If you have been refused a refund by Airbnb as a result of the Coronavirus then you should receive a full refund. However, these are extremely unusual times with all travel firms and businesses that have anything to do with the travel industry suffering considerable financial loss.
Customers who have booked trips and flights are all certainly will face the prospect of financial tightening as jobs are threatened as well as economies all over the world.
Whilst we all have compassion and understanding for firms such as Airbnb, we do have to protect your own financial situation and reclaiming what is rightfully yours is essential in protecting family finances.
What are your Options to Obtain a Refund?
Any bookings that have been cancelled as a result of the Coronavirus should initially be claimed from Airbnb, who should then arrange for a refund under their cancellation policy. These are strange times and we are starting to see all firms not only Airbnb, declining, delaying and offering alternatives to making full refunds.
If you are happy to accept alternatives this will help the industry as a whole but you must be careful in that post Coronavirus, the economies and travel industry of the world will look completely different. There is likely to be less air travel and therefore the cost of our seats are likely to increase and so the travel to the accommodation is likely to increase. What was once a holiday you could rely on and look forward to you now do not know what it will look like. Therefore, taking a credit note for another holiday destination is certainly going to be a risk.
Can the Refund be Declined or Credit note Offered?
When holidays, trips and travel arrangements are cancelled in normal times (pre Covid-19) then refunds could be made with a simple claim to the firm. However, these are not normal times and firms trying to maintain cash balances, in short keep your money, to protect themselves from the ravages and financial fallout of the Coronavirus.
Previous terms and conditions are being at best stretched or broken by the firms in not applying credits to any claims as a result of cancellations. Offers of credit notes or moving your looking forward in order to avoid the necessity of making refunds are being made. You must weigh these offers into your own personal situation. Trips abroad are likely to be problematic in moving any travel arrangements forward in that all countries will deal with aspects of lockdown and the Coronavirus differently. You will therefore have to adhere to your own countries rules but then have to take into account destination countries. You could therefore find yourself in a position where the Airbnb property is available abroad but there is no way for you to get there in which case you will lose your money.
What is a Credit card or Debit card Chargeback?
If you have made payment arrangements for trips and destinations abroad using a credit card than your able to look at obtaining a refund should the travel firm either go bust or delay in not making payment to you via a section 75 claim. There is a legal requirement for credit card companies to address any refunds of amounts between £100 and £30,000.
The other alternative is if you have paid by debit card to obtain a refund through a chargeback claim through either Visa, MasterCard or AMEX. There is not a legal requirement by these providers of debit cards to make refunds but an arrangement that has been in place for a number of years. Although this arrangement is likely to be tested as a result of the Coronavirus.
What if I Booked and paid for Flights which have been Cancelled to go to an Airbnb?
The main problem with trips involving Airbnb is that they are likely to have involved a number of different aspects in relation to travel arrangements in order to keep the cost down.
- Transport
- Accommodation
- Bookings for attractions
- Other bookings
all of these different areas will need to be looked at with regard to making claims either through travel insurance which may not have been organised as separate policy but you may well have on a package bank account with your current account provider. Alternatives can also be reclaiming through the firms where payment was made such as a credit card or debit card or direct with the firms who the bookings are with.