Title: Host Denies Full Refund on $2,000 Booking Made by Mistake More Than a Year in Advance

A Community Discussion on Fairness and Policy in Long-Term Booking Mistakes

Content:
While traveling and needing a place on short notice in London, I inadvertently made a booking more than a year in advance. During the search, the calendar appeared to jump to 2023, and I suspect the listing was already booked for a period, causing the calendar to default to October 2023. Regardless of the cause, I discovered four days after making the reservation that the dates were for more than 12 months out.

I contacted the host to explain the mistake and requested a full refund. The host responded, “We don’t bend policy. You should stay for the dates you booked,” referring to the platform’s cancellation policy, which is labeled as “Strict,” meaning no refunds or exceptions beyond what the policy allows. In this case, only a 50% refund was offered.

On a $2,000 booking, a 50% refund effectively means the host retains $1,000 for a mistake that occurred well in advance. I then reached out to Airbnb support. In my experience, support offered little assistance beyond asking the host to provide a full refund, which the host declined.

While I acknowledge it was my responsibility to verify dates, I question whether it is reasonable for a host to deny a full refund on a booking made more than a year prior. Is it appropriate for a host to effectively keep $1,000 in such circumstances, or should there be more flexibility in situations involving long-range bookings made in error?

I’d appreciate thoughts and perspectives from the community on this topic. How would you handle a similar situation, and what are your views on policy and fairness in cases of accidental long-term bookings?