We have an Airbnb up in Western North Carolina where hurricane Helene hit and has done so much damage. We rented to a lady who chose to pick a non-refundable purchase which gave her a discount at the time of her booking. We are currently up and operational minus our hot tub. We are not filling those for a number of reasons due to the issues with Helene and our renters' agreements states we do not give refunds for things of that nature. Her stay isn't until the 20th and it is about a $1100 payout.
The guest asked for a full refund because she doesn't want to travel here, and she is stating she can't get here but she can. She may have to take a slight detour from the normal route but she can get here.
Airbnb has stated we don't have to give her any type of refund since she did select the non-refundable option. Would you give the full refund? Half a refund? None of it?
We have given others full refunds and/or credit for other stays but she is the only one who got a discount for booking as non-refundable. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Raiderhater:
I really cannot get on board with the tailgate fraud comparison that some are throwing around. We are not talking about the purchaser driving up to the address of the Airbnb to find an empty lot. If that were the case, then the comparison would have plenty of merit, otherwise these are two totally separate issues.
To my mind, this issue is fairly cut and dry: a hurricane is a legitimate reason to waive a no cancellation policy. Even if the house is in good order, what is the area as a whole dealing with? If this is just a little vacation (admittedly assuming here) is there much to do in the area at this point? Does the community even want tourists or would they just be in the way? Granted, I don't know what the extent of the damage is in that area so I am just addressing some possibilities.
Regardless of all the specifics, it just seems like, at the very least, good business sense to grant a refund minus whatever fees may be at play.
It's because the majority of the posters on this site would rather be a dickhead when the OP is really just seeking advice on a difficult situation.
Originally Posted by BigRichard:
We can do this with other guests(and did with several booking) depending on how they booked... we tend not to do this when the booking was through Airbnb. No other way to book allows non-refundable either though. Airbnb just make things difficult to work outside of their channels.
Cut Airbnb out and just have her email you when she wants to use her time. I would also have it expire within a reasonable amount of time. 12 months [Reply]