Shocking Airbnb Ban: A Decade-Long User's Account Vanish Without Explanation

A Decade of Trust, Gone in an Instant

I've been an Airbnb user for nearly a decade, with over 40 stays and positive reviews. Recently, Airbnb abruptly removed my account, citing a vague "possible violation" of its Terms of Service.

I appealed, but the company doubled down, banning me for life without explanation. I'm baffled. What could I have done to warrant this? All I want is my account reinstated. Can you help me? — Kevin Donovan, Reno, Nev.

The Importance of Transparency in Customer Service

Airbnb owes you—and all of its customers—transparency. Terminating an account without a clear explanation isn't just poor customer service; it undermines trust.

Airbnb’s Terms of Service require users to follow its rules. If your account truly violated its policies, the company should have detailed the specific offense, provided evidence, and offered a meaningful appeals process.

The Flawed Appeals Process

Airbnb didn't do any of those things except offer you a path to appeal. You did, politely asking Airbnb to detail the nature of your offense. Instead, Airbnb sent you a vague reply denying you reinstatement again.

"We want to assure you that we reviewed your case thoroughly before reaching this conclusion," it assured you. "As such, we won’t be able to offer you additional support on this matter at this time."

In other words, we're done with you and we won't answer any more of your questions.

So what did you do? Airbnb’s Help Center vaguely warns that accounts may be removed for "safety risks, fraudulent activity, or legal compliance." I asked you about any possible violations, but drew a blank. It looks like you were a model customer, and a repeat one at that.

The Role of Automation and AI in Account Bans

Platforms like Airbnb use a lot of automation and artificial intelligence to flag potentially fraudulent activity, and I began to suspect that your case fell into that category. There may be someone else with your name out there who violated Airbnb's Terms of Service, but it definitely wasn't you. Airbnb had obviously made a mistake.

A few years ago, my advocacy team was flooded with erroneous bans from Airbnb users. The company implemented new measures, including a more formal appeals process, that vastly reduced the number of false positives. Apparently, it still has some work to do.

A brief, polite email to one of the executive contacts at Airbnb might have helped you get around this erroneous ban. I publish their names, numbers and email addresses on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

Resolution and Ongoing Issues

I contacted Airbnb on your behalf. While the company quickly reinstated your account, it still hasn’t explained your ban. That’s unacceptable. Airbnb needs to explain why it removed your account by mistake and what it has done to prevent this from happening again to you, and other good Airbnb users.

I'm still waiting.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.