Did I make a mistake?

Today, I got an inquiry about a date and I replied. I got a message from air bnb asking if I wanted to preapprove and I said yes, and then, I think it asked if I wanted to block the dates for the guy, and I said yes.

That was this morning. It is now late afternoon, and I haven’t heard from him and I am regretting blocking those dates. He might not even book it…

So what do I do now?

Does the guy know I blocked those dates for him? Can I remove the block and if I remove the block, will I offend the guy or won’t he have any idea?

You can go back into your calendar and manually unblock those days.

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You can do as @Ritz3 suggested and/or send him a message asking if he really wants the days or was he just fishing around?

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ah, damned enquiries!

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It’s not necessarily a mistake to block dates for someone.

With an inquiry for a longer booking I’ll block the dates so they can’t be “stolen” by an Instant Book while they’re sorting things out. If it’s just a 2-day stay (as most of mine are) I’ll pre-approve but leave the dates open.

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Not sure I would pre-approve based on an Inquiry. That’s someone doing a “lookee-loo” waiting to see if he can line up something better. If their serious they’ll Request to Book.

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I NEVER block dates for anyone, not EVER. Been burned doing that a few times when they either didn’t book at all or ended up messing me about , perhaps thinking that as I was so amenable to holding dates for them I’d do all kinds of favours. So, no more. If you’re not organised or committed enough to make a booking properly, that’s tough!

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I also no longer block the dates. Learned early on that it was a bad idea to do so!

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I just went back and looked at my calendar, and those dates are showing available, so the guy must have booked somewhere else.

I have learned my lesson! I will never block dates again…

Thanks for the advice.

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Good stuff! Honestly, it is rarely worth it. In fact, it’s never worth it. I’ve even got to the point where I’m reluctant to even block dates for family visiting… they often cancel on me!! And are the messiest guests ever lol!

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I’m exactly the same - no blocking ever.

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Don’t ever block your dates for people. First come first served, you might even get a better booking.

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The only people I block for are the childre/grandchildren … and this year they messed us about so much that I’ve taken an uncharecteristic firm stand and said I will ONLY block the dates next year when they’ve actually booked a flight!

and ain’t that the truth!

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I love this forum! Thanks for helping a newbie.

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Preapprovals expire after 24 hours. When they expire blocked days become available again. Pre-approving and blocking days equates to giving them 24 hours to decide.

Some times I block the dates; sometimes I don’t. It depends on the length of the reservation (long ones - yes block) and time of year (peak season probably not block)

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Preapprovals are handy if the prospective guest is a newbie and you feel confident that they would be a good fit. It’s a welcoming gesture that is an encouragement to book. It’s also handy if you really want their business.

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And BTW, if you think you made a “mistake”, believe me, it happens all the time! This forum is how I learned to manage the doozies. Keep coming back!

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Even though I’ve been doing this for over 5 years now, many of my family & friends STILL don’t get it. They always want to come at a weekend in peak times and say things like ‘oh we’ll only come if you haven’t got a booking - we don’t want you to be out of pocket’.
I’ve tried to explain that I’m ALWAYS booked at weekends and the only way I “won’t have a booking” is if I block the damned dates off. And yes, that DOES mean I’m out of pocket! But apparently it’s a concept that’s completely beyond them :frowning:

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Had a doctor booked in and was supposed to leave at 10, turned up at 11 and he is still fully in residence…next guest at 1! I had confirmed last week that this Dr would be out by 10 to ensure it was ready. Ring the hospital to talk to the booking clerk…they send him back to get his stuff. Doesn’t show until 11-45. He is hanging around and TWENTY FIVE MINUTES later he asked if WE had finished cleaning and if he could go back in. Did not get that there was a new guest on their way and his time was finished. His issue was that his plane didn’t leave until 4-30 and he wanted to relax(!!!)
This place takes an hour fifteen to clean with 2 of us and we were running!

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I don’t very often get firm about departure times unless there is another guest, or I can’t bear another minute.

I knew this week was going to be tight so I messaged them in advance. Well this week all 3 of them wanted to extend on the biggest weekend of the year! I guess it’s a compliment, but I am not sleeping in a tent!

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