A furious tourist is angry at Airbnb after the rental service refused to give her a refund for her reservation. She was supposed to stay in Los Angeles, which is in the middle of a massive wildfire.
However, Airbnb said that it wasn't covered under its "major disruptive events policy." Finance executive Ana Mostarac explained that she was supposed to stay in Los Angeles. But the wildfire in the Pacific Palisades forced a mass evacuation. She reached out to the rental company, which said that the company's cancellation policy still stood.
They told her, "We're sorry to hear that you won't be able to make your upcoming reservation...Unfortunately, this cancellation is not covered under our Major Disruptive Events Policy. This means that your Host's Strict Cancellation policy will apply."
In response, Mostarac wrote sarcastically, "Thank you Airbnb." She shared the message on social media. Many blasted Airbnb for their rigid structure and refusing to offer a refund.
Airbnb Refuses Refund
"This is ridiculous! I hope @Airbnb will come around and do the right thing here!" one X user wrote. Another wrote, "What in the world? They want you to endanger your life and stay in a house near a large fire? What's the game plan?"
Another wrote, "So basically you will need to pay them even though they can't accommodate you?"
"That's my understanding," she said.
Later the furious tourist wrote, "'To clarify, I called Airbnb to request help with rebooking accommodations farther from the danger zone. As always, their policies failed to account for context. The fires keep getting worse, and unfortunately, many others are probably stuck explaining bushfires to someone in another country right about now."
So basically, her fate is in the hands of the host. Some hosts offer full refunds. But others list their homes as non-refundable. Airbnb's Major Disruptive Events Policy is for "rare circumstances that large-scale events prevent or legally prohibit completion of a reservation."
It said, "Guests can cancel their reservation and receive a refund, travel credit and/or other consideration regardless of the reservation's cancellation policy, and hosts can cancel without fees or other adverse consequences."
