HELP! Crazy Guest Threatening to Accuse Me of Discrimination

Even if I had “a better camera,” how can I guarantee that guests will provide photos of themselves when they already have to be browbeaten into reading and following even more basic rules?

Even if guests have to sign in, how can you ensure that they are who they say they are?

And how can you make them provide ID and sign in if, again, far less complicated guidelines get overlooked?

I know that you said you didn’t want opinions but that’s what this forum is all about.

That said, this isn’t necessarily just an opinion, it’s a fact. Years ago, I’m talking pre-internet, I had a bed and breakfast establishment. I rented out four bedrooms. In those days, we were lucky if we even got the guests’ real name - and there were never, ever, any photographs in advance. Or reviews. Or guest profiles. Or guest verifications. Or published house rules. Or customer service. Or online messaging.

They are facts. My opinion is that today’s hosts are pretty pampered compared to those days.

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But it was not uour home right? I think all of this you mentioned was created because it’s owners homes

Me? Yes, the B & B was in our home. My son was about seven when I started it. It was a family home.

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I’m not really sure I understand what you are saying. I disagree that sharing opinions is the sole purpose of the site. This is a place where people can, if they want, provide objective advice, not subjective opinions. Uninformed judgments of my personal situation and temperament, as some folks have provided, are unhelpful.

I agree that it is difficult to screen guests and manage security. I think I’m doing the most I reasonably can do, given my situation and budget, without scaring off guests. So far I haven’t seen any applicable suggestions for improvement that are possible for me, but I am interested in hearing them.

Everyone is subjective, everyone has biases and you know what they say about opinions and what they are like. Clem, this is an internet forum and surely you are familiar with how they work. The person who posts does not get to control the replies that they get.

Maybe this forum is better than some, maybe worse. As one poster recently, brilliantly, said, some people want to “throw their toys from their pram” and sulk off when told things they don’t want to hear.

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Yes, I realize this is an Internet forum and people have opinions.

I’m saying that when I explicitly ask for advice, I would like concrete, applicable suggestions on solutions, NOT opinions. It’s just that simple.

And in particular, I was looking for advice on this particular case and situation. I wasn’t interested in broad, sweeping judgments and opinions that have no point and no use other than making the commenter feel good for expressing it.

I’m sorry… that last bit just made me snort my coffee a bit.

Please! Hold on all sweeping opinions and only give exact advice.

That’s a good one. I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone make that request before. :grinning:

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I hope you didn’t choke on your coffee, and I’m sorry you have difficulty differentiating between “useful advice” and “useless opinions.”

Posters here very clearly delineate between those two requests. Sometimes they just want to rant. Sometimes they are clearly asking for opinions. And sometimes they specifically want problem-solving and solutions.

Your personal opinion is not necessarily contributing to a problem-solving process. I realize that you’re a “leader” here in the forum, but you are not an exception to this.

Side note: Your snark and sarcasm, as amusing and cathartic it may be for you, isn’t helpful either, nor does it contribute to a healthy community.

I don’t get it. I went back and read your entire post. At the end you said

Then when people did just that you rejected it. You can’t use other platforms, you can’t stop hosting multiple guests in multiple rooms, you can’t get additional security cameras, you can’t check in guests personally.

I’m trying to determine what you want advice about. Use of other platforms should you be suspended or delisted from airbnb is out. I made very specific suggestions about your security and that of your home and future guests should the husband use his knowledge of your home and your never being there to his advantage.

You’ve reported the harassment to Airbnb and they have escalated it. If the guests retaliate with a bad review you can probably have it removed. They actually did you a favor in doing that because if they had just gone to Airbnb and reported you for discrimination you’d probably not get Airbnb’s support.

People took their time to give advice after you specifically asked for it and then you dismissed it all as “useless.” You reject the truth that advice and opinions are in fact one and the same. You don’t have a problem that can be solved here.

I do have one other suggestion: quit doing Airbnb and get 4 roommates. If you get kicked off Airbnb that will be your only option and it would solve many of your other concerns about security and privacy.

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Why ask for advice on how to ensure you know who every guest is who is booked into your Airbnbs’ and exactly what they look like? Then when you are offered advice - reject everyones suggestions and advice out of hand without so much as a thank you.

Of course it is possible to personally check in guests through a co-host if you are not available to do self check in.

You would of course have to sacrifice some of your profit, but surely if knowing the identify of all your guests is so important to you, this is a small price to pay.

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Scolding a mod now are we? You have some nerve.

I have helped, given my time and assistance and you rant at me now. Goodbye to you. I won’t be answering any more of your posts and I am sure others feel the same.

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Love this! Comment of the day. I will be scrolling by anything this guy asks. Love the scroll feature.

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Not that you’d care about any of my useless advice, but you could get a ring video doorbell and find a way to disable the sound of the bell. Then you request that any newly arriving guest ring that bell , which would allow you to communicate with them, since you get notification on your cell phone. You could then ask them to hold up their I.D., for their and all the other guest’s security.

They do have a Ring video doorbell. That seems like a good idea about the ID but when you are too busy to even meet most your guests that might not work.

Just thought that if the time isn’t there to actually meet the guest, the next step would be to stay where you are. but being able to communicate via cellphone/ring which takes less time and they don’t have to go to the property.

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I think your idea is a great one.

No, I didn’t dismiss everyone’s advice. I appreciate the advice. I was specifically referring to your “opinion,” which is uninformed. As I explained earlier, and will not bother to explain to you further given your general unwillingness to listen and eagerness to find fault, I have to balance my need for the income with the logistics of my situation. That is not “contradicting myself.” That is just he difficult situation I’m in.

That’s a good idea. Maybe I can have people call me when they check in and do a phone introduction. It might humanize me and keep them from acting so awful. :slight_smile:

I did actually thank the people who provided advice. I either commented or “liked” their post.

It looks like you haven’t really read or understood what I said. It also seems like this is a bit of a hive mind. Which isn’t unexpected. But disappointing.