There are situations when the owner of the apartment unexpectedly cancels the reservation of tourists literally on the eve of arrival. At the same time, most services often charge travelers an advance payment or the full amount in advance. АиФ.ги I figured out what to do in this case and how to return the money.
What should I do if the owner of the apartment canceled the reservation?
One of the major apartment booking services Airbnb explains that, if the owner cancels the reservation himself, there are two options. The service, at its discretion, will either refund the amount paid, or Airbnb employees will help you book an alternative option.
You can report a problem by filling out an application in the help center or by calling the support service.
What other options can there be?
Another major service Booking.com if the host canceled the reservation himself, he recommends that you first talk to him and ask him to explain what the reason is. It is better to conduct all correspondence using the Booking system, and not by phone, email or in messengers. This way, the service will have a confirmation of the correspondence.
If the owner of the apartment refuses to contact you or provide you with housing, you need to fill out a claim on the page of the Dispute Resolution Center. There you will need to specify your personal data, contact details for communication and describe the problem itself. Booking support staff should promptly review it and contact you. The service does not specify the terms of consideration of the complaint, but emphasizes that the most effective result can be achieved by contacting the support service before the end of the stay.
If the host himself asks to cancel the reservation & mdash; do not do it yourself, it is better to contact the support service and describe the situation. If the owner of the apartment cancels the reservation, you should get a refund or help to book a similar option.
Do the booking services pay compensation?
Yes, in order to receive compensation on Airbnb, you also need to make a claim on the page of the Dispute Placement Center. The service’s website reports that if the owner canceled the reservation, the tourist can count on either a full refund of the paid funds, or alternative housing options that will be selected by the support center staff. There are situations when a person was forced to rent another apartment and overpaid for it. In this case, you also need to describe the situation in the claim.
“Airbnb decides at its discretion whether the situation reported by the guest is a problem, whether compensation or rebooking is due to him, as well as whether the alternative accommodation option is comparable to the original one or exceeds the characteristics of the original reservation,” the service’s website says.
Booking does not have any options for additional compensation when the apartment owner cancels the apartment. The service has a special offer « We refund the difference in price» & mdash; but it only works if you found the same accommodation option, but for a higher price on another site.
How fast is the money returned?
On Airbnb, a refund is made automatically after the cancellation of the reservation. The service will return the money without withholding taxes and fees, and will send a confirmation with a link where you can track the status of the transaction. The time of crediting money to the account depends on the payment method & mdash; it can be from 24 hours to 15 working days. So, for example, in the case of a PayPal payment, the money must be returned within a day, and by bank card, Google Pay or Apple Pay-up to 15 working days.
The Booking rules state that the maximum period for reviewing a complaint is 30 days, during which time you must return the money. There is no penalty in case of cancellation by the owner of the apartment.
What penalties apply to the owner for canceling a reservation?
The host party faces the following sanctions for canceling a reservation:
& mdash; Fine. Its amount depends on when the reservation was accepted and how long before arrival it was canceled:
- if canceled more than 7 days in advance, $ 50 is deducted from the next payment,
- if canceled within 7 days before arrival, $ 100 is deducted from the next payment.
& mdash; Blocking bookings. The service may block the dates of the canceled reservation, and the owner will not be able to accept requests for this period.
& mdash; Publication of a tourist’s review. If the booking is canceled before arrival, the tourist can leave a comment on the ad page, which cannot be deleted.
– Temporary blocking or cancellation of the account. For three cancellations per year, the apartment booking service can suspend or cancel the ad.
How many days does the owner of the apartments have to issue a cancellation?
If the host is unable to receive guests, he is obliged to arrange a cancellation in advance to give travelers time to adjust their plans. However, there are situations when the owner of the apartment cannot do this due to circumstances beyond his control.
“There is no special deadline for cancellation. According to Russian legislation, although Airbnb is a foreign platform, the contractor must inform the consumer about the inability to fulfill obligations at the moment when he found out about it. There are different situations with placement. And in official accommodation facilities in hotels in absolutely any country in the world and in any hotel sooner or lateroverbooking has occurred or will occur & mdash; a situation where a place has been sold twice in the placement location. In such a situation, they are notified of the inability to accept a tourist, and depending on how this place of accommodation was purchased, options are offered. АиФ.ги Head of the legal service of ATOR Nadezhda Efremova.
Links:
https://www.airbnb.ru/
https://secure.booking.com/