Mar 07, 2023 06:00:00

A case where the host ignored the refund request at Airbnb and the accommodation fee was confiscated

by

Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine

When I tried to cancel the reservation with the private lodging service Airbnb, it was reported that the host did not approve it, resulting in a big loss.

How to lose $950 very quickly on AirBnB - Blogomatano
https://chriskiehl.com/article/how-to-lose-about-nine-fitty

The problem started when Chris Keel, a software developer living in Seattle, Washington, booked an Airbnb for his family. Mr. Kiel arranged a small apartment room with Airbnb as a place to sleep while his family stayed in Seattle, and it cost $ 1538.39 (about 208,000 yen) for 5 nights.

After booking, the host contacted me and asked, ``Will Mr. Chris (Mr. Keel) also stay?'' Then the host said, 'Sorry, Airbnb does not allow third parties to make reservations.'

I can't say for sure because I don't know the details of the property Mr. Kiel tried to book and the details of the reservation, but Airbnb has

a rule that you can't make a reservation on behalf of someone else, so I ended up booking a room for my family under my name. It can be said that it was Mr. Kiel's fault. So Mr. Kiel offered to cancel.

In response, the host replied, 'Please contact Airbnb's support center as we cannot cancel it here.'

After being told by the host that he could not cancel the reservation, Mr. Kiel contacted Airbnb and requested a refund and cancellation. When Mr. Kiel explained the situation to Airbnb, Airbnb's support staff immediately understood the situation and promised to contact the host from Airbnb.

However, since there was no news even the next day, Mr. Kiel contacted the host again, but the host replied, 'I can't find the request.'

After that, Mr. Kiel sent a screenshot of the refund request, but in the end, the host did not have an island to stick to, ``Airbnb's policy cannot give a full refund.''

Mr. Kiel contacted

the problem resolution center at the recommendation of Airbnb's support representative, but since the problem resolution center makes decisions based on the opinions of the parties, the final aspect is up to the host.

Ultimately, the full refund was refused, so only $ 426.04 (about 57,000 yen) out of $ 1538.39 was refunded to Mr. Kiel. Moreover, since the family stayed at another hotel, a separate accommodation fee of $ 1,300 (about 176,000 yen) is also required.

In the social news site Hacker News thread that picked up this blog post, there were comments recommending, ``How about requesting a chargeback from your credit card company and refusing to pay?'' Since it is not checked, I should have said that I would accompany you only at check-in and stay with you.”