A: You should have received a full refund from Airbnb. Why? Because it promised one. Check out the company’s extenuating circumstances policy published on its website, which covers your stay. Airbnb says for reservations made for stays between March 14 and June 30, 2020, “Airbnb will either refund, or issue travel credit that includes, all service fees for covered cancellations. In order to cancel under the policy, you will be required to attest to the facts of and/or provide supporting documentation for your extenuating circumstance.”

It looks as if the host was trying to persuade you to keep your reservation. That’s perfectly understandable, since allowing you to cancel would have been a total loss to your host. But Airbnb should have stepped in and processed a refund as promised.

I’ve been dealing with this issue repeatedly during the outbreak. The travel industry has its back against a wall and doesn’t want to refund tickets, rental reservations or hotel stays, even when it’s required to. And even when it promises to refund.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you offer a refund, hand over the money. If you’re required by law to do so, as airlines are, then you should not waste any time. Because the only thing worse than someone like me asking for a prompt refund is a government regulator breathing down your neck.

I publish the names, numbers and email addresses for the Airbnb managers on my consumer advocacy site, elliott.org. Before getting involved, I asked you to reach out to Airbnb in writing to give them one last chance to do the right thing. You did. An Airbnb representative contacted you and explained that you failed to follow the correct procedure to cancel your rental and required more documentation. “However, I understand there was some confusion over the initial cancellation messages, which added delays to your communications with us,” the representative said. Airbnb offered a refund of $378 and a $119 coupon to cover its service fees, which you accepted.

If you need help with a coronavirus-related refund, please contact me. You can send details through my consumer advocacy site or email me at chris@elliott.org.

Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org.