Airbnb or Refundbnb?
Of renters and refund hunters: What to expect and how to react based on Smartbnb Greece and Smartbnb London real stories

From our experience at Smartbnb across Greece, London & Berlin, most Airbnb rentals go smoothly, and everyone is happy. The guests enjoy their stay and the homeowner also finds it easy on their part to have them around. Homeowners do their best to live up to the rental standards set out. But here is the catch: Airbnb has a strict refund policy for cancellations but an increasingly loose refund policy for guest complaints; it is easy for the guest to get a refund even on ungrounded reasons! Has Airbnb gone to far with this in favor of the guest with the risk to be converted to a refund claims factory?
Though most times the guest gets a part of the money they paid back, there are also one-off incidences where the homeowner may need to give a sizable refund for exaggerated reasons.
Refund requests put the homeowner in a tight spot because most requests end up in the guest’s favor. In the past summer at Mykonos, these claims have come up for a lot of homeowners with good ratings who offer the service they promised. If you have not received such bad reviews, then you ought to know what to do when the refund hunters come to your place.
As your choice of property manager, we at smartbnb thought it wise to inform you about the scammers and let you know how to deal with it. Refund hunters typically make irrational claims hoping to catch the homeowner in fault and get a refund. A lot of these claims have to do with amenity issues. The guest may complain about a TV set that actually works fine or a creak in the steps. Such guests more often than not never mention these things while still renting. You as the home owner only learn about the complaints when Airbnb support staff inform you of them. If you have come across one of these nit-picky guests, they may have already botched your glamorous record of rave reviews. However, you shouldn’t fall for the scam and end up paying money back.
Resist the temptation to give a bad review Such disappointing guests can push you to strike back with their scathing reviews but you shouldn’t take the bait. By responding to their reviews, you lend credence to their claims.
Instead, you could try offering a lower price the next time they come. Even if you do not offer the discount, always make sure your response invites positive feedback. Follow the claims and find out what the complaints are.
As a homeowner, be ready to take up the matter with the support staff and get to the bottom of things. Refund hunters count on the home owner to cave in with the list of complaints they put forward. You need to be firm about your intention to find out about the complaints and be able to verify that everything is in order from your part. Guests of this kind can shake you down for a good amount but will give up on the claim when the matter gets to court. Airbnb also have very responsive customer care staff that may help solve things. Some similar claims homeowners have received Look through internet forums and you will see lots of hosts who have gone through the same ordeal.
The scammers are quickly turning a good system into a nightmare.
Here are a few claims that show just how absurd refund hunters can get in an attempt to undercut your business;
· In one claim, Airbnb support reaches out to a Smartbnb for an owner who apparently gave the wrong address in his listing. The address was only 200m different from the exact address as the Airbnb holds only the first digits of the postcode. In this case, the guest intends to take advantage of Airbnb’s misclassification policy which attracts a 50% refund. After some correspondence (with Costa contesting the claim,) Airbnb deducts $154.29 from what he should receive. Costa’s reply succinct and exemplifies how you as the host should respond to such claims from the support staff. He asks to speak to a superior so as to get back money wrongfully taken from his payout and supplies his address which matches the one on the listing. He also informs them that he will spread word about the scam on social media.
· Another involves a woman who stayed in a room belonging to a Rudolfo. In the listing, Rudolfo clearly states that the room is his and he only rents it when he is away. However, the guest forwarded a complaint to Airbnb support claiming the room was not as advertised. Airbnb resolved the claim with the guest and found no violation in Rudolfo’s part.
· We resolved a claim from a guest asking refund for the water being salty which is typical at Mykonos. What the host could do in that situation?
Such claims have become rife over the past few months. At Smartbnb we advise all our clients to be wary of such people. Ensure you follow up the claim to avoid unfair deductions.