CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Steven Anderson is pretty tech-savvy. His mom? Not so much.
"Honestly, I am not good at technology," said Janice Anderson, who tried to book an Airbnb to visit her grandkids during the holidays. "I had never used Airbnb before, and honestly, I got confused."
Janice accidentally reserved a listing in Denver instead of the one she wanted near her son's home in Centennial. Time stamps provided by her credit card company show how quickly she realized her mistake.
"So, if you look at the times and do some math, [she canceled in] 47 minutes," said Steven Anderson.
The Andersons thought the Denver booking had been canceled.
"We had a great holiday. A couple days after she got home, she called me and she was just really upset, crying," said Steven.
- Denver7 Investigates' Jaclyn Allen breaks down what you should look for when booking an Airbnb
The Andersons said Airbnb had charged the full reservation amount of more than $1,300. When they contacted Airbnb, the company defended the host's nonrefundable policy.
Janice's situation highlights an issue of companies such as Airbnb allowing their hosts to set cancellation policies. While most hosts are flexible, allowing full refunds with as little as 24 hours of notice before check-in, others have much more strict policies, not allowing any refunds outside of 60 days of notice.
"So my mom was just out of luck and out $1,300," said Steven. "So I emailed you all. Just took a chance that maybe this would be something you could help with."
After Denver7 Investigates reached out to Airbnb, the company contacted Janice, saying she would get a refund as a courtesy.
In a statement to Denver7, a spokesperson wrote, "Although the guest booked a nonrefundable stay, we've fully refunded them as a goodwill gesture. On Airbnb, hosts set their own cancellation policy, which we clearly display to guests throughout the booking process. Most listings have flexible or moderate cancellation policies, so guests can easily cancel for a full refund as late as 24 hours before check-in if their plans change."
In Colorado, there are no laws that regulate cancellation fees for vacation rentals. However, in California, a new law requires hotels and short-term rentals to allow cancellations without penalty for at least 24 hours after booking, if it's made 72 hours before check-in.
"So they've taken steps to protect consumers like my mom, who simply made a mistake," said Steven.
Denver7 Investigates contacted state leaders about whether any similar measures are being considered but have not yet received a response.
When Steven's mom and dad come to visit Colorado again, they're staying in a hotel where they know they can cancel if needed.
"At the end of the day, it took the news shining a light on this for them to issue the refund, which is why I think that we need the legislature to step in and do something," said Steven.
"I'm pretty sure that without your help, they would have just kept ignoring me," said Janice. "A thousand dollars is a lot to lose, and I just thank you guys for getting involved."
