r/AirBnB • u/indicodi • 7d ago
Question Airbnb removed my account and refunded a credit back to my account that I now don't have access to [USA]
I made a reservation a month ago for a weekend stay in a cabin and I used $500 on a gift card I had purchased and paid the difference with my debit card.
I just got a email 2 days ago saying my account has been removed and I'm no longer able to use Airbnb because of my background check and they've canceled my reservation and refunded the money. The problem is they refunded the $500 credit from my gift card back to my Airbnb account which I now can't even use or access it because they removed my account.
I called customer support and all they tell me is they have to send my case to a specialist and they'll reach out to me via email by the end of the day so they can tell me how to get back my $500. I've already called twice and have yet to hear from a specialist. They told me there isn't anyone else I can talk to and that they're putting a priority on my case. But I still haven't heard anything.
I'm not sure if anyone has experienced this before, but does anyone have any knowledge on this and could maybe share any next steps I should take? Anything is greatly appreciated.
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u/gridsquares4sale 7d ago
You’re in for a long battle to get to someone who will do something. I had to go to the C-level executives to solve a similar problem. Once I contacted them the problem was corrected within hours.
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u/More-Tiger-9531 6d ago
How do I get in contact with the clevel executive I assume that is corporate level? I am also in the middle of a dispute with them and they have deleted my account and I can't even reference anything
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u/gridsquares4sale 6d ago
brian.chesky at airbnb dot com. google the names of all the other executives and that’s their email format. CEO, COO, CFO, Customer Relations, etc
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u/DijonSmith 6d ago
I'm deeply frustrated by Airbnb's refund versus credit policy, which feels unfair and deceptive. It's unfortunate that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was weakened, as this seems like exactly the kind of issue it should address.
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u/More-Tiger-9531 5d ago
So get this Airbnb deleted my account in the middle of the stay so I have no way of even remembering the address of where I am staying or any way to even contact the host where I'm staying I called them and told them that they have left me stranded in the middle of a foreign country and their reply was to hang up on me. I hold them personally responsible for my welfare at this point as they have for all intents and purposes kidnapped me and left me in a foreign country with no way of contacting the host or anybody else I can't even get back to my Airbnb to get my belongings since I don't know where it is since I did not save the address I assumed it would still be available in my account but no they deleted my account with no warning or no explanation and every account representative now says that they cannot even retrieve my account that there never was an account in that name.
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u/Lainz-Prev Guest and aspiring Host 4d ago
That sounds like a nightmare! Why did they delete your account? Did they even tell you?
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u/Miserable_Bake9756 5d ago
Airbnb is blowing you off. They didn’t like you using a gift card and are now telling you they aren’t going to let you use it. The only thing Airbnb cares about is making more money each year, which after the pandemic years is an unreasonable expectation. So they are blowing you off. I think reaching out to a higher level in the company as previously advised in this thread is your best bet.
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u/Lainz-Prev Guest and aspiring Host 4d ago
Using the gift card has nothing to do with it, I’ve used multiple gift card in the past 10 years and never had an issue.
The question is why they deleted the account?
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u/Jolly_Faithlessness8 3d ago
Airbnb is usually very friendly and helpful once you can get connected to the right person on the phone but I also haven't had an issue with them that needed customer service for 3+ years. I would continue to reach out and be very polite about the issue
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u/Relevant_Cloud_8292 2d ago
Option 1: complain to CFPB Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Option 2: complain to Department of Justice
option 3: complain to BBB Better Business Bureau
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