Double booked on Airbnb — can I get a refund?

Q: Iwas planning a bachelorette party in Los Angeles for 14 girls. Just days before our trip, the Airbnb property thatwe had booked 2 ½ months in advance canceled because ofwater pipe issues. Idid not have a property secured for a busy holiday weekend.

In the frenzy of contacting more than 20potential hosts for a new property, Iwas accidentally double-booked on two properties for the same dates. I immediately contacted Airbnb to cancel one of the properties, but they held me to the strict cancellation policy. I tried to speak with supervisors, but the answer was the same. I even tried filing adispute withmy credit card company, but that has been ruled in Airbnb’s favor.

Airbnb’s policies are heavily skewed toward protecting hosts and penalizing users. Additionally, while cancellation policies are inplace to minimize harm to hosts, in this case, these policies were enforced in such away in which the host greatly benefited— to the tune of thousands of dollars— and they didnot suffer any damages. I’d like to get my $5,058 refunded, please. Can you help?— Lisa Huynh, Bartlett, Ill.

A: Isn’t this ironic? Your first Airbnb home had to cancel, and you let the owner off scot-free. You didn’t insist on having the owner find a comparable Airbnb rental at the same price. And yet nowthat youhave to cancel your rental because of what you say is an honest mistake, Airbnb is requiring you pay $5,058.

I don’t understand how you could have accidentally booked two Airbnb properties for the same dates. I mean, this isn’t Amazon, where you can do “1-Click” shopping. You have to navigate to several screens to confirm a book-ing.

A review of your case reveals the answer. You used Airbnb’s “request to book” feature that allows you to contact the owner directly tomake a reserva---

tion. The he owner ow of the first property said theth home wasn’t available on your dates, so you booked the second property through Airbnb’s “book instantly” feature. But then the first property owner came back and said itwas available and then charged your credit card. Oops.

Airbnb’s most restrictive refund policy, knownas the “strict” policy, allows you a free cancellation up to 48 hours after your initial reservation. Unfortunately, there’s some fine print. You have to cancel at least 14 days before check-in. Youwere past that window. Your case is a good reminder to read the confirmation emails you receive from Airbnb. Youmight find something in them that doesn’t align with your travel plans.

Next time you book

something that costs $5,058, make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s. Imight have tried to close the loop with the first property before making the second reservation.

I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Airbnb executives onmy consumer advocacy site at elliott.org/company-contacts/airbnb. It’s possible that a brief, polite email would have moved this case in your direction.

I contacted Airbnb on your behalf. Airbnb offered you a full refund.