Trip notifications
When a guest submits a request to book or to modify a trip, Turo sends the host a message and notifies the guest of the host’s response. Both also receive a notification on their Trips tab. Guests can read more about booking a car and making changes to a trip. Hosts can read more about responding to trip requests and modifications.
Turo also notifies guests and hosts about other account and trip activity, such as:
- Upcoming trip start and end times
- Trip cancellations
- Reminders to extend a trip
- Reminders to refuel and clean a car before returning it
Getting in touch with a host before booking a trip
Currently, we don’t have a way for guests to contact hosts without making a committed trip request. If a guest’s trip depends on the host’s response to a question, they can:
- Request to book a car by clicking the “Book this trip” button. That means inputting trip dates, selecting a protection plan, and agreeing to the trip cost. Submitting a trip request means the trip will be booked and the guest charged if the host accepts the request.
- We recommend that guests DO NOT use “Book Instantly” if they need to ask questions before deciding whether to book a trip. That’s because a “Book Instantly” trip books as soon as the request is submitted, with no time for the host to respond to a question.
- Contact the host via Turo messaging with their question and a note: “Please don’t accept my trip request until you answer my questions!”
- If the host accepts the trip request without answering the guest’s question or the host’s response is not the response the guest needs, the guest may cancel the trip and receive a full refund. The guest will need to cancel the trip, then contact Customer Support for assistance with any refunds.
Turo messaging
Use Turo messaging for:
- questions about and instructions regarding pick-up and drop off
- car features
- reminders about trip start and end times
- directions
While hosts and guests are welcome to communicate informally in messaging about trip modifications (new pick-up or drop off times or locations), these kinds of changes must be made via Turo. If not, the Turo system won’t have a record of the change, and we may charge guests or hosts related fees.
We recommend that all communication between hosts and guests take place in Turo messaging. In the event of a dispute between hosts and guests, Customer Support agents may refer to messaging in order to validate any issues.
Turo expects hosts and guests to communicate respectfully. Failure to do so is a violation of our Community guidelines and could be grounds for removal from Turo.
Unresponsive hosts for upcoming trips
We ask hosts to respond to guest messages as fast as they can; however, we do suggest giving a host a day or two to respond. Give them a little longer (at least three days) if the question is about a trip that’s more than a week away. We advise guests to check the vehicle listing since the information they need may be there.
If a host is unresponsive via Turo messaging after three days, a guest can try texting or calling. A host’s phone number is displayed in the “Trip Details” section of a trip once it’s booked.
Canceling a trip if a host is unresponsive
If a guest has given their host ample time to respond and hasn’t heard back, they may cancel the trip by contacting support.turo.com. The support agent will first try to reach the host. If the host doesn’t respond to the agent within a set period of time, we’ll cancel the trip with no penalty to the guest.
Guests who are unable to wait for a support agent to cancel their trip may do so on their own; however, it’ll take longer for them to receive their refund. Guests should choose the cancellation reason “My host is not responding.” When they do, a support agent will be alerted and will contact the guest within 48 hours.