Am I being petty?

41

lol when an ex is called david, i cant take it seriously. haha

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42

I was actually going to ask if that was an ex’s name…lol. I bet I spooked you for a minute there :slight_smile:

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43

This sounds kind of familiar. :slight_smile:

My first and third guests (they came back for a repeat visit) weren’t what you would call great communicators, and on their second visit said they’d turn up at 10 pm. They didn’t ask if it that was Ok. I can’t remember if at that point I had already written what I have now, namely that check in was between 4 pm and 9 pm. In fact, they turned up at exactly 1 am. There was zero communication with them in between, and I sent them a text message they didn’t reply to. And they didn’t even really apologize, either. It was a bit irritating.

Additionally, they did this weird thing of leaving the remains of food in plates by the kitchen sink. That’s a really bad idea in India - just an invitation to vermin. You should at least scrape the remains in the garbage bin, and rinse out the plates. Does one really need to tell an adult this?

Regardless, I didn’t mention any of this in the review, though I did take off one star for communication. Personally, I think they deserved a lower score. Overall they were Ok guests, though they were the only ones in 6 reviews so far not to give me all 5 stars…

Anyway, the upshot is that I think bad reviews are probably best reserved for the Really Bad Stuff. When that happens, I think you’d know it.

And I’m not sure that it’s a good thing to mention in the private feedback either. It’s best bought up in person, I think. But in this case I didn’t. If it isn’t extreme stuff, it’s easier just to let it slide.

44

Well at least deduct a lot of stars for cleanliness on the review so they cannot instant book.

And if they left dirty dishes on the table, I would certainly mention it in the review.
We as a host have to be perfect, if there is something like a breadcrumb on te floor we get slammed for it.

I always mention things like this.

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45

I already wrote review. I ddint mention it :open_mouth: But i ddi mark them down on cleanliness.
I never realised that guests couldnt use ib if they got marked down on stars??

46

There is a new system, it has mentioned before on this forum.

Some hosts can set a minimum 4,5 star rating for guests to use IB.

47

I assume you mean you “did” mark them down. What did you give them? I didn’t bring it up with my guests, so I didn’t feel I could reasonably mention it in my review. But I do have in my house rules now that leaving food lying around is not Ok. It should be scraped into the bin and rinsed out. And in the future I’ll definitely bring it up with guests if they violate this. This is probably a dumb question, but leaving the remains of food lying around near the kitchen sink is a cleanliness violation, right? Just seeking confirmation.

In general, I think doing the following is reasonable. State policies in house rules. If guests violate it, point it out to them, in writing, through the Airbnb system (so it’s recorded). If they respond in a reasonable way and don’t do it again, don’t mention it in a review. If they don’t respond in a reasonable way and/or repeat the offense, definitely mention it. Does that sound Ok?

48

That’s Interesting!!

49

No I don’t agree. A rule is a rule. They were supposed to agree to them when they booked. If they didn’t read it why should you go around enforcing them!

You should not have to follow them around like a nanny pointing out rules to them. It’s awkward and makes you, the host, uncomfortable.

If they break a house rule and it’s enough to bother you, you are within your rights to mention it. Either in the review or in private feedback.

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50

Hi @konacoconutz,

So, you don’t think you need to mention it to them first, before mentioning in a review? Fair enough, I guess.

51

No, not necessarily. If it is something blatant like partying or bringing an extra guest, then yes, that calls for interaction. Anything else? Not really.

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52

Actually, I see that my house rules on the listing do not mention that guests should not leave food lying around. The version I send out by email after they have booked does. Should I mention it in the version in my listing? It’s seems a bit overly specific.

53

Thank you for correcting me. I was typing with one eye open as just awake :wink:

Yes you assumed right.

If it’s in your rules, then yes they’re breaking them. If theyre staying a long time then nip it in the bud quickly by saying to them. My guests were one nighter’s, so I didnt get the chance to point it out, and any way as Kona said, it’s not up to us to run around pointing out rules to them. They agreed to the rules when booking.

54

I’ve added the following to the house rules on my listing. Does this look Ok? Comments welcome.

Please make sure not to leave dirty dishes / partially eaten food lying around - this attracts vermin. Please scrape uneaten food into the rubbish bin in the kitchen, rinse out the utensils, and leave them in the kitchen sink. We will put them away.

55

That’s fine :slight_smile:

56

Thanks for the feedback, @sunshine1.

57

Ummmm, Faheem! No. Please don’t mention vermin. Do you know that that’s instant refund to the guest? Vermin on site.

Don’t word it that way. It somehow implies that you already have done this and have seen vermin? Don’t plant the image of vermin. Make it short and sweet. Just say… “Please keep kitchen clean and wrap up leftover food tightly and dispose of in trash bins. Thank you.”

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58

Kona makes a good point. Just the word vermin in a listing would turn me off, but I hadn’t thought about the automatic refund. I’m curious; do the hosts who require guests to clean their dishes right away do so themselves? I always clean the dishes immediately after every meal, but most of my friends think this is weird. I think that maybe guests are getting mixed messages if the rules state that they are to clean dishes immediately, but they see the host’s dirty dishes lying around.

59

Hi @konacoconutz,

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve changed it to:

Please keep the kitchen clean, wrap up leftover food tightly, and dispose of it in the kitchen rubbish bin. Thank you.

I don’t know about automatic refund. You mean if a guest says he saw vermin (though that’s a pretty loose term) then he gets an automatic refund? And no proof is required?

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60

Yes… Rats, mice etc… Look it up.