Guest demanding $300 refund

1

Hi every one,

I am so sorry it is long, but to describe the situation I cannot get it much shorter.

I’ve been hosting since july 2021. My first listing rate is 4.96 (56). second is 4.88 (8). received excellent reviews from guests. Third listing was started on july 16, 2022. I have 4 reviews at 5 star.

I am experiencing a very difficult guest for my third listing who just checked out few days ago. Today, I received an email request $300 refund.

the following is from guest— (This guest requested discount when they book and we offered it on top of our already low price compare with other similar listing.)

*Grace, we had a very bad experience staying here, the indoor smell was particularly strong, the heating and wind noise was loud, the windows were opened on the day of check-in, the bathroom space was very small, the water temperature was adjusted, and it suddenly became hot, and the space was small, and there was no place to hide away.We had a hard time sleeping during our travels and had a cold. I would like to be reimbursed for the 300 CAD refund."

Above message was written in Chinese, it is translated to english.

-The smell they claimed should describe as damp/moisture in Chinese. We are located by sea in Richmond BC, Canada. the underground water level is high. Moisture is expected. (our suite is above ground, not a basement)

-Guest stayed from aug. 10 -17., they checked in very late past midnight around 0:15. Since it is middle of the summer, we closed all the window till after 6Pm, we reopened them to let the fresh air in and also to help to cool down the temperature inside. guest was complaining the open window caused them felt cold. We turned on the heating manually in the morning per guest request. ( never thought about have a heating on in the summer). couple of days later, they complained there is no heating. To accommodate them, I drove 54km away in the morning and stayed at my parents until 17th. set alarm at 6:05 in the morning to manually turn on the heating system as they requested for 40 mins then turn off.

-My listing describe very clear that the shower is small, not suitable for young kids who can not take shower alone. we describe our suite as clear as we can, no hidden surprise. guest claimed her daughter( 13 years old) burned because the sudden water temperature change. I did message all our previous guests( total 5) about this matter and received 3 back. None of them experienced the problem. And also my current guests had no problem with the shower.

_Our heating system is forced air gas furnace, when it is on there is a wind blow sound.

I need advice, should I refund them $300 or partial of what they ask? or decline it

Thanks

Grace

2

Decline of course, if they wrote about the issues while their stay and you couldn’t fix them then you refund for the unused nights, this is just blackmail for a review which will be bad anyway.

Lucky the review will be in Chinese also so it will go all the way to the end and no one will see it except other Chinese guests.

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3

Then if their claims are unjustified just say no. @Grace

Can’t imagine why you felt it was necessary to drive there and turn the heating on for them when they could have turned it on for themselves .

4

The heating control is located upstairs that my parents live. They didn’t get my message/call since the phone was accident out on very low volume

5

First of all get them back on the Airbnb message thread and get a screen shot of their email. Their claims seem to show that they did not read your description before booking. I would decline thus leaving it up to them to bump it to Airbnb. If Airbnb contacts you, show them the screen shot and repeat your summary which you wrote on this site. We get sudden hot water in our shower if the toilet gets flushed in the same bathroom while the shower is running. Thus we have a small sign telling people not to do this.is thread. I’m not sure what “no place to hide away” means to them.

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6

JUST SAY NO! It’s an obvious attempt to scam an extra $300 out of you. They already “gotcha” when you gave them an additional discount before booking – they no see you as an easy ‘mark’.

If the aroma was so bad, they would have complained before they left.

YOU NEVER GIVE REFUNDS! Any refunds MUST come from AirBnb!!

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7

Couldn’t get your instructions because their phone volume was turned down? Stayed the entire time then complained about things you can’t prove (and neither can they)? Sounds like they know how to scam.

No refund, and give them a bad review to warn other hosts.

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8

I am sorry, if I confused you. My parents live upstairs of the two level house. The guest suite is on the first floor/ground level. The temperature control is upstair. I have to contact my parents to turn on the heat but they didn’t pick up my call.

Wanted to please these picky guest, I drove 54 km to turn on the heat.

9

Ignore and block them. They already checked out. They had 24 hrs after check in to contact Airbnb if they had any issues and they did not. It’s like eating at a restaurant and then calling the restaurant days later to complain about the meal. It’s too late, they checked out days ago so ignore them and block them.

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10
  1. When. guests books, I get via the message that they agree to my house rules which includes:

Per Airbnb rules, if there is a problem or issue with your accommodations, please contact us immediately via the Airbnb website messaging or phone app to so that we can rectify the issue. In most cases, Airbnb allows a host 24 hours to rectify a problem but we need to be informed via the Airbnb Messaging system so that are aware of the issue. Notifying us or Airbnb after you have checked out denies us the opportunity to fix the problem and will not result in a refund.

  1. I send a message about 15 minutes after my guests check in that says:
    Welcome to 16 Slayton Road’s Airbnb Guest Suite:

We just wanted to check in and make sure that everything was as you expected when you arrive today.

If you have any concerns during your stay, please message us via AirBnB message system so that we can address any issues that might arise during your stay.

Pleasant dreams and enjoy your stay.

I also have a house rule (yep, another Lynn house rule) that states:

  1. 1 and 2 are really to cover my A$$ for Airbnb so that if a guest complains after they check out I can show that they agreed to communicate with me if there were any issues.

  2. Finally, I use a date-stamp video of the STR a few hours before checking and store the video for 2 moths on dropbox. I show how everything is clean, TV and appliances working, and lift the sheets to show no bedbug evidence.

And then I just say no to Airbnb when they ask. I also make sure all correspondence is on Airbnb messaging and not texting. If they send a text, I screenshot it with date stamp and put it into the airbnb messaging system.

Guests that are looking for discounts are looking for ways to get money back.

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11

Haggling is looked upon differently by different people (and cultures). I would explain how fortunate they were of all the things they got for beyond anyone else. That should make them feel great. That should tell you to be aware of discounters.

In essence, say no but smartly to lessen the potential damage. Be ready to combat a retaliatory review, if it happens. Can be removed, on the basis of non-relevancy.

1 Like
12

They did complain the room was cold during their stay. I tried my best to solve the problems by turning on the heat in the very first morning 11 Aug. and set the thermostat at 22c. so when temperature drop to 22c the furnace will start automatically.

On 13th early morning 6:47 They were complaining again. That was the date I drove to my parents to turn on the furnace( my parents didn’t pick up my call) and remind my parents turn heater on around 6:15 in the morning and 10 at night for about 30 min through their stay

After that confirmed the temperature regularly through abb message with guest

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@Grace Guests who start off asking for discounts beyond what you offer are big red flags. Once you start kowtowing to requests for special treatment it just escalates. Politely but firmly say no to those who ask for discounts or for you to make exceptions for them.

It’s an error to think that you can “please picky guests”. You can’t.

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14

If you haven’t called Airbnb yet, you need to do that ASAP. Always call them right away. You have a better chance of being the victor here if you call and state the case first.

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15

I don’t have a problem with people asking for a discount but I do have a problem with hosts giving a discount.

Even before the guests booked, you’d already shown them that you were a pushover. Harsh of me, I know, but true.

Ignore them and don’t worry about it. They’re gone - concentrate on future guests.

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16

Hey, we are neighbours! I’m also in Richmond. I agree with the other recommendations that you should not give them a refund. I’d be inclined to just not answer them at all.

Did they say that their review would depend on getting money from you? A review can be removed for that.

I don’t think anyone would say that the heat needs to be on in August, but still I would probably look for a way to take the chill off, as some visitors aren’t used to it. We have a gas fireplace and last year we installed mini-splits which are controlled by the guests. Mostly we did that for cooling, but they’ll provide heat too.

It feels like all our Airbnb money goes back into home improvements! But we live in the home and the improvements benefit us as well.

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17

The guest submitted money request through airbnb. do i just respond through the link the email provided or open an new one. I have till 10 am tomorrow to respond, should i wait to the last few mins to decline or i better do it now? I want to hold the time as long as possible to short the review deadline, so guest wont have time to put a bad review

18

I would decline it right now. Guest has 14 days to review and they’ll probably give you a bad review. Just be prepared to respond to their bad review and contact Airbnb if there is anything that violates review guidelines so hopefully it can be removed.

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I have never thought about have heat on in Aug. They claimed the room was damp and cold, blaming the open window. I couldn’t sleep at night till 5:30 this morning. I checked the weather from aug. 10 to 17. the humidity on 10th is 94%. the lowest humidity is 74% on 13th. 74%-94% humidity during their stay.

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No, they said nothing about the review