Guest Requests Extra Services, Doesn't Pay, and ABB won't pay either

[azreala]

We had a month long stay at our rental in the CA desert, two weeks in the renter asked for extra cleaning, every Friday for the remaining 2 weeks of her stay, so 2 additional cleaning at $180 each. I tell her the price, she agrees, and we agree she will pay via the resolution center ‘request for money’ option. Great, set up the cleaning send the request for money, she doesn’t pay or even acknowledges the request. Guest is not the best communicator, and I just let it go bc I was busy with our other properties.

Cleaning number 2 happens, because she has not even acknowledged the request for money I can not cancel the initial request or update the dollar amount. FINE, I will just go through the resolution center when she checks out, bc I have Invoices from the cleaners, as well as the guests’ agreement in Air BNB messages, what can go wrong. Guest checks out, and I open the resolution center case for $360 for the two cleanings, thinking this is really a non- issue. Well, my dear Forum Friends… two months later I was just paid out $200 of the $360 and ABB saying sorry not our problem and this is a courtsey payment.

Moral of the story, if you offer extra services get paid in advance in CASH and guests are sneaky little bastards

[KKC]

get paid in advance in CASH

I’ve always gotten my money but it’s a small 2nd person charge or pet fee. The resolution center is a PITA for getting extra charges and if you use the change button, Airbnb takes a cut. I’ve used the resolution center because I thought Air would have my back if it was in the message thread that they agreed.
I’d ask for pet fees paid directly to me going forward but I’m always amazed at the number of people who don’t have cash and don’t seemingly want to. (Like people who pick up their dogs and tell me they have no cash yet they drove past multiple ATMs on the way to my place.)

[konacoconutz]

Yeah… get it in CASH. They can decline the res center and face zero consequence. Sneaky is not even the word for it. thieving is more like it. They stole from you. Period.

[azreala]

I thought Air would have my back if it was in the message thread that they agreed.

Exactly. Totally accept my naivety on this particular situation, but still annoying! CASH or Nothing from now on! LOL

[KenH]

Moral of the story – don’t offer extra services without cash up front

[Como]

There is nothing ABB can do, you asked for money, they declined.

Your option is the small claims court.

[jaquo]

I know that this is sort of off topic but we offer a very tiny discount for guests who are staying for more than a week. I mean tiny.

For guests who are staying for more than a week or so, we offer FREE bedding-change and basic cleaning.

This makes the guests happy but it’s also even better for us. We get to see the state of the apartment and the interim cleaning means that there isn’t a bigger clean after the guest has left.