Storytime! Here's the story of how @Airbnb refuses to refund me over $1500 dollars for my sister's bachelorette trip to Austin that was supposed to take place April 16th - 19th. (1/????)

(2/?) On March 19th, I contacted our @Airbnb host, Darian, saying that we were canceling our reservation because bars and restaurants in #Austin had put a capacity limit on the # of people who could be there, dramatically impacting our travel plans.

(3/?) My host responded saying that I should consider rescheduling instead of canceling. She also sent me a screenshot of a #Texas IG account sharing that GOOD NEWS - Austin was *delivering* alcohol and toilet paper. You know, in case we still wanted to make the trip.

(4/?) I said rescheduling would be impossible to do at the moment as the bride, and most of her bridal party are #nurses nurses in NYC. Furthermore, the wedding itself was probably going to be canceled. I said I wanted a refund and got no response. @Airbnb

(5/?) On 3/24, I request to cancel my trip due to #COVID-19 concerns and reasons. Again, our party was traveling from #NYC and #LA to #Austin, at the time, all 3 cities were in lockdown. However, my host denied it. I messaged her to ask why.

(6/?) She responded on 3/25 claiming she did not deny my cancellation, which is odd considering the screenshot I’m sharing. She then encouraged me to try and cancel again.

(7/?) However, when I *tried* to cancel again, I could not select #COVID-19 as the reason, because that reason has already been denied. Canceling due to any other reason would give me a partial refund.

(8/?) On 3/27 I cancel anyway. Had I *not* the remaining balance for the @Airbnb would have been charged to my credit card a few days later. I should also note that at this time, all messaging on their site was unclear and confusing.

(9/?) On 3/28 The host continued to feign ignorance and told me to file an Extenuating Circumstances Claim with @Airbnb. It was at this point that I assumed I would get a full-refund regardless due to Air Bnb’s general cancellation policy of "full-refund before 2 weeks".

(10/?) On 4/20, I contacted @Airbnb support because I hadn’t received my refund. I was told by an Air Bnb Community Expert that a refund had already been issued to me (!) and I should contact my bank. Hooray!

(11/?) However...I was actually on the phone with my bank at that time and they verified that a refund had *not* been issued. The Community Expert bowed out and forwarded me to @Airbnb support.

(12/?) Surprise! According to my @Airbnb case manager I *did not* receive a refund. According to them, “Your refund for this cancellation was mediated according to the host's cancellation policy, which dictates that you are eligible for a 50% refund without fees.”

(13/?) Since the reservation total was divided into 2 parts and you only paid half, the refund won't happen because the 50% that would be refunded is the payment you haven't made yet. In this case, what happened was your next payment being suspended.

(14/?) Okay, I get it. There was a strict cancelation policy on our @Airbnb. Normally, I wouldn't persist...*except" there’s a national pandemic ravaging the cities we’re traveling to and from!

(15/?) @Airbnb says because I didn’t refund with #COVID19 as the reason (remember, a couple tweets ago that my host denied it), they did not process the refund accordingly and I would need to provide documentation that my trip was effected by COVID...

(16/?) So I did! I provided this link: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/covid-19-information/stay-home-order stating that a Stay at Home order was in place in #Austin until 5/8, closing all non-essential businesses and prohibits non-essential travel.

(17/?) @Airbnb says, "haha! nice try, but those restrictions were in place *after* you canceled! No refund for you!" Okay, okay, sure, but I'm not going down without a fight...

(18/?) I sent @Airbnb legal, timestamped information that by 3/20, the city had prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people and by 3/24 the Stay at Home order had been issued: https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/document_96DEBEEC-E581-05E0-8A3D444404948A84.pdf Remember, I canceled on 3/27...two days after!

(19/?) It was then that @AirBnb told me that, "Well...when you canceled this reservation on the 3/27, it was not covered by our *Extenuating Circumstances Policy*, which went into effect on 3/30." They then encouraged me to contact the host for a refund!

(20/?) Now, like me, you may be wondering…Since @Airbn knew the date of my cancellation, why didn't they just *say* that I wasn’t qualified for a refund, instead of making me search for legal documentation on the internet?

(21/?) I asked @Airbnb as much and they said, "Whoopsie! We didn't take note of your cancellation date till now. " At this point, I did contact the host again, who told me that she would not issue me a refund, but instead, would offer me a *discount* if I were to reschedule!

(22/?) So basically, because I canceled three days too early - my cancellation is not covered under their Extenuating Circumstances Policy and @Airbnb is not refunding me, along with several #NYC #nurses over 1500 dollars.

(23/?) But don’t worry! I can get a discount if I reschedule with my lovely host. @Airbnb I know you're struggling right now, but seriously do better.