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We just had a guest abrupt leave within an hour of checking in. We have 2 guestrooms in our home, which is quite homey and our 100+ guests have all enjoyed their stay (with a few minor critiques).
This was his message about 30 minutes after we heard him walk out the front door:
“Ya just not a good fit for me. It was like 90 degrees in that tiny room I wouldn’t have been able to sleep in there, I couldn’t use my laptop because you only had prongs in that one outlet I need my laptop to do my job and I’m a bit confused on the parking that went to another guest when you only advertise room for 1 person on Airbnb, and finally you went to get me a key and instead of bringing to me you went and Socialized and never said anything to me about it. keep your money for tonight and give me back for tomorrow”
This was my response:
“Sorry to hear that. Yes, we are having unseasonably humid and warm weather. I offered you a window fan but you refused. The listing specifically says it’s a “small room for 1 person” and there are pictures. We have 3-prong plug adaptors and there’s one in the room. We have 2 listings and plenty of street and off-street parking. I offered you the driveway but you declined. I did forget to go back upstairs to give you a key to our home. I was giving you time to settle in. Worst case scenario, I would’ve given you a key in the morning. I was not “socializing” but instead talking to my partner and your co-host Christopher. We heard someone come downstaors and go outside, but you did not come into the kitchen and ask us any of this. I will add that your arrival was 8 hours later than originally planned. Although we went back and forth considerably about your arrival time, we cannot sit around around waiting for guests to arrive. We do not have a fixed check-in time for that very reason, but we can only be so flexible as we both have jobs. I will honor our flexible cancellation policy.”
Good riddance. Review, but do it at the last second. This guest was difficult to host and not a fit, despite our best efforts to accommodate. Don’t review yet, though… wait until the last second.
He continued to message us this mornng complaining about the parking. He seems to claim we gave his parking space to another guest. We make no guarantees we have off-street parking for eveyone and we specifically say we have on and off-street parking. Even I need to park in the street sometimes! It’s basically on a first-come-first-served basis.
I said on the other thread about parking that I thought he was a weirdo. I will add here that I wonder if he is a homophobe. His reaction is so out of proportion that it seems like the most logical explanation. He didn’t read between the lines in your listing. He came in freaked out and left.
Sounds like a complete and TOTALLY unreasonable to me. Given you have other guests in the other room, be glad he is gone, your other guests are not infected with his toxicity and consider reporting his conduct to Airbnb in an attempt to block him from leaving a false review. Make sure he cancels and not you.
I had 2 girls come once and do a similar thing on the 2nd day of their 2 month stay and called Airbnb who were great and gave them a blast for their lies and BS. I got paid for 6 of their 8 weeks and they weren’t allowed to review me. I rebooked most of that 2 months & bought a ticket to US for my Xmas holiday. Some can be a blessing in disguise.
That’s what I wondered. Being a shared arrangement, there’s a degree of comfort level needed to stay with strangers. We give all the privacy our home will accommodate, and most interaction is limited to check-in, bathroom planning, and sometimes dinner together. For the most part, sometimes we don’t even see our guests after check-in. Airbnb is not for everyone.
If he engages further in a hostile manner I’ll make a call to Airbnb. I got the auto-message to leave him a review, but I won’t. I have nothing nice to say.
Please leave an honest review. His behavior was irrational and as you said Airbnb is not for everyone. One way to cull people like this from the platform is via reviews.
I have friends who said not to leave a poor review, because their thinking is it would reflect poorly on me. I told them I disagreed, and I feel the way you do - this is peer review process that relies on honest reviews. Maybe I will but I will be as a emotionless as possible and keep it short.
Yes. And there’s no reason to get emotional. It just wasn’t a good fit and you probably dodged a bullet not having to host him. And if he leaves a review and you don’t you’re going to regret it. If he rants about parking that will just help other guests understand the parking situation at your home. @stucker’s suggestions on the parking thread were excellent.
A factual review does not reflect poorly on you, it shows you are a responsible host. It drives me batty to see people post here that they aren’t going to leave a review. That’s how hosts get stuck with poor guests who say they have used Airbnb before but they have no reviews!
Please call Airbnb and start a case file and if the guest does not cancel, at which point you would not be able, write a review. Please be honest and factual. As stated before it helps all of the community! Should the guest write an inaccurate review you will be able to discuss it with Airbnb and perhaps get it taken down. They will look at your listing as it was when the individual made the reservation and assess the complaint. We have had one/two inaccurate reviews removed. Good luck!
I had a couple abruptly leave a couple of weeks ago. Elderly, new to Airbnb. I don’t know why they left, I only had a text that they had changed their plans. The lady blanked me and stayed sitting in the car on arrival, and her husband had to shout at her to get out and say ‘hello’. Her behaviour was a little odd, requesting the heating be put on constant, despite it being a warm balmy day, I agreed, I work with elderly people and they feel the cold, I explained everything and left them to settle in. 2 hours later I noticed they had gone out, and then I got a text. Payment has gone through, they have not reviewed me, I can hardly review them, as they were only here 5 mins! I can only think the accommodation was less than their expectations or that she is a little unwell, and took against it. New guests arriving tomorrow and paranoid!!!
Oh, sorry, it means she ignored me. I feel for Josiah, because he had such a nasty experience and reaction from the guest, I am just bewildered. We are in a tourist area though, and when I did b&b we would have people phone to book, and they would find somewhere else before they had arrived and before paying, so in the end I wouldn’t take bookings. I wouldn’t do airbnb or let if I didn’t have to, people’s expectations are so different. It’s a rollercoaster.
I think some people, especially newer users, don’t always know what to expect. Airbnb host locations are just as diverse as the people traveling. In the end, he simply left, albeit with a snarky private message. He hasn’t left a review, which he said he wouldn’t, but we’re still within the 14-day period. I don’t plan to leave him one. His lack of review will impact my review response rating, but I’d prefer that than a nasty review, especially about things I could not control or anticipate. None of my Airbnb travel experiences have been perfect - there’s always something I could critique, but most are just first world problems and I need to keep my American expectations in check. Airbnb isn’t for everyone, even some of the people who use it - guests and hosts.
Do you know what ghosted means? I only found that out when a boyfriend did it to me from Dr Google my sister said it was so obvious he was gay as he had the same pink fluffy poof as my then cushions. Made me feel better.
and TOTALLY unreasonable to me. Given you have other guests in the other room, be glad he is gone, your other guests are not infected with his toxicity and consider reporting his conduct to Airbnb in an attempt to block him from leaving a false review. Make sure he cancels and not you.
means? I only found that out when a boyfriend did it to me from Dr Google 