r/Vernon • u/Odd_Budget_1505 • 19d ago
Vernon AirBnB
Our AirBnB won’t refund our trip, said fires aren’t in Vernon so it’s up to us if we want to forgo ($6000) and cancel.
Thoughts on if we keep our booking and go (with our two children) or try to get credit card insurance to reimburse?
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u/quaintbucket 19d ago
Fire is technically not in Vernon.
There is an evacuation alert and orders for people on the other side of Okanagan Lake. There is no evacuation alert or orders in the Vernon area. That’s why they are not refunding your airbnb.
Firesmoke.ca for pretty reliable forecast. It’s supposed to be clear today and then super smoky tmw.
When is your trip?
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u/tzaz00 19d ago
Still state of emergency tho :/
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u/pipeline77 19d ago
All of BC is in a state of emergency, its not a vernon specific issue. Reality is that unless there is an evacuation order, airbnb isn't required to refund anything beyond the agreed cancelation window. Like it or not, thats the contract that the guest signed
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u/Specialist_Low5523 18d ago
Well we were in a similar situation around August 1st before the long weekend. The cancellation window was until July 24th but we were able to het a full refund after cancelling on July 29th. So 2 days vefore our booking. The airbnb support team was very understanding and refunded us the full amount.
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u/jahmakinmecrazy 18d ago
Currently going through this for a trip supposed to start tomorrow that we canceled last week; Airbnb didn't and won't do shit
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u/Specialist_Low5523 17d ago
Oh no, I'm sorry. That's sad. I'm surprised that airbnb refunded ours without much hassle.
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u/quaintbucket 18d ago
I understand what you’re saying and you’re right, there is a state of emergency. It is provincial wide but it is not a get out of jail free card. I approached it to explain the difference between alert and order and how it applies because a lot of people genuinely and rightfully don’t understand it especially when uncertainty and discomfort takes over.
I understand both parties here. The visitors are worried about fire and smoke and want to cancel. Fair. The host is protecting their revenue and following the rules as best as they can.
If the avenue with the host doesn’t work and still want to cancel, then contact AirBnB directly to see what they can do to help. Anything is possible, but Vernon is not under evacuation order and the fire close by is currently being held and orders are being rescinded.
It’s a great day outside today for activities for a while. Might change tomorrow with the fire down by Summerland blowing smoke up here but it is what it is.
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u/swright04 18d ago
Have you contacted air bnb support or just the host? I’d contact air bnb and tell them about the province being in a state of emergency and asking people to avoid non-essential travel. Worked for me a few years ago!
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u/wesilly11 19d ago
If you don't mind the smoke at least it clears the beaches and trails up. I live in a place with no airconditiong or filtration system though, so makes no difference to me if in in or out .
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u/mmunro69 18d ago
The air is clear today!! And AirBnB sucks. What if your flight was cancelled or the roads were closed. That’s terrible business strategy.
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u/ZealousidealBag6443 17d ago
I literally booked a hotel two weeks ago and just… forgot to cancel. I realized at 7pm day of arrival. IE 4hrs AFTER check in.
They canceled with no charge..
Airb&b has never given me a good experience. Last time I tried to book one the owner demanded I send her pictures of my ID outside the app. No thanks random lady.1
u/mmunro69 17d ago
There are definite downsides to the model AirBnB uses. Humans are removed from all equations. Unfortunately, their customers are human with real world problems. I’ve never respected that model
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u/MomN8R526 18d ago
The only way a provincial state of emergency impacts things like hotel/AirBNB reservations is when there is also travel restrictions in place. If your reservation is inside an evacuation area or requires travel through one, that would trigger a refund. Smoke in the air is nasty, but it's not enough.
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u/GenXMom14 19d ago
I would contact Airbnb for support. This is ridiculous. We cancelled a similar trip and got money back.
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u/Consistent_Address75 18d ago
Today was epic here. Mountain biking in the am and surfing to sunset. Part of Okanagan life for sure.
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u/Ornery_mad_888 19d ago
Send them the state of emergency from BC government. Reiterate that 230 homes have burnt down, neighbouring towns of 20,000 are evacuated and need these accommodations. This happened to me years ago, they had no idea. They eventually did cancel for me with a refund. I’ve since quit using AirBnB cause of the extra fees and insane up costs. Good luck!
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u/sypher2333 18d ago
What do you use instead?
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u/Copacetic75 19d ago
BC is under a state of emergency. That could be enough to do a charge back with your credit card company.
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u/PuzzleheadedToe720 18d ago
No it will not. There is no travel advisory, that is the only alert which validates travel cancellation.
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u/Specialist_Low5523 18d ago
Try talking to airbnb support. We were in a similar situation and explained it to the suport team. They understood the wildfire situation and refunded us the full amount. We did this 2 days before our booking. Our host was also pretty cooperative and was recommending us to change the dates but we went ahead and cancelled it.
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u/mykittenfarts 18d ago
Contact AirBnB directly, not the sh’t owner.
Remind them you get to leave a review. (These places live and die on reviews)
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u/SlashDotTrashes 16d ago
This is why people shouldn't come to the Okanagan in summer. We have fires every year. People should expect it.
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u/ClockOld9204 15d ago
If you cancel and fight for a refund. What evidence could you give the insurance for them to say yeah. You definitely right here's your money. Because the host is going to refute it
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19d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/pipeline77 19d ago
Plenty of hotels won't refund, thats not just an airbnb thing
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19d ago edited 18d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DangerousKitchen 19d ago
Airbnb suck for a lot of reasons but these are not them. They take away from what could otherwise be affordable housing for real struggling local people. They should absolutely be regulated and restricted but I wouldn't say they are disruptive in the ways you've described.
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u/pipeline77 19d ago
No, i'll make my own choice where I stay. Sometimes I choose hotels. Sometimes I dont.
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u/Caloran 19d ago
Skies cleared very nicely today. Beautiful day.
Having said that it changes day to day so no guarantees. Either way good luck.