Getting Real Tired of Airbnb Threats

[Highlands John]

I know a lot of you are very anti airbnb and I understand your reasons, but things are a little different in the uk so I use them and I get a few bookings from them, but I'm getting real fed up with being threatened by them.
A few days ago I had a booking from them for August 2018, when I checked my diary I've got all rooms booked that weekend for a local wedding, it appears my availability for more than 12 months ahead doesn't feed through to air, so I had to message the guy, apologise and explain, and cancel the booking. He was very understanding and messaged to say he'd found somewhere else.
When I cancelled it said on the screen that this was bad, and that I'd have to pay a cancellation fee if I cancelled another and risk loosing my superhost status, blah blah blah, yes I get that they have to protect guests from hosts who mess people about because it's not a business..... but
I then get an email threatening me with a whole host of repercussions if I cancel again. Mah!
This morning I log on to post a review and I get a message saying I'm at risk of having my account suspended, because of this cancellation.
For heavens sakes, just do it. I've got a 4.9 rating with them, 92% reviews are 5*. I've cancelled 1 booking that was for more then 12 months ahead and I cancelled it within 2 hours of it being made. I'm running at 99% occupancy this summer and I'm averaging 2 x 1 night bookings a month from them, so go on, stop threatening me a do it.
<rant mode off>

 

[Arks]

I was with Air about 2 years, but cancelled it a few months ago because of stuff like this. Good riddance. Haven't missed them one bit. More headaches than it was worth.

 

[JimBoone]

That sort of issue more than cost is why I've stayed away from using any of the OTA's

 

[Anon Inn]

I recently had to cancel an Air guest due to double booking issue with the direct guest booking first. I phoned the Air helpline and the representative removed the cancellation black mark against me - super host status still firmly in place. I've had nothing but helpful interactions with Air representatives.

 

[OnTheShore]

Don't you have your Air account set up not to accept bookings more than X months out? (I think you can configure X to whatever you want, or can at least choose from a menu of options like 3, 6, 9 months, etc...)

 

[TheBeachHouse]

That type of 'threat' would bug me. I'd opt out right away. (We use the hotel sites, we have never used Air.)

 

[Morticia]

Plus the email that tells you how to prepare for your incoming guest - clean the room, make sure the sheets are changed and the guest has towels, tidy the house, put some bagels and orange juice in the fridge.
I set my calendar up so it's closed unless I open it. I was tired of realizing weeks later that the calendar was open during my vacation.
I also don't do instant book.
We only get 2-3 guests from them per year, so not a big deal.
PS - good for you being booked already for next year!

 

[Jcam]

This is why I only do reservation requests - do quite well out of them but they are always poking me to do instant booking but I am not risking getting double booked for them!

 

[Highlands John]

Don't you have your Air account set up not to accept bookings more than X months out? (I think you can configure X to whatever you want, or can at least choose from a menu of options like 3, 6, 9 months, etc...).

I didn't realise that, mine had defaulted to forever which I think was the issue because my own booking system which feeds Airbnb with availability was only sending 12 months. I've changed Air to 6 months now.

 

[Audrey Forrest]

I was with Air about 2 years, but cancelled it a few months ago because of stuff like this. Good riddance. Haven't missed them one bit. More headaches than it was worth..

Arks I totally agree with you. I tried them for about 6 months and it was awful. Glad to get rid of them!!! They have a number of lawsuits filed against them too and the guests we have had complained they couldn't get their money back when they cancelled. They also charge people a service fee as well as charging the vendor.
Much better options out there.

 

[Lee2014]

We have Air which we love. We only do requests. At first it was just college students age guests. Then it became a lot of college students' parents and grandparents who the college students told them they have to try this out but they didn't like the idea of staying in strangers homes so they booked the inns available. We work in a changing environment and have to keep up with "what's in"... Air is the "in thing" right now. Tomorrow it will be something else.

 

[ShiAl]

I too agree, we had been members for maybe 1.5 years when we opened the B&B and coming from the hotel business we felt extremely restricted and limited by this organization. We felt it was very unprofessionally run and only guest oriented.
Besides the fact that we pay taxes and insurance and we of course charged the guests HST too and the guests as well as airbnb were extremely upset with us ..... go figure....
So much for pretending to be a legitime business. Airbnb was still in their infant shoes ......
Glad we have nothing to do with them anymore...

 

[Highlands John]

Someone at Air must have read this thread because I see they've now introduced 100% penalty free cancellations for Instant Booking hosts up to 3x a year as long as they are within 24 hours of booking.

 

[Anon Inn]

Plus the email that tells you how to prepare for your incoming guest - clean the room, make sure the sheets are changed and the guest has towels, tidy the house, put some bagels and orange juice in the fridge.
I set my calendar up so it's closed unless I open it. I was tired of realizing weeks later that the calendar was open during my vacation.
I also don't do instant book.
We only get 2-3 guests from them per year, so not a big deal.
PS - good for you being booked already for next year!.

I joined a couple of Air FB groups. The raw clueless beginner questions and comments go unanswered by me. If I ever do choose an Air place to stay I will make sure it is a traditional lodging or that the host has been doing this for some years. It will have to to be over 100 reviews if an amateur. One perk of superhost is you get a $100 credit for an Air stay in the off season. Didn't take it last year because I couldn't find anywhere appealing.