We recently had a bad experience that left us scrambling at 7 PM without a place to stay, with a big group, and two kids that needed cribs. The associate at Airbnb made us feel like our hotels would be covered under that policy.
However, upon discussing it with Airbnb after our trip, they are insisting there's an internal 20% cap on the policy refunds that cover the extra costs of the new accommodations.
They wrote the following:
"I understand that you wanted to know about our AirCover policy. Here's how AirCover for guests works:
AirCover for guests provides support for serious issues with your booking (e.g. Host cancels your reservation prior to check-in) or during your stay (e.g. The heating is not working in winter, the listing has fewer bedrooms than listed, it’s a different type of home – a private room instead of an entire home, a major advertised amenity such as a pool or kitchen is missing), but it doesn’t include more minor inconveniences, like a broken toaster. Here's the link: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3218
Although it didn't state about the 20% refund of what you've paid but it is on our internal Airbnb policy that we don't disclose on the platform. On the other hand, upholding the policies and standards that protect our community is very important to us. We’ve given your case and its details careful consideration and we determined that we can only process $1104.886 in accordance to our AirCover policy and this is the maximum amount that we can provide. Please know that the decision is final and it can't be overturned.
We understand that this might not be what you’d hoped for, but we came to this outcome because we really need to follow our AirCover policy and if we will not follow the policy, our job will be compromised. I hope this helps!"
They even mention their "job would be compromised" if they don't follow this policy!
Can anyone who works at Airbnb comment on this? We're going to be out about $1,600 because of this policy and the way the situation was handled. It seems really suspect to have a limit secretly posted internally but not disclosed on the actual website.
Has anyone else had success with this policy getting money to cover new accomodations when the cost is slightly higher than their initial booking?
tobinfekkes•9mo ago
I started avoiding AirBnb like the plague about 5 years ago over a similar situation (not nearly as severe or costly). Similar in that their "policy" trumped everything else. So I've exclusively stayed at hotels since, and love not having to do the laundry on my way out.