New Japanese Law **UPDATE**

[Rac20]

Originally Posted by Melbatb

Rac,

I found this from their help page:

What is the Japan Guest Support Fund?
What is this fund?

On June 1st, the Japanese government unexpectedly advised us that hosts who will not have a notification number on their listing should cancel upcoming reservations, even if those reservations were booked before the law governing home sharing takes effect. This announcement is incredibly disruptive and inconvenient for guests who must find a new place to stay. We have established a $10 million fund to cover reasonable additional expenses for guests who have been impacted by this change.

Who is eligible for this additional travel reimbursement?

If you are a guest who has already booked a reservation in Japan that begins on or after June 15th and your reservation was cancelled, you will receive a full refund and a travel coupon. In addition, you may be eligible for additional reimbursement. We will evaluate all reimbursement requests on a case-by-case basis. Generally, we will reimburse guests for reasonable additional expenses incurred as a result of a cancellation.

To apply for reimbursement, please send us:

A copy of the receipt from your cancelled Airbnb reservation.
Copies of any receipts for unexpected and unavoidable additional expenses incurred as a direct result of the cancellation (for example, reasonable increases in accomodation costs that took place on the same evenings as your previously scheduled Airbnb reservation, flight change fees, etc.).
A brief explanation of these charges.
A member of our team will evaluate the documents you submit, contact you if there are any questions, and process your reimbursement. Receipts can be submitted to japan-reimbursements@airbnb.com.

How quickly will reimbursements be issued?

We hope to evaluate and respond to any reimbursement request within two to four weeks.

How will guests get their reimbursement?

Guests will be issued refunds through the payout method they have on file with Airbnb. Guests who do not have a payout method on file will be prompted to add one so they can quickly and easily receive funds. More information about editing or changing payout methods can be found here.



I hope that helps. Good luck.

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Thank you.

I’m waiting to hear back from AirBnb today. The problem is that there is very limited availability on Airbnb’s website. Less than 3%availability for the dates we are travelling.
Fingers crossed Airbnb will get back to me today.

Thanks for your support.

I’ll keep you all posted!

[fifi500]

Fingers crossed for you today, I hope everything works out well. Good luck.

[Rac20]

Well not had any luck really.
I rang them and spoke to ‘Joseph’ who told me that ‘Kim’ the case manager would phone me back immediately. Of course Kim didn’t do. I rang back and got very irate with the poor lady who said Kim would call me back.
The problem is nobody will tell me anything. They just keep saying they are working to resolve the problem.
I insisted on speaking to a manager who has sent me a link to look for alternative accommodation on. I also received this message which I don’t understand.

Can anybody else work out what they are saying they are offering to give me? Why can’t they just ring so I can actually have a conversation?

I am so cross and frustrated and feeling helpless.

[Melbatb]

Good luck - at least they know it is a problem! Hopefully you manage to find a solution.

[Rac20]

Apparently it means this:

I’m still confused. Are they giving me £202 plus £1136 (the full cost of the reservation) plus a refund of £608 which is what I paid?

[Rac20]

Originally Posted by Rac20

Apparently it means this:

I’m still confused. Are they giving me £202 plus £1136 (the full cost of the reservation) plus a refund of £608 which is what I paid?

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So they have confirmed that this is the case. However, I’m now not sure whether I can use the voucher for this booking that I have to make or it’s a good will gesture against future bookings...
Whose to say I’ll ever book with them again after this fiasco..

[DisneyDaffodil]

I would now ask them specifically if you can use the voucher for the new booking. If they refuse, ask why as you feel you are now being forced to pay inflated prices for the booking through no fault of yours. I feel they should be trying hard to keep customers happy so they do not lose repeat customer bookings. Hopefully this will work out to your advantage so you won't be out of pocket.

[Rac20]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

I would now ask them specifically if you can use the voucher for the new booking. If they refuse, ask why as you feel you are now being forced to pay inflated prices for the booking through no fault of yours. I feel they should be trying hard to keep customers happy so they do not lose repeat customer bookings. Hopefully this will work out to your advantage so you won't be out of pocket.

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I’ve tried that already. I rang again at 18:25 and an agent said they would look for accommodation for me and ring me back within the hour. What a surprise they haven’t.

I’ve found accommodation on homeaway but it doesn’t have any reviews. It’s nowhere near as good as our original booking. I’m torn between just telling Airbnb to forget it and just give me a refund but worried this new accommodation won’t work out either. Plus it’s the principle of the matter. I have never been as fed up ever about a holiday.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by Rac20

I’ve tried that already. I rang again at 18:25 and an agent said they would look for accommodation for me and ring me back within the hour. What a surprise they haven’t.

I’ve found accommodation on homeaway but it doesn’t have any reviews. It’s nowhere near as good as our original booking. I’m torn between just telling Airbnb to forget it and just give me a refund but worried this new accommodation won’t work out either. Plus it’s the principle of the matter. I have never been as fed up ever about a holiday.

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I can only imagine how frustrating and disappointing this must be. Airbnb should have found a suitable alternative for you and given you compensation. I do hope they help you and you can feel more optimistic about your trip soon x

[Rac20]

Today I received a message from Airbnb saying they have given me a voucher worth £1,135. Plus $100 experience voucher.

I noticed they had refunded my credit card a couple of days ago.

I’m still not happy with the way the whole situation has been dealt with. Communication has been shocking. They haven’t done a single thing to help us find alternative accommodation (even though apparently there is this ‘fund’ set up to help people affected by the new law). We now have had to book a property that is nowhere near as nice in a location nowhere near anywhere and definitely not near Disney. I was told by at least two Airbnb operators that they would find accommodation for us and they haven’t.

So if anyone asks whether I would recommend Airbnb. The answer has got to be no.

I’m drawing a line under it now and looking forward to getting ready for my holiday! Thanks all for your support. X