum 6 person house. For some reason, this was accepted, but not by me. I put it down to a technical error - the software, broadband or a combination. Within 10 minutes I reversed the booking. It is interesting to see there is no difference between an error fixed within minutes and an actual cancelation after a clear commitment by both parties. I will add that for +-24 hrs prior to this occurring, a family were trying to book Lakeview for dates that would have overlapped the booking I canceled, but for some reason had difficulty doing so. I lost that booking as a consequence. Was imagining my first review with an air guitar solo. Now trying to banish the image of air violin played by a friend at my expense.

ps not only am i being punished with a public response making me look as though I committed to a reservation then canceled that commitment but the dates are blocked for any further booking through airbnb and these dates are in the height of summer.

[David-and-Fiona0]

You do realize you have instant booking activated do you? 

[Em4]

I should have instant booking if they are recommended by both airbnb and other hosts which the 'requester' is.  She left a message asking if 7 people would be alright.  Initiating dialogue is fair.  You never know how things will turn out in the end.  Equally fair is my response that the airbnb ad clearly states MAXIMUM 6 people but that I do have alternative accommodation options for her which she is now considering.  The issue is not whether or not 'instant booking' is engaged.  The issue is an error occurred.  The information provided prior to canceling is that it MAY result in penalties.  However in this instance I believed there could not be reasonable grounds to penalise me.  Regardless what Christian has to say.

Had I had agreed to the booking and at some later time then renegged on that agreement I would not be arguing unfairness.

The issue is not so much wht happened but how I might go about fixing this problem.

[Christian65]

Quick question: "Within 10 minutes I reversed the booking" - is that your way of saying you cancelled the booking? 

All cancellations will appear on your profile as standard which I think is completely fair.

but if there would be an error I would call ABB immidiately with the problem. It seems odd that even though you have Instant Booking activated the booking shouldn't go through if the guest had chosen a higher number of guests than what your listing says is allowed.

[Em4]

Christian you and I will have to beg to differ.  Your definition of 'fair' and of 'canceled resulting in an unfair penalty' leave little to be desired.

[Em4]

I add...

'If your listing isn’t available or a traveller can’t comply with the House Rules you set, be sure to decline the reservation request promptly '

from Hosting Standards, Communication, Timely responses

How more prompt can one be at any time let alone 3am, than 10 minutes. 

An interesting thought though is that as a Guest you could strategise your booking play.  Armed with the knowledge you can not comply with the House Rules or other conditions, 'instant book' means a host is faced with the choice to give in to the Guests requests or face the action of cancelling the 'instant booking' ie cancelation penalties.

Ok.  Myself, I was previously thinking 'instant book' has merit. It is the poster child of 'time is a limited resource.'  My question now is, given such a strategy what do experienced hosts do to avoid being in such a situation.

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

Sounds like you've learned a valuable lesson in CALLING Airbnb if you feel there is an error instead of taking matters into your own hands and cancelling.  Airbnb is very clear about the penalties for cancelling a reservation, not sure what else you expected.

[Em4]

Clarity.

For new hosts, because of the the perceived and potentional gravity it should have been made clear the difference between canceling which is a common every day occurrence and refusal (decline) and where it meets the definition of deleting.  In this context, ie the offer of accommodation, refusal, cancelation and deletion are usually interchangeable.

There are thousands of words on Aribnb, many of which I read before listing but nothing on this important issue.  The only way to learn is through the school of hard knocks.

RE calling Airbnb...correct me if I'm wrong, there is no contact number on the website that I can see.  If you want to be contacted you leave contact details.  I've noticed in the help forum, others asking for a contact phone number, even suggesting trying to get their attention by posting on twitter.

[Em4]

ps.  once again for the purpose of clarity. 

1.  You engage with Airbnb because you agree to 'take things into your own hands.'  Every time you post a listing or make changes to that listing, you make your own decisions on the basis of tips provided by Airbnb and the community members.

2. Airbnb have purposefully made it difficult to be contactable.

3.  With a commercial operation we expect direct contact details.  This is not the case here.

4.  Experienced guests can strategise the situation to their benefit which implies the House Rules have little meaning during the booking situation.  This begs the question whether House Rules have any more meat than a suggestion.

[Em4]

Yes you are right Airbnb are very clear.

'For Instant Book hosts only

Hosts who use Instant Book may be able to cancel penalty-free if they have concerns about the reservation or a guest’s behaviour. Calendar inaccuracy, confusion about pricing or availability, and extenuating circumstances are not covered by this policy.

If you're an Instant Book host and have concerns about a reservation or a guest's behavior:
1.Go to Your Reservations and find the reservation you need to cancel
2.Click Change or Cancel
3.Select “I’m uncomfortable with the guest’s behavior”
4.Provide a reason for the cancellation

Once you complete these steps, the host cancellation penalties for this reservation will be waived, and we’ll help your guest find another place to stay for their trip.

If it's within 24 hours of check-in, contact us instead.'

All of the above followed by me including selecting the reason "Guest does not meet House Rules"

[Em4]

I am trying very hard to create the potential for a meaningful and personalised experience for guests rather than merely providing a physical building to sleep in and since I am also paying staff to achieve this goal, I further expect it to perform as a business needs to, RE this situation, I expect to be fairly treated.

[Em4]

For the purpose of helping other New Hosts:

The prospective Guest made the original booking for one person which got around the house rules as far as the booking bot was concerned.  Consequently it is a weakness in the system.

The prospective Guest knew the group was 7x people.  She also knew the house provided accommodation for maximum 6 people.  She is an experienced Airbnb user and knowingly booked for 1x person to get around the booking bot.

I would have thought for the sake of decency she would have 'contacted the host' first to negotiate rather than book first in an attempt to strong arm me. 'Contact Host' is an option directly under the 'About this Listing,' the heading at the top of every Airbnb Host page. 

[Em4]

I've decided to use this post as a way to centralise information about canceling and issues related to it. 

Email received from Airbnb:

'In rare situations, you may need to cancel. However, If you cancel again, your listings may be temporarily paused. This means the listings wouldn’t show up in search results and you wouldn’t be able to confirm future reservations.'

The situation:

An experienced user of Airbnb got around the House Rules by booking for one person. 'Instant Booking' is engaged for those who have met Airbnb's verification status and for those who have existing positive Host reviews.  She then sent a message asking for 7 people to be accommodated.  It is clear Lakeview accommodated a MAXIMUM 6 people.   I would also have thought, knowing the maximum number of people that can be accommodated at Lakeside is six, that she woulld have used 'Contact Host' at the top of the page, to initiate discussion and to negotiate BEFORE 'Instant Book.'

Airbnb advice:

1.  In rare situations you may need to cancel.  When canceling you are provided with options to represent your reason.  In this case it was the Guest could not meet House Rules.

2.  IF YOU CANCEL AGAIN - there was no second cancelation

3. Your listings MAY be TEMPORARILY paused.  In fact Airbnb DID pause the listing for the dates concerned.

4. 'As part of honouring your commitment to guests, it’s important to remember that cancellations have a serious impact.'  In fact, it was the Guest who dishonoured the agreement as set out by Airbnb in terms of how it operates.  ie a Guest must comform to the House Rules.  On the other hand I was honouring the advertised accommodation which Airbnb define as 'House Rules.'

5.  Once 'Instant Book' is engaged there is no option but to cancel.  'Instant Book' is working well for other Guests.  And if I was a Guest myself I would want to use this facility as the optimal approach to dealing with time as a limited resource.

[Em4]

Seems to me that on Airbnb:

1. 'Instant Book' is being defined by users as a 'book first negotiate after' strategy. There are consequences to this for Hosts who cancel 'instant book' guests who knowingly 'instant book' when they know they do not meet the House Rules.

2. I would think that if there is any negotiating to be done, the 'instant book' facility would be used AFTER the negotiating phase has been completed.

3. No one expects to knowingly go to the Supermarket, knowingly place grocery items in their trolleys, knowingly scan them through the 'instant scan' or self serve aisle THEN try to negotiate the price for the groceries already bagged up.  But every one knows the intention is premeditated.  You don't decide on your negotiation strategy after you bag the groceries.  You decided before you arrived at the supermarket.

[Em4]

From a Level 6 Host today:

As far as contacting Airbnb, that's a source of continued frustration for many hosts. In NZ, there is customer service, but you have to dig deep to get the contact info. Use the Help function and run a search.

Here's the number you need: New Zealand +64 4 4880 888