I deactivated my account and so obviously stopped getting requests. Then a few months later I started getting requests every day (which is normal when my account is active) For the first few people, I wrote them back and said I’m not sure what is going on, but this is not an active account (no, I had not simply blocked my calendar).

Soon I was frustrated by the constant barrage of requests, but I no longer even have the app on my phone, and had one problem after the next trying to get through to guests on the phone or by text or email: not getting the “code”, getting accidentally cut off, not getting a human, not getting return email. Just one issue after another and I’m busy and feel like they are relying on me to do their work for them.

I let Airbnb know that I have been doing them the courtesy of denying requests, but only for the guest’s sake, and that I am no longer going to continue to do that. They tell me to deactivate my account and I tell them I did that months ago. I requested that a tech person look at the account and tell me how this could have happened. I say that if I deactivate my account, what is to say it won’t suddenly become “active” again, and I’ll have to go through this all over again. They say they are quite literally unable to deactivate my account and that they are going to fine me for the two reservations that have just been auto booked.

I ask them to please scroll through my messages and they will see that I have been trying to make them aware of this problem, and that guests would soon be auto booking, and that I was no longer doing their admin for them and responding to guests on an inactive account.

Finally they refund my “fines” and deactivate my account (after swearing this was impossible many times) when I push for a tech person to please look into what has happened. They have been so capricious, awful, and misinformed, that I was unwilling to deactivate my account for the second time, but they did not back down until I insisted a tech person look into it.

Here is my question though: is it possible that they “accidentally” reactivate well performing accounts in hot markets where they are low on available lodging in hopes that people will just accept the reservations? Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but they have done such shady stuff that I wonder.

The post Deactivated Airbnb Account is Suddenly Activated appeared first on Airbnb Hell.

Yesterday I went into my calendar to check to make sure the days I blocked for my son were still blocked and found, once again, that April had unblocked them without my knowledge and two more bookings had come in, one awaiting my approval (April 28th – May 5th) and the other an instant booking (April 22nd-24th). I immediately wrote both of them explaining the mistake but I have not declined one of them yet because I need to get this cleared up with Airbnb before I do anything in my account. The guest is waiting for this to be cleared up so that he can move forward with his reservation. I did go into my account and turned off instant booking until this mess is cleared up. I am very concerned about this issue and need to talk to a supervisor or senior technician who can correct the problem. I am very uncomfortable with having to decline decent people from renting my space because of a glitch in the Airbnb system. It is not good for my business. I hope that this can be cleared up quickly. I want to release this booking as soon as possible.

The post Airbnb Unblocked my Blocked Calendar appeared first on Airbnb Hell.