The Canadian Prime Minister closed the country’s cruise ports until July 1. All cruises until July 1 are cancelled, including ours. We were coming from the U.S. to Vancouver for one night at an Airbnb. It would have been our first time ever using Airbnb. Every other airline and hotel gave us a full refund the same day we called.
Not Airbnb: they have a COVID-19 policy until May 31 only. We were checking in June 1. Even with a ton of documentation, their “case managers” still denied us a refund because their policy is just until May 31.
The host is very difficult to work with and won’t budge on her strict policy even though we just booked it days before the shutdown in March and we’re two months away. What a selfish human being.
We have no control over this global pandemic and they have been a nightmare to deal with. We call everyday and get the runaround from customer service. Airbnb is a fraudulent company. I’m talking to a lawyer.
Because Airbnb follows no industry standards and doesn’t require inspection or any oversight of host’s accommodations, we only used Airbnb once to decide it’s not an option when traveling.
In January I booked a house in Pine City MN for April 29-May 4, 2020. California Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency on March 1, 2020 and we have been on a stay at home order until AT LEAST May 15, 2020. I cancelled my reservation and immediately contacted the “super host Andrew” who refuses to reply to my messages. Airbnb is refusing to refund my deposit even though the President of their company said all bookings made before march 14, 2020 would receive a full refund or travel credit. What a nightmare and a scam. I will never use Airbnb again.
Airbnb is NOT a hotel or airline! They are a shared P2P platform for a deal and an experience closer to a home or local. You took risks and made commitments when you agreed to the terms and conditions of airbnb. You basically lose all rights when you agree to these terms! As a host I think airbnb could offer much of a “more fair platform” but they are more about profit margins. Airbnb is only following the refund policy in this situation, but many times they do not even follow their own policies. BTW the host does not get any funds until after the date of the reservation. As a host I also use a strict policy and still end up with lost monies even with a 1/2 refund for cancellations 14 days before check in. Even 2 months notice is not near a guarantee for another reservation in many areas. Just be happy you did not get on a cruse ship in this pandemic! It is not a bad thing to pay as agreed and help out a host that will lose most business for maybe a year or 2 into the future.