Had to cancel same day stay

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Set stage 1:
I had a checkin at 3pm today. I was over there yesterday w/ a handyman tightening somethings up for a few hours. Thank you note is on the counter. Extra supplies added (see below). Apple Cider doughnuts in the car ready to drop off.

Got a call yesterday - emergency surgery today for parent (although parent now wavering due to fear) - no details for privacy but it’s bad and must convince parent to proceed (working on that now). So, full plate this weekend and maybe emergency trip out of state & due to Covid & my personal situation flying is high risk but what can you do.

Stage 2:

Guest had been working me over from the start. Discount due to their personal reason for visit (ok; feeling compassion). More discount because other place offering this (um, no, please book other place; oh, no you have better reviews so…); offer sent.

Response - shave a day off stay now as arrival times unknown (ok, right, & FYI early checkin fee/option sent in reply).

No response to “entire group agree to house rules/policies; send again (response- “looks fine” & spouse will call about timing. What? All you need to know I’ve sent).

Spouse calls - suddenly another person can come (over my max) they’ll bring a floor mattress although there’s enough bed space (again, compassion, I’ll supply extra stuff to accommodate); tries to drop 1000 hints why should be free & then asks to leave cash on the counter. Who am I? Boo Boo the Fool!!? (Although at this point feeling I am as I’ve clearly been worked);

Later, from spouse - did you send code? Make it xxxx. Response - yes, 24+ hours ago via platform & you’ll recognize it (please read my messages!).

THIS MORNING …schmooze talk followed by want to get in early, drop off stuff/checkin. WTH!?? i respond I won’t know until later today, have appointments, fees provided and reminder I need notice a day before if late checkout is needed and same fees apply. Response: nevermind.

I send my same response on platform, just in case. Spouse has been texting this entire time. Booking spouse responds - no also, don’t want to spend any more money. And are there enough supplies for the extra person (I already assured of this) & what kind of this and that do I have because don’t like this kind or that kind. WTH?!?

So…I won’t say how it all panned out but you can see from the topic I did the worst thing ever - same day cancel (my first ever cancel too). More details once I hear where you may have gone with this situation.

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Oh, these guests definitely earned themselves a same-day cancel. Playing the compassion card and then abusing the host’s sympathy is vile behavior.

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Yes. I’m so upset though. I’m having to hold back tears. Mostly, it’s because of my parent, but this really isn’t how I do things and it makes me feel like I failed.

But hey. Big kudos to AirBNB. After the full story and reviewing the communications they cancelled for me, penalty free :open_hands:t4:

And now I will eat their donuts.

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I’m really sorry to hear about your parent and I hope everyone is okay eventually.

I don’t blame you at all for canceling this guest. You should prioritize your family, you did the right thing.

And even without the family stuff, I’m glad you canceled that guest. I’d like to think that I would have canceled them even sooner than you did but I know I get pulled into people’s crap too. Just glad you got rid of them. There is no reason to let assholes onto your property, ever.

Take care of yourself and your family. And eat all of those donuts!

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I totally misunderstood. It sounded like the guests had a parent who required emergency surgery.

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No, sorry to confuse. If they hadn’t been being so manipulative and high-maintenance, and I believe deceitful (cannot prove so hesitate to even mention) I could have been ok with them because they wouldn’t be a distraction. But messages and calls daily trying to get this free and that free and pre complaining about their physical issues and how my amenities might aggravate them on the day of checkin. I’d had enough. I need to focus elsewhere this weekend.

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I am so sorry you’re in this position with your parent! I hope they get the surgery and it goes well.

As for cancelling on this guest, I don’t blame you at all. Sounds like they would plague you all weekend and ultimately be horrible guests. I think you dodged a bullet.

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Sounds like they would be impossible to please, a moaning review and you feeling resentful of all the effort you went to.
Eat the donuts with relish, and I hope that they learnt a lesson that some hosts can’t be walked over!

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May I just add that if you have to fly, wear a high quality mask, N95. I just flew several flights and while I was nervous about it, I had a mask on that made it a little difficult to breath, but super tight fitting and my nose wasn’t hanging out like so many I saw in the airport. Never removed my mask on a flight, only in airport and not near anyone.

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Thank you, all @muddy, @JJD, @rmiriam, and @Debthecat. I feel the same way. I felt that not only had they taken advantage at every turn, but they would continue to do so all weekend (I could already see what was coming next…). AND, when they threw in the physical ailments and what kind/sizes of this or that did I have because they hate this/that, I knew I was in trouble. I felt the “refund” setup coming on, on top of everything else. If it hadn’t been for my personal situation I’d have sucked it up, but really? How can people be this way and not “see themselves”?

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Definitely! I haven’t been in a crowd in 2 years and definitely nowhere near an airport. But driving is out of the question due to the circumstances so I’ll do what I have to. The situation is changing rapidly and frequently so who knows if I can stay or if I have to go. We’ll just see.

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Without the extra burden of an ill family member, I had guests like this a couple of years ago, @aelilya . I wanted to same-day cancel them, but didn’t.
I should have.
You are so right on this. Now I hope all goes well with whatever the weekend brings for you.

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Lol. I wish we would have canceled the guests that just left this morning. But I’m gonna make sure that no one else books them, working on that review right now.

I need to expand on “rude, dirty pigs”.

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Thank you @lawre! It’s good to have some reassurance on a hard decision like that.

I just had a thought. I was ready to suck up all the penalties. $100 fine, blocked calendar, loss of SHost status (can only cancel 1 in every hundred and I don’t have 100 stays counting Air alone). But the CS OFFERED to do it penalty-free if I was uncomfortable with the stay. I thought it odd the wife booked but then the husband took over comms via text after that (asking for all the free stuff). I was wishing all along I could see his profile on Air, assuming he has one. These folks had 0 stay reviews and 4 host (not good ones except 1). I am now wondering if their account was flagged. I have CS tell me this…we will flag the account so we will be harder on them next time, but I never believed it. Could it be true? Hmmmm…

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I believe it. It makes sense. I called in once just to clarify something about dealing with a guest that had just booked, I didn’t even have canceling in mind, but the CS said, “I’m going to have this guest canceled anyway, so don’t worry about it”. Ok.

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Oh, wow! Next time I see someone is already a possible issue maybe I will call in and see if CS has any insight they want to offer.

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I did a same day cancellation because the guest asked 5 times how clean my listing was. I asked if she had any particular issues and she could see my ratings on it. Still kept asking……suddenly I had a major plumbing problem….so sad too bad couldn’t host her and a no penalty cancellation.

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Oh my, goodness, I hope this translates because I’m rolling on the floor!

My husband has never seen the forum, but I share info with him.

@JJD, I just told him about your needing to expand on “rude, dirty pigs”. He starts cracking up and says, "Yeah…“rude, dirty pigs. 2020202020”. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I said, “Look at you, making some Airhost jokes like you know what’s up!” :joy:

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The weirdest thing that has ever happened is that had a guy book, he was coming for a parents weekend at his son’s university that is down the street. Seemed unremarkable at the time, he had a few reviews and was a well-paid professional in a business that matched his profile (I used to dig around guests more, I’ve gotten lazy) and had even stayed in my neighborhood in the past, for a previous university activity. He was typical of my most common type of guest (well-off university parents).

A couple of days after he booked, I got noticed from Airbnb that they had canceled his reservation and vaguely referred to a payment issue and that they couldn’t support it or whatever that message is that they send out. I thought it odd that Mr. Jetsetter couldn’t pay for his Airbnb but oh well, probably for the best and immediately re-booked the dates and moved on.

And then the guy contacted me! He said he wanted to apologize for the issues with the reservation and wanted to assure me that he had multiple credit cards and none of them should be declined and rambled, rambled and rambled… until he finally said something about, “the last guy I talked to up there (Airbnb) said I should have a male host, hahahaha, so they got me another place nearby” and then on went to say that “I’d still really like to come by and get to know you”. :flushed:

I was totally creeped out and blocked him and was a little nervous until the parents weekend was over. And then I was totally pissed off because Airbnb clearly knows that this guy is a problem for some reason but they still let him stay on the platform. Later, I looked and he had stayed and reviewed at a house a couple of blocks from mine that has a male host. :grimacing:

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I don’t find it particularly odd. It was likely a matter of them assuming that he could be a better intimidating heavy.

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