I booked accommodation for my family travelling to the UK from a few countries. Due to COVID-19 they are all not allowed to travel to the UK (government directive).
I have sent multiple message to Airbnb support through the website around cancelling my booking as the host will not cancel and said I needed to contact Airbnb. It has now been five or six days since I did this but there has been no response yet.
My final payment is due at the beginning of April which means I will be out of pocket for a substantial amount of money. The Airbnb website advice has also not been updated since March 19th. A lot has changed since then but there has been no change to their policies.
I am dealing with the same thing. Our check-in date is April 16, which is 2 days past the cut-off for the full refund from Airbnb. Our host is refusing to approve our refund request. Airbnb basically said there is nothing they can do. We provided documentation for an extenuating circumstance and are still waiting to hear back.
Also, to those of you who are saying you have messaged Airbnb, it won’t work. You have to actually CALL them and sit through the ridiculously long wait time. The woman I spoke to this morning told me that all messages get sent to basically a holding area until someone from the correct department picks it up, and since they are so slammed with requests, no one is even looking at those messages.
And the COVID-19 option for cancelling only applies to bookings with a check-in date on or before April 14.
Airbnb further extends refund window to May 31st and sets aside $250 million for hosts. SO ask for a refund !!!
Now my booking is also eligible for a refund April17-May17 but still they are refusing a refund stating that I cancelled the booking myself. India is under lockdown as well but these people don’t want to refund my money at all.
I wish Airbnb gets bankrupt !!
I would like to see how this goes. I also have a $ 3000 booking with Airbnb in Japan where the host is directing me to Airbnb, and Airbnb is expecting me to eat a 50% fee. I have written to Airbnb repeatedly with the Government of Japan restrictions on travel for Us citizens and the force majeure situation, but they wouldn’t respond. I am wondering whether I can file a Small Claims court claim on Airbnb in the State of MA ( where I live). Not sure if I have to go to a court in State of California, or where State of MA court will accept my small claims petition. Also going to register my complaint with the Mass AG’s office..but I’d rather Airbnb me just allows me to cancel and rebook for a later date..
The host is correct. YOU must cancel choosing the Covid-19 option. No need to phone Airbnb. You will get a 100% refund.
There is no Covid-19 option
dispute the payment with your bank. you obviously prepaid via Visa / Mastercard – so write a letter to your bank that you suspect fraud from AirBnb: they do not reply on refund requests in this situation and you suppose they want to steal your money.
Ask the bank to re-issue the card with a different number, and the because the dispute will be open, AirBnb will HAVE TO respond to the bank to prove their charge is legal. If you provide the scans of government orders (news articles etc) that restrict travels – the bank will have all the proofs you are right.
Sign a petition about AirBnB’s lack of adequate emergency policies:
https://www.change.org/p/airbnb-change-airbnb-s-emergency-cancellation-policies/dashboard?source_location=user_profile_started