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Hi Guys, I’m wondering what to do about writing a review, or even not.
I’m in the UK. The guest (with two 5* reviews) came from Canada, booked months in advance for his family of 4, lots of friendly communication (see below if you can be bothered to read the details) so all seemed well. I allowed him early check in to my cottage, greeted him and the family warmly and asked if I could do anything to make things better with their jet lag. They said no and barely met my eye, they were going back into town to eat.
Two hours later I got a cancellation notice from Airbnb, so I wrote to him to ask if I could put it right. No reply.
Then Airbnb rang to ask me to refund the whole amount “because the place was dirty and there was bad smell”.
Absolutely not true, it was pristine. There was a faint smell from the air freshener and from the vases of roses and honeysuckle, from my garden, that I’d put there that day.
The family had sat on every bed but done/taken nothing else.
He was obviously trying to get a full refund from my Flexible Cancellation. And I panicked. I took photos to show how clean the place was and sent them to Airbnb but I agreed to the full refund without admitting any liability as a “goodwill gesture “. And asked Airbnb to make a note of this in case of a poor review.
So far neither of us has written a review.
So I need to decide what to write if he does review the place and what to do if he doesn’t. I’m thinking to write a honest review but only submit it at the very last minute so he can’t retaliate. And if so, what to write? Or should I just let it go?
(And please don’t give me stick about allowing an undeserved refund. It was only £115. The main financial hit was because it was Thursday so the weekend is now not booked which never happens with my place.)
If you’ve read so far, this is my place http://(https//www.airbnb.com/h/thebowerystorrington)
There was a complicated booking history with this man.
Last month he shortened the original booking because he fancied going to France for a couple of days. A week or so later, he asked to come back for 2 days after France. I don’t do 2 days usually so I offered to hold the place while he was away and he said he’d pay that part directly to me. He then changed his mind and told me he’d cancelled his Paris trip, with an Airbnb refund “because France has bedbugs”(!). He even offered to up the cash for the second part of his stay. And then he requested an early check in, since he was coming off the redeye. It’s clear he knows how to play the system, or, being kind, perhaps he has some sort of mental health issue?
Yes. I’m pretty sure they had decided to stay somewhere else before they got to the cottage. So they entered the place and dented the bed covers so they could say they’d been in and it was dirty and smelly to get their money back.
Review last minute, and meticulously stick to the facts so that he has no opportunity to have review taken down on any grounds. This is the kind of information other hosts need to have. Let us know how you go and if he reviews you!
Review last minute, and meticulously stick to the facts so that he has no opportunity to have review taken down on any grounds. This is the kind of information other hosts need to have. Let us know how you go and if he reviews you!
Sounds weird and yes, the no eye contact probably means he had some other place to stay and was gaming it. Review last minute.
On a completely different note- please do not use air fresheners. Not only do many people find them disgusting, or have allergies to artificial scents, they can make guests wonder what you are trying to cover up the smell of.
What smells “faint” or good to one person doesn’t to another.
Thank you.
I rather agree about the air fresheners in my own house but we allow dogs and sometimes it’s hard to get rid of the canine smell in time for a dog-free guest. However hard I try I’ve had the occasional comment about dog pong I use agency cleaners and can’t always check it between guests. So I leave a plug-in one on low. It’s the lesser of 2 evils, no one’s complained about it and they can easily switch it off.
Best wishes,
Sounds weird and yes, the no eye contact probably means he had some other place to stay and was gaming it. Review last minute.
On a completely different note- please do not use air fresheners. Not only do many people find them disgusting, or have allergies to artificial scents, they can make guests wonder what you are trying to cover up the smell of.
What smells “faint” or good to one person doesn’t to another.
Get an air purifier. Trying to cover up one smell with another smell doesn’t result in a place smelling “fresh”.
If I arrived to a place that had an air “freshener”, even though I could unplug it, the place would still smell like it, and I would cancel and expect a refund. I’d prefer the smell of dog (and realize that a pet-friendly listing might) to breathing toxic chemicals.
rather agree about the air fresheners in my own house but we allow dogs and sometimes it’s hard to get rid of the canine smell in time for a dog-free guest.
Get an air purifier. Trying to cover up one smell with another smell doesn’t result in a place smelling “fresh”.
If I arrived to a place that had an air “freshener”, even though I could unplug it, the place would still smell like it, and I would cancel and expect a refund. I’d prefer the smell of dog (and realize that a pet-friendly listing might) to breathing toxic chemicals.
OMG, what a beautiful place you have there! I would love to live in this house after I am tired of city life. A quaint, charming house nestled in a picturesque setting, adorned with nature’s own artwork. This small abode exudes an aura of enchantment, inviting visitors into its welcoming embrace. The exterior walls are adorned with an exquisite tapestry of vibrant blooms, their tendrils gracefully weaving and climbing, creating a living masterpiece! Thanks for sharing!
I posted here ages ago about a guest who said my place smelled of mould and wanted a refund, and wouldn’t review my place poorly if I did. I rang Airbnb and whoever I spoke to looked at all my reviews and said there wasn’t any mention of mould, and supported my plan not to refund her.
I suggest you ring Airbnb the same.
Good luck
Yes I do, as it is important. Scented candles and soaps are also awful. I totally avoid the scented aisles of a store and stay out of candle shops. They all ruin the freshness of a clean space. Most of the time if they remove the stinky things and thoroughly air out the place, it will be good enough.
He’s playing the system and I always (don’t hate here) cancel people who offer cash - especially through ABB messenger - for a stay. It’s against the TOS and what if I don’t like them? This happened and I’m glad I didn’t take the cash …First time, play it straight. I have many folks who come back year after year and pay cash. I’m even invited to one couple’s wedding! <3
Air fresheners give me migraines. Your flowers sound lovely, but I’m allergic to roses! So that would have had me asking you to take them and the freshener away and opening the windows to air it out.
I also wonder what smells hosts are hiding.
White Vinegar in glass bowls around the rooms while you clean. Baking soda sprinkled on carpets and any “pong-y” cushions, soft goods that smell (if you can’t wash them), then vacuum it up.
Like other hosts, I would not have refunded them a dime. You lost a weekend’s booking and they were weird.
Review them honestly - guests asked to pay cash, changed reservation several times, house clean but they complained of the smell from the cut flowers in a vase.
I make small bouquets of fresh flowers and foliage from my garden for the guest room. But I live in the tropics and many tropical flowers, while beautiful, are scentless, so the bouquets have no smell. (One flower I have that does have a strong scent is frangipani, but I don’t put those in a guest room arrangement).
When we ran into the rare guest like this, spending a lot of time and stress over them seemed the wrong thing in the long run, they are manipulative and game the system. We simply gave them a 3-star rating and a short review of “Would not host again.” and that was it. Nothing more, we just ate it and moved on to the next excellent guest, life it too short. To me, this ambiguous review does the gamer guest more harm than a long review as anyone reading it will create their own scenarios in their head as to why this guest might be a problem. WIth a description of the reasons defending the guest’s made up excuses the next host may give them the benefit of the doubt, with just a “would not host again” they are left considering the risks of not knowing what is this guest about?
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Caroline_Bradbeer:
A quaint, charming house nestled in a picturesque setting, adorned with nature’s own artwork. This small abode exudes an aura of enchantment, inviting visitors into its welcoming embrace. The exterior walls are adorned with an exquisite tapestry of vibrant blooms, their tendrils gracefully weaving and climbing, creating a living masterpiece! Thanks for sharing!