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Hi everyone, I would be glad for some assistance if at all possible. I had a guest that Airbnb canx due to me being uncomfortable that still showed up demanding accommodation. She made several untrue allegations about my husband and myself to Airbnb safety which has now concluded its investigation and the case is closed.
What is the point of cancelling a guest you feel uncomfortable with for them to still show up demanding accommodation when they have been fully refunded? Proceed to leave without paying and they then are permitted to review you. Is it now impossible to cancel guests with Airbnb. First time I have ever done so in over 6 years and luckily to date have never had a bad review but this truly was a guest from hell.
Whatâs worse is she got a nightâs accommodation on us and has now left us a review I have until Saturday to review her.
I think the best way to explain is to copy what I wish to leave on her page as follows:
I always had âinstant bookâ but later checking guestsâ previous reviews saw a few red flags. Airbnb cancelled this booking for me as I was uncomfortable. The guest was duly informed and fully reimbursed. Yet still hounded me with messages and telephone calls all of which were ignored. Showed up at my premises pounding on windows and doors demanding accommodation, whilst I was in bed sleeping. As I was alone, I admitted her and her companion to the room.
As they were leaving the next morning, my husband informed her that they hadnât paid, she told him the room was paid through Airbnb, despite knowing full well she had been cancelled by them and fully refunded. I have yet to be paid for the nightâs accommodation.
She proceeded to make ludicrous claims, to justify her actions.
Any comments on how to handle this are very gratefully received.
I want to be sympathetic but Airbnb cannot control who comes to your home after they get the address. Yes, itâs outrageous that Airbnb didnât help you but if you are going to let people in your home in this situation there are a lot more problems than just Airbnb.
I donât even know how to help you with writing a review because if I read it as a fellow host I wouldnât be able to believe it.
I also am completely shocked that you allowed this person into your home. That you did it because you were alone, makes no sense. That you were alone is all the more reason not to let them in. Why didnât you call the police to report someone yelling and banging on your door at 2AM?
If some random stranger was doing this (which this person essentially was, aside from having tried to book with you), would you just let them in to spend the night?
Iâm sorry this happened to you, but Iâm not sure what kind of help you are seeking at this point. There is nothing to âhandleâ. The situation is over and done with aside from you leaving a review and I certainly wouldnât post a review letting the public know you open your door to ranting strangers in the middle of the night.
Well, I was thinking more in terms of the hostâs future safety than them making themselves appear foolish. If she posted that, although it isnât likely, anyone could think âCool. Iâll just show up at 2AM, act like a lunatic, and sheâll let me in and give me a free stay.â Or worse- a rapist or thief.
Count your blessings that you were not harmed. There were two of them and only one of you. I agree with others, it was a mistake to let them in. Did she post a review? If so, call Airbnb and try to have it removed.
What a strange thing, Iâm sorry that you went through that. How close to the stay did these people book? Itâs strange that they had your address. Do you have it set so that they only get it once the free cancelation period is over?
Does make me sound like a lunatic alright. Just to clarify, the rooms are separate from the house and alongside our apartment, the young man who stays there called me also and said there are two women outside who canât get into their rooms it was purely in the interest of peace and quiet I admitted them at 10.40pm. This is a rural farming area in Ireland trying to get a cop could take hours.
I had cancelled them that morning, so they did have my address. I thank you for you advice and I will re-write her review.
I would not have let them in as many have stated. There behavior was scary. I did have one couple arrive and there was trouble with their verification so they showed up with it still in limbo. They were very polite and I accommodated them by accepting cash. I do see guests who never look at their Airbnb thread after the booking goes through so they probably wouldnât see a cancelation by Airbnb. Thatâs their problem, not yours.
Iâm still so angry with Airbnb first cancellation in 6 years, is it not up to them to sort out alternative accommodation not leave it with the host? They really have changed over the years and basically donât give a crap about hosts or guests. Itâs now corporate. Iâm on several other sites and can do without them and tomorrow will tell the tale. Thank you I just donât trust them now.
It sounds like guests didnt really know what was hapening. Is there a chance they didnt know their reservation was cancelled? Especialy when you ended up leting them in. That would explain all the doors and windows bangingâŚespecialy since you mentioned its in a middle of nowhere . Also the fact that they told you in a morning all was paid through Air?
Thatâs quite possible, but her cluelessness is not at all excusable. You say she hounded you with messages, yet ignored all your replies? So she is perfectly capable of using the system when she wants something, yet never checks to see if she received a message back, even if she doesnât have her notifications turned on? And if she was fully refunded, she can also see in her banking or credit card info that she was refunded.
And showing up at 2AM, even if she did have a booking, is obviously not okay unless a guest has cleared such an outlier arrival time with the host beforehand. So even if she had a standing booking, she still would have been a pain in the butt.
This sounds like it was a last minute booking? Unless last minute bookings are something you get a lot and rely on for income, I would suggest you set advance notice for 2 days. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with last minute bookings, including the guestâs payment falling through after they are already in residence. A couple days advance booking to arrival gives the chance to make sure all is in order and deal with it if not.
I agree with everything you say here except that (I hope) the Host does not mention in the guest review something that the Host knew about during the stay and didnât mention to the guest. That would be quite unfair.
I believe that many guests and I can only assume some Hosts donât mention in reviews, or in the private notes, âsmall thingsâ that could have been better. As co-Host writing a guest review I overlook small things, not because I want to get a good review (too late) or repeat business but because itâs truly small, I want to reinforce the positive and I donât want an excellent guest to have a bad taste in their mouth because they were not âperfect.â
When Iâm able to meet guests I always ask them to tell me face to face or in a note anything that is off in the smallest way, saying I will always take it as constructive, never complaining or whining. Some guests have taken me up on that and itâs been very helpful.
Chiming in to say that this comedy of errors on the part of the host is a cautionary tale. Allowing the cancelled guests to stay, like this host did, and then even confronting them the next day about it, shows how a host can inflame a situation. Sadly, we hosts have to deal with the arrogant guests who will do these brazen acts and then move on to the next host, confident that they can do what they do without consequences. I fear for the next host they scam, emboldened by this experience.
Sure, itâs easy to advise with logic: âdonât let them in and call the policeâ or simply âpull out a cellphone and video this invasionâ; folks in these situations make bad decisions due to panic and fear - I get it - but the host had HOURS to call for police etc after they let them in. The husband deciding to confront the next day with no support (they had been cancelled) was another bad idea. I can only imagine the convo.
Please, everyone, letâs support hosts, of course, but also letâs be honest and truthful with them.
