Airbnb Refund Policy and Covid-19

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#2768999 30-Aug-2021 20:37

The mortgage isn't paying itself.

I'd argue that someone relying on Airbnb for their mortgage should reconsider their strategy, imo

Nate001

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#2769001 30-Aug-2021 20:40

Handle9:

It is what it is. Most of the booking sites have instituted similar polices and are quite upfront with them.

There is a link on the Airbnb site that discloses their covid policies but they aren't as explicit as others.

So the solution to your refund is to go get yourself infected with covid...

martyyn

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#2769005 30-Aug-2021 20:46

We had to cancel a booking recently. Booking was $626, Airbnb would only refund $150 and that's with four weeks notice.

Absolute crooks.

So I contacted the owners.

They were happy for us to leave the booking so they kept the money and would honour it another time. Fingers crossed they do and I've no reason to doubt them.

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#2769012 30-Aug-2021 21:08

networkn:

Handle9:
The mortgage isn't paying itself.

That's true of every expense for everyone including AirBNB.

Not saying I agree with the policy, but it's not unique to mortgage holders.

Sure. The point was it is quite incorrect to say there is no expenses for accommodation owners when someone doesn't stay there.

The policy is the policy and it is the way that most apartment style providers have gone.

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#2769013 30-Aug-2021 21:09

gcorgnet:
The mortgage isn't paying itself.

I'd argue that someone relying on Airbnb for their mortgage should reconsider their strategy, imo

Why? Providing rental accommodation is a legitimate business.

Handle9

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#2769014 30-Aug-2021 21:15

martyyn: We had to cancel a booking recently. Booking was $626, Airbnb would only refund $150 and that's with four weeks notice.

Absolute crooks.

So I contacted the owners.

They were happy for us to leave the booking so they kept the money and would honour it another time. Fingers crossed they do and I've no reason to doubt them.

I'm curious why you think they are crooks? The cancellation policy is quite explicit when you book.

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richms

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#2769019 30-Aug-2021 21:26

When you opt for a lower cost accommodation option without the protections of a higher cost one, you don't get those protections.

The thing that I find weird is that the hosts could probably claim something for the lack of trade as it is a business with reduced income because of the lockdown.. Unless it isn't a business after all.

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Nate001

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#2769078 30-Aug-2021 22:17

A point to remember here is also the fact the host cannot currently provide the service in L3/4 vs the OP not being able to use the service. If say OP was in L3/4 and AirBnB host was in L2, then it may be different as host can provide the service but OP cannot use the service.

The commerce commission issued this document last year which covers accomodation at bottom of page 3. They suggest both parties should act in good faith to provide a fair outcome for both. Most people would agree the host keeping 100% isn't fair. https://comcom.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/214750/COVID-19-Disrupted-travel-events-and-trade-guidance-15-April-2020.pdf

Also, places such as gyms cannot charge members while in lockdown, as again they cannot provide the service. Pg 5.

martyyn

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#2769080 30-Aug-2021 22:20

Handle9:
I'm curious why you think they are crooks? The cancellation policy is quite explicit when you book.

All our other travel and accommodation was refunded in full without question.

Handle9

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#2769081 30-Aug-2021 22:28

martyyn:
Handle9:

I'm curious why you think they are crooks? The cancellation policy is quite explicit when you book.

All our other travel and accommodation was refunded in full without question.

Did they follow their cancellation policy?

If they didn't follow their cancellation policy then I'd agree they are crooks. If you cancelled for convenience and it was non-refundable when you booked then it's your bad luck.

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#2769085 30-Aug-2021 23:01

Only somewhat relevant to the thread, but I detest Airbnb and refuse to use their scummy service ever again.

In May I booked a trip with a friend. Airbnb for some unknown reason cancelled the trip and refunded it - neither the host nor Airbnb nor I could figure out why. Airbnb said to book the trip again (same dates, same host), which I did and paid again.

They then proceeded to charge me for the original canceled booking again. I did a chargeback, and this was declined as Airbnb sent the bank my bookings claiming they were valid.

Airbnb have since claimed at various times:

we're refunding it again, give us 15 business days
you've already had a refund, nothing we can do
you booked two trips and took them both, nothing we can do as you used both trips (on the same dates at the same host remember)
we've done the refund ask your bank
our refund queue is long, we're getting to it
there's a system issue, our engineers are looking at it

Their support is atrocious - messages provided by community members who do nothing but copy and paste support pages, endless loops of links that prevent you from talking to someone, promises to escalate, promises to call me back, useless call centre who can't see previous notes/messages/interactions. It's farcical and makes someone like Vodafone look like a shining example of excellent customer service. Can't even say it's worth the savings - hotels are often cheaper.

But shame on me really - I had a dreadful experience with them pre-pandemic and swore never again at the time. Looks like I'm slow learner.

Oh, and no I still don't have my money and the bank have said it's too late for a chargeback, but Airbnb would like me to "rest assured knowing a solution will be forthcoming".

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#2769091 30-Aug-2021 23:43

richms:

The thing that I find weird is that the hosts could probably claim something for the lack of trade as it is a business with reduced income because of the lockdown.. Unless it isn't a business after all.

Yes, as investors are running these places as a business, then I would have thought they would be eligible for the government handouts too.

Personally I would like to see an end to houses being used for this purpose. Some councils don't even charge them commercial rates . We have a housing crisis and shortage in NZ. Yet people are building new houses for this purpose, taking away builders and materials for new builds for NZers to buy and live in, when we have a good builder and materials shortage.

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#2769098 31-Aug-2021 02:30

mattwnz:
Yes, as investors are running these places as a business, then I would have thought they would be eligible for the government handouts too.

Nope.

gcorgnet

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#2769101 31-Aug-2021 06:00

Nate001:

A point to remember here is also the fact the host cannot currently provide the service in L3/4 vs the OP not being able to use the service. If say OP was in L3/4 and AirBnB host was in L2, then it may be different as host can provide the service but OP cannot use the service.

The commerce commission issued this document last year which covers accomodation at bottom of page 3. They suggest both parties should act in good faith to provide a fair outcome for both. Most people would agree the host keeping 100% isn't fair. https://comcom.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/214750/COVID-19-Disrupted-travel-events-and-trade-guidance-15-April-2020.pdf

Also, places such as gyms cannot charge members while in lockdown, as again they cannot provide the service. Pg 5.

Funnily enough, I will be in L4 (most likely, or L3 if lucky as date is Sept 17th and we're in Auckland) and the host will be in L3 (or better, as place is in WLG)

tchart

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#2769181 31-Aug-2021 10:01

Nate001:

They suggest both parties should act in good faith to provide a fair outcome for both.

100% this.

With their current conditions everyone wins except the customer. Yes while covid is a thing no one can predict that the country would go into a lockdown.

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