Guest cancels after checking in

I had a couple coming in for two weeks but two hours after checking in,they notified me that they had already checked out again because there was not enough room in the closet and the terrace access was too difficult for them. They wanted all their money back but Air B+B(via the app) said they’d only get half. From then on,they found various ridiculous things to complain about but sadly one detail where they were correct(they had taken loads of photos during their 2 hours in the flat!) was a canopy which was on the website pictures and had blown away in a storm and not yet been replaced…and apparently,because I had thus made “false promises” I have had to refund the second half of their payment!
Is this possible…one inaccurate photo having such a result? Could she sue Air B+B for this or were they just getting fed up with the situation?!?

Of course it’s possible. Airbnb almost always decides in favor of the guest. Could this guest sue Airbnb? Well, anyone can apparently sue just about anyone, at least in the US, so of course she could sue. But why would she? She got what she wanted: a refund.

You won’t ever know exactly why she wanted a refund. Because of the reasons she cited to Airbnb or something else? It doesn’t matter. She got what she was after.

And yes, most definitely make sure that every photo is accurate. Don’t give anyone any ammunition to use against you.

1 Like

However, you can be confident that it had nothing to do with your listing. Cancelling immediately, taking so many photos, and repeatedly contacting Airbnb for a refund is an indication that the guest wanted out of this reservation long before check-in and was looking for an excuse to get a full refund. This guest has been doing research on how to get a full refund from Airbnb.

You will get to review the guest and I hope you leave a review that warns future hosts. Get some feedback here before you submit your review to ensure it doesn’t violate Airbnb’s review guidelines where it would be removed.

6 Likes

@Cillikugel It can sometimes happen that an amenity or something else offered or shown in photos in your listing becomes unavailable between the time the guest booked and their booking dates. In that case, you should message the guest ASAP to explain, giving them an opportunity to cancel if that means they don’t want to stay. That way, you’ll have a paper trail if they say, “Oh, that’s no big deal to us, we still want to stay.” And if it means they want to cancel, then it will free up your calendar to hopefully get another booking for those dates.

And you can also offer a small discount for something that might be missing or no longer available. Better for a host to get out ahead of things like this than wait for a guest to complain.

I’m sorry this happened to you and as others said, it would appear that these guests were savvy about getting a refund and were just looking for excuses to do so. Guests who would do this over a canopy that blew away are jerks.

5 Likes

Good idea…thanks!
I suspect the missing canopy was only thought of because all else failed!

1 Like

Ugh, I’ve had this happen more than once. As others have stated, it appears your guest had an agenda from the outset. It is tragically sad what some people will do and say to ensure a 100% refund. I have come to realize that some people have no integrity whatsoever and can sell their souls for a few shekels. Pathetic.