Guests got robbed, what is right way to act?

Why aren’t you telling them to claim on their travel insurance. You have no liability here just because it happened in your home.

The liability is theirs for leaving a bathroom window open (presume downstairs).

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I hope it does lead to different decisions. There aren’t many of us here who rely exclusively on Airbnb. There are quite a few hosts here who get the majority of their bookings from other OTAs and just use Airbnb to fill any gaps.

The more experienced you get, the more you’ll find that you get repeats and referrals. These are the best type of booking because ‘better the devil you know’.

Several hosts here have their own websites and / or publicise their rentals on social media and other online activities.

Then of course, there are the really old fashioned ways - the ones that kept rentals full and hosts happy before the internet. These ways still work.

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I’m a New Yorker and my go-to feeling when people hit me with a sob story is an internal “Oh yeah? Really??”

This is a very NYC/big city type of solution. Windows to bathrooms usually only open about 6". There’s a bolt that goes on the inside of the window frame.

This. Apparently, very few of us believe your guests.

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And I’m so suspicious I wonder if the guests were the thieves and are trying to throw the police off their trail!

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And it’s not that we’re jaded, or cynical, it’s just that we’ve seen a fair amount of life. (And seen, or at least read about, people who make falsified claims to hosts and insurance companies.)

If the guests’ insurance company won’t pay up, and they have professional people who examine claims, then the guests now think that the host will cough up $900. :roll_eyes:

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I also disagree with offering to pay for their “stolen” stuff.

Nor do I really understand your reasoning. You said:

The reality is that you’ll probably get a bad review from them, simply because they claim that they were robbed. (Like many others, I question whether their claim is true.)

Wow, I didn’t think of that!

The overall rating is not some mathematical combination of the other categories. You got a 2-star overall rating because the guest gave you a 2-star overall rating. This guest had a bad experience because their stuff was stolen, and they took it out on you.

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@sitebnb So this guest gave you a 2*overall, which probably tanked your ratings, and your search ranking. Do you understand why it’s pointless to tell guests that you’ll reimburse them for something that isn’t your fault? You didn’t gain anything by telling them you’d reimburse- it didn’t make them grateful at all.

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Well said. And it’s not as though we’re talking peanuts here - $900 is a lot of money.

Every single host gets a weird review and strange ratings at some time. As the OP has discovered, even $900 doesn’t ‘buy’ a good review.

I bet that most experienced hosts have strange stories about guests who have left weird star ratings. It’s usually because they don’t understand.

Regular readers will know that I’ve had it when ‘the ocean wasn’t blue enough’, ‘there were roadworks on the road to the beach’ and a time when a guest complained constantly about the wifi not working because she didn’t see why she should have to enter a password.

The best I’ve read was a story about guests who absolutely loved their stay. (This is back in the last century and not Airbnb). Everything was perfect. But in the guestbook, they left only three stars because their stay had been ruined by the news that Princess Diana had died.

Guests will complain about things that are totally out of our control. :roll_eyes:

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WTF…

It is the first review below 4.9, it took my rankings to 4.86 so probably I’ll be alright but definitely learned for next time, you’re right.

Yep, they left a 2

It sounds like an odd story but they are telling the truth because neighbors also got break in their houses at the same night, there was a big party in town that night so the thieves probably expected everyone to be out and took advantage of that…also they look like decent people, just a couple in their 30s, work in software and don’t look like they would make this up.

Yes, here in a beach town doesn’t make sense this type of window, since people come here for the air/open spaces, etc

Yep, I am also working on that (even opening a biz to solve some of this for other hosts) but it is easy to be “lazy” about it when you get so many bookings from just being on Airbnb (and some booking.com)

Yes, I didn’t pay them anything, the insurance is more likely to pay, I only told them to contact me and I will pay them if the insurance doesn’t pay them, they spoke to the insurance while I was there and we got the police report, etc that they requested…so I expect/hope they get paid by the insurance.

They just took a report, the police here is useless

I would tell the guests you changed your mind about paying them.
I hope your insurance covers your loss after some thought I have decided this was not my responsibility. F them and their two stars. The damage is done, they cannot hurt you anymore, unless they get in your wallet as well.

RR

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I am so sorry this happened to your guests BUT this is not your fault nor is it your responsibility to pay them if the insurance doesn’t pay. This could very well be a scam. I am thinking they will tell you, very soon, that insurance didn’t pay. I can see myself making promises in the heat of the moment as well but now you have had time to think about it and if it were me I would email them and let them know I changed my mind. They left the window open. You feel badly for them but cannot be responsible for their poor choices.

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Guests choose the overall rating in addition to the sub-categories. So, the overall is not an average of the sub-category reviews.

Did you commit to the reimbursement in writing?

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That was my first thought. I am not sure they were robbed. I had it once happened. A young couple took knife from kitchen and cut other guests luggage. I didnt offer them money but gave them 2 days free. And they still left me 1* review

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Airbnb is far from being monopoly . For many hosts is just a small fraction of their overall rental income. For me Airbnb was never more than 20% . Now it’s even less. Last couple months it was les than 10%. I use it mostly when there are few days remaining empty here and there.

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Can I ask where most of your bookings come from. Thank you.

Even from.very begining in 2015 when I started when busy season was over I was getting very few booking through Air so I started exploring other options. I listed 10 months with booking.com, then stopped, I had quite a few bookings from Homestay. Then I hosted one girl who was a host herself and she advised me to try Craigslist. This is when I started getting guests for a week or more . I liked it much better than 2-3 days stays with Airbnb. It was much less work and steady flow of cash. Over last 2 years I managed to accumulate 3 guests who stay with me long term. It suits me well …there is no lease…they pay weekly. I have another house where I rent by rooms also during off season . It’s another 4 rooms. Lately I get more booking with VRBO for entire place . Last year it was one Airbnb only and rest VRBO. I also get guests who extend for months after original booking .

With private rooms it’s really oversaturated market . For me to do real short term meaning dropping.price to the point I am not willing to do all this work and it doesn’t even justifies cost. Even this year I don’t even feel it’s high season as prices still.so low that I I would rather just rent weekly . I get same rate daily if I rent by week anyway but it’s not interrupted and steady and hardly any work . The only reason I used Air again is because I have big group coming for 2 weeks over New year’s and all the inquiries I had from Craigslist bailed out as soon as I told them it’s rented from 21st.

It might not be for everyone, but I like handling my guests myself without involving third party. Many hosts like specifically this aspect of Airbnb that they collect payments and handling difficult guest. With me it’s opposite. My few scandalous and very difficult guests came from Airbnb. Though most times I am happy how Airbnb handles these situations but anyway I prefer to handle these situations myself and I have no issues with guests paying me directly and on time .

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Far from…
AirBnB is a big player but still dwarfed by BDC and Expedia.

You getting dependent on one single channel is your own fault. There are plenty of other options and the most important one is to develop direct bookings for returning guests.

Air is slowing down a but, so opened up BDC for Januari. All gaps are filling fast at better rates than on AirBnB.

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The is dependent on kind of rental and nation where hosting. And if someone is listing a guest room in their home Airbnb dominates the market, at least in the US. I look on booking, expedia or tripadvisor when looking for a hotel. I look at airbnb when traveling alone and looking for a room or suite, I look at VRBO or Airbnb if looking for an entire home. In the US “Airbnb” is synonymous with homeshare rentals.

I keep reposting the quote from a host in South America who was booted from Airbnb and restored after many months:

“I tell you what at this point we can’t survive without them…But without them. We struggled so much. They represent 7 bookings for everyone we get else where. We even joke. If a Airbnb client wants to punch a hole in the wall. Give them a hammer.”

It is possible that this host made no effort to list on other platforms, I don’t know. And his is only one experience.

I agree that Airbnb is not a monopoly however and urge @sitebnb to look at listing on more platforms if he has a stand alone home.

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