I agree that houses can have issues from time to time. However, we ensure that the smoke alarm battery won’t run low by changing them before they run low. In our house if the smoke alarm runs low a robotic voice tells you repeatedly and with increasing volume to change it until you do. As a ladder is required to change them the guest would not just be inconvenienced but would need to leave the house until the battery was changed. I think that many other problems can be averted with routine maintenance.
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My smoke alarm beeps when it gets low to let you know before it dies. This has never happened with the alarm since I started hosting, it was an example.
The beep is incessant until the battery is changed. I know that you were using smoke alarms as an example, but with smoke alarm batteries in particular the listing is unusable until the problem is corrected. Also, if you change smoke alarm batteries on a schedule before they get low nobody needs to hear a warning that the batteries are low. This means that it would be reasonable for the guest to expect a partial refund.
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That’s crazy. I live 10 mins away. It beeps once every 10 mins so maybe they hear a beep 3 times, so give them back their money? I disagree completely. Anyway it’s all what ifs lol
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Smoke alarm batteries should be changed twice a year, we do it when the clocks change.
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Ok so as an update. While my guests were in the house they made the complaint the next day after they arrived.
I contacted airbnb and it was a non native English speaker who I couldn’t understand as I have to use a hearing aid and her English was very bad as well as her line was crackly. I had also emailed her telling her that my offer had a deadline of a few more hours and I told her the time the deadline would finish and I would withdraw my offer of 250 euro.
I requested for a native English speaker and I apologized to the agent explaining about my hearing problem, she told me she would put me on to another agent.
almost a full 24 hours went by and no one got back to me from Airbnb so I followed your advice and went on Twitter.
an agent called me about 2 hours later and found in my favor saying that my guests has no grounds for a refund and she released the money to me.
Now the update.
I got an email from the original agent who I had requested a change from saying my guests was willing to accept the 250 euro I had offered.
WTF of course she is willing to accept this now that Airbnb have ruled in my favor. The agent is now pushing for a refund as a good will gesture from me saying that although I had asked for a change in agent my guests did not.
I informed the agent there will be no refund and I explained how upset I was that my guests treated me in this manner.
I told her that another agent had closed the case and that’s final.
She told me she is still going to investigate the case as my guests didn’t make the complaint to Airbnb in the first 24 hours but they did to me.
Any ideas on what possible outcome can come from this?
Can the original agent do this or is she stepping over the line here?
Although the money has been released can she hold back money from my next guests and give it to these guests?
In the photos of the house on my profile you can see through the windows in 2 photos that there is no fence. If I was trying to misrepresent my house I would not have took the photos from that angle showing the front garden had no fence.
When case is closed it’s closed. Agents have very little
Power to just do what they want. There are regulations and most agents just follow instructions. Sometimes you get a more sympathetic agent who can do wonders but mostly they follow the instructions they are given from above.
I don’t think that closed always means closed. We have had hosts report on this forum that sometimes the decision is reversed as much as 6 months later and their payouts stop until the money has been collected. AirBNB is a fickle company in this regard.
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@Cleo - a couple ot tips
-
Read Airbnb Help Centre all the way through so you are completely au fait with how Airbnb works and how to deal with cancellations, complaints, deposits, airbnb guarantee etc
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If you have Instant Book turn it off. Talk to each guest before they book to make sure there is a good fit.
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Make sure your house rules cover
1.visits/stays by guests who haven’t booked - say no to these
2. late night noise and respect for your neighbours
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in your description make sure you emphasise the nature of the land surrounding your property.
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Keep all correspondence on airbnb messaging
Make sure you have CCTV outside and short term insurance
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I don’t agree with your advise to turn off Instant Book. When a guest Instant Books they are required to agree that they’ve read and will follow the house rules. This means that they have less wiggle room to complain about something that is in the house rules.
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Brand new hosts should probably not use IB until they getting a feeling for guests…
get a little practice at it first.
Can you tell me if IB offers unlimited cancellations or is it still at three?
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Hello @Chloe
I recommended you remove IB because you are a new host and because you have had problems with a number of guests.
Removing IB would give you the opportunity to talk to these guests about their plans and themselves and not be rushed into accepting those who might not be suitable.
I have had situations where a guest meets my house rules but still isn’t a good fit. In these circumstances Airbnb would not let me cancel the booking.
@konacoconutz Airbnb now say there are unlimited cancellations if guests break houses rules or you feel ‘uncomfortable’ (undefined what this means). and use IB… As we know - a guest can meet house rules but still not be a good fit.
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We have always had Instant Book and we haven’t seen it as causing us any problems. In fact, with Instant Book we don’t have to respond to guests in the middle of the night.
You are permitted unlimited cancellations, but only for the reason that you feel uncomfortable with the reservation. However, they will take action if the host abuses the policy.
Note: If we observe abuse of the policy, we reserve the right to turn off Instant Book for your listing, and you may be subject to other penalties, up to and including suspension and deletion of your account.
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Having Instant Book doesn’t mean that you can’t talk with guests about their plans. In fact, if you have Instant Book you are permitted to cancel bookings penalty free if you are uncomfortable with the guests.
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I don’t know if you’ve resolved this yet but I agree with all the posters here that these guests are definitely trying to take advantage of you (and Airbnb is helping them do it). Unfortunately, these days, Airbnb doesn’t seem to take a host"s side even with evidence (I found this out the hard way myself last year when a guest did a lot of damage and I’ve even been a super host for about 3 years).
I’m so sorry that A. is adding to your stress about the situation but as others have recommended on here, the best way to get A. to behave and support you is by going public on Twitter or FB about the situation. I’m planning to do the same so good luck and hang in there!
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I’m really tempted but something about it worries me!
It’s just a nebulous phrase ‘if you are uncomfortable’
I’m uncomfortable because
…they are wearing a yellow t-shirt in their profile pic
…I don’t like which side their hair is parted on
…I don’t like what they do for a living
…that they support a politician with a bright yellow thatch
…I don’t like the make of their car
…what they plan to do during their stay
Love to be a fly on the wall when their customer services get these calls
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We’ve all probably ‘misjudged’ someone on the basis of their profile or their first introductory message prior to non-Instant booking. With non-IB, you have only once chance/moment to decide if you want to decline the booking, with IB you have more leeway.
I suppose it’s a fair compensation given to the host for the extra risk taken - it probably evens out in the end.
@Cleo, sorry you’ve had this experience as a new host but on the plus side - it’s a baptism of fire, as they say! You will have learned SO much from this. It’s already been mentioned but I’ll re-iterate: you need to toughen up and remember that You Are In Charge. It’s hard at first, yes, but essential. If you search on this forum for “doormat”, you will find several posts about the problems when you are too accommodating to guests.
You have a great attitude to learning about being a host - I don’t mean this to sound condescending. Just sometimes people come on here asking for advice and when experienced hosts give it, they get all annoyed!