Guest not willing to pay for breakage?

44

this is one of my pet peeves!!! years ago we had a 21yo au pair with us, and one day I asked “where’s the vegemite” and her reply was “it broke”. I soon learned this was a common way she had of describing things, and actually it’s since become a classic expression in our household to respond to a variety of situations. I’ve had 2 (millenial) guests this year break a glass and one said to me “one glass didn’t make it” meaning: I dropped a glass on the way over and the other said " a glass got broken in the bath" meaning: I had a glass of wine with me in the tub and stupidly tried to balance it on the edge.

back in my school days we were taught that an inanimate object couldn’t do things, unless you were being poetic or ironic or whatever.

45

Or possess human qualities. “Math is stupid!” :rofl:

46

A guest informed me that my used induction cooker no longer works. Who pays for the replacement? What’s protocol? Thank you.

47

Did they break it, or did it just die?

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48

They said it just stopped working. I tried starting it in different outlets to no avail. Who pays, according to ABB?

49

You need to get it checked to see why it stopped working, before you decide who to blame. It may have just died and in need of a minor repair.

50

Make sure the child lock is not on.

@Debthecat is right. A technician needs to determine the cause.

In the life of any appliance there is a moment in which it works and then stops working. The person present at that moment is not necessarily the one responsible.

My guess is its the child lock or some other setting. I’d get out the manual as my first step, maybe talk with the manufacturer based on what your settings are.

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51

@harrybee It wouldn’t occur to me to charge a guest for something that stopped working while they were there.

Sounds like honest people that let you know it stopped.
What makes you think they’re responsible?

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52

I would prefer to absorb the cost of replacing the cooker. I am curious what ABB’s stance on breakage?

53

Seems the host has some protection with exclusions.

54

You said it was used. How much is it worth?
I doubt Air is going to try to collect money from a guest that told you it stopped working.

To me it’s like having a microwave or toaster oven stop working. How can you blame the guest?

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55

Best place to find Airbnb policies is on the Airbnb site. They change regularly and most people here don’t even know Airbnb policies. And even when they do, and cite it to customer service reps, everyone gets a different response.

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56

So per @KKC’s attachment of Airbnb’s host damage protection terms, one provision says:

(i) Direct physical loss or physical damage to a Host’s Covered Property caused by the Responsible Guest or an Invitee of the Responsible Guest during an Airbnb stay.

So, per @Debthecat 's earlier post you really need to determine the cause of the induction cooker no longer working as step one if you want to seek reimbursement, which you must first do with the guest.

57

Is an induction cooker like one of those ‘hot plates’ that sell for about $50?

58

But it’s not a breakage - it’s a used appliance that has come to the end of its life. It’s nothing to do with Airbnb as it’s wear and tear.

I once had a guest who, after his first night in the apartment, reported that the AC wasn’t working. (July, in South Florida). I had it repaired at a cost of over $3000.

It would have never occurred to me that this was a ‘breakage’ and to charge the unfortunate guest who just happened to be there when the AC expired.

If you allow enough for breakages, repairs ands contingencies when you work out your annual budget, and set your nightly prices accordingly, you should be able to easily absorb replacing appliances and other items.

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59

Correct. I assume that the host must replace any listed essential appliances that cease to function regardless of the cause of the appliance not functioning?

60

Equipment ceases to function!
I have a stock of spare everything, from toasters to a washing machine.
An induction plate? Unless you can prove that THIS guest broke it, replace it and move on.
Stop trying to work out a way to blame the guest.

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61

Instead of hiding the good stuff, I just point to the cupboards that have the glasses guests are free to use. I’ve never had a guest try to get around that. They know I live here and they know I have some expensive things. It’s a double edge sword really. You have a lovely home and you share it and people admire how lovely it is, but that can also bring great risk of having something you really love broken or damaged.

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62

Nothing is an absolute of course, but one thing I would not do is waste a nano-second on the whys an appliance that cost a lousy $50 stopped working for the guest. Airbnb’s stand on the issue wouldn’t even cross my mind, I already know we think very differently.

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63

ABB primary customer support said that the appliance broke while the tenant was in the unit so tenant must pay. However, the ticket will be automatically escalated to another investigative department. Something breaks, who pays and where do you draw the line? I pick my battles…