While there are many different vacation home rental platforms online today, Airbnb and HomeAway are two of the biggest industry players. With millions of users and listings between the two of them, there is a very good chance that if you are going to list your home you will be listing it on either one of the two or even both.
In fact, vacation rental homeowners who want maximum exposure for their properties tend to list them across multiple platforms to attract more possible guests. Do all these homeowners and guest get help when they contact Airbnb or HomeAway customers service departments?
That is as valid a question as can be. Airbnb alone has about 150 million users every month. According to their own statistics on any given night, there are about 2 million guests staying at an Airbnb. With over 6 million listings and counting across 191 countries, it’s safe to say that Airbnb’s customer support department has quite a bit on their hands.
Are HomeAway and Airbnb Customer Service Departments Helpful?
Ask yourself this: how often do you see complaints from homeowners that Airbnb and HomeAway customer service departments are not responsive? There is a good chance that you haven’t seen any such complaints. That’s mostly because these departments are highly responsive and very helpful. It is true that you will see complaints about some hosts clashing with guests (with millions of listings and millions of stays every night, you will find some bad eggs).
However, whenever any issue is raised on social media about an Airbnb/HomeAway host or guest misbehaving, the platforms always respond almost immediately, and they always take decisive action to remedy the situation. As a homeowner with your property listed on either one or both of these platforms, this is the kind of thing you want to hear.
Let’s take a quick look at how you can contact Airbnb and HomeAway; when you should contact them and what kind of results you can expect.
Guide to Contacting Airbnb and HomeAway
Airbnb and HomeAway are service providers with millions of people depending on them every single day. As such, you would expect their contact information to be visible. True to that theory, these contact channels are highly visible on the platforms.
In fact, all you have to do is search for “Contact Airbnb”or “Contact HomeAway” and your browser will lead you directly to the respective help center pages.
Contacting Airbnb
Airbnb has a robust “Help Center” that holds the answers to almost every question you may have. The help center has prepared answers that tackle the most common issues that you might have, including:
- Payment problems
- Conflict resolution
- Security deposits
- Cancellations
- Issues appertaining to your account
- Answers about how to become a host
Within all those bits of information, you also have an option to talk to a real person on their “Contact Page.” You do, however, have to be logged in to access the contact page. Unfortunately, you won’t find an Airbnb phone number that you can call there, but you can be assisted via live chat which is just as effective.
The customer service agents have all the answers you might need about your Airbnb vacation rentals and any other issues touching on the platform and your experience with them.
There are several numbers you can use to contact Airbnb, although you won’t find them on the website, but you can get them from one of the customer service assistants or when you go through Airbnb homeowner’s forums.
One of the best toll-free numbers you can use for Airbnb is (1-855-424-7262), or you can use this one (1-415-800-5959) for local US callers. UK users can use (02033 181 111).
Despite all these numbers being available online, Airbnb prefers to be contacted through their “Contact Page.” This is the fastest way to get the kind of help you might need.
Contacting HomeAway
HomeAway, on the other hand, has a ready HomeAway phone number that you can call (1 512-782-0805). In addition to that, they also have a “Help Center” that allows you to get instant help depending on the kind of issues you may have.
You can quickly filter the kind of results you get on this page via some pertinent information such as:
- Traveler help
- Owner help
- Property manager help
This help center also has categories (featuring the most common questions you might ask), and these categories have answers to your typical questions and concerns.
However, if you can find the answers you need in these categories or just want to talk to a real person then you can call the HomeAway phone number (1 512-782-0805) or chat with one of their assistants.
When Would You Need to Contact Airbnb and HomeAway
There are very many different reasons why you might need to contact either one of these platforms. While many of these reasons fall under the “administrative” category, you know, things like:
- How to be host
- How to receive payments
- General questions about the business
There are other more pertinent reasons why you would have to contact Airbnb within 48 hours if you want to get assistance. Two of these reasons include:
When you want to make a cancelation but do not want to be penalized or lose your “Superhost”: Airbnb calls this “Extenuating Circumstances.” The process is simple. You have to check whether the reason you are canceling the reservation falls under their list of “Extenuating Circumstances” and then you have to get the required documentation, inform the guest and then contact Airbnb to file your case. You have to file this case within 14 days.
Insurance claims: Airbnb offers you insurance worth $1 million if one of their guests completely ruins your home. To qualify for this insurance claim, you would have to contact Airbnb within 48 hours and fill in all the necessary documentation needed.
The same thing applies with HomeAway; if you want to make a claim for the insurance (it’s also $1 million) you need to file it almost immediately and then wait for the process to take its course.
Both these platforms have excellent customer service departments that are ready to help as soon as you contact them. The best way to do this, however, is to use the respective “Contact Us” or “Help Center” pages as opposed to the phone numbers. This way, you won’t have to suffer the long holding time.
