Hello- anyone know my rights here and how to review such a guest?
Guest booked 2 nights - came- messed up bed covers, used hand towels/bathroom and left asking for full refund saying it was “humid”. (if you turn on the air conditioner place cools down in 5 min which they didn’t). She said she couldn’t take a chance with her asthma- … She proceeded to complain to airbnb that it wasn’t up to her standards- fabricating- there was a “smell like water infiltration- like mushrooms”!!! 3 prior guests loved our place and said they want to return next year. This is a complete lie what she said. Then she said the floor was slanted- (its a cottage and there is a small slant to kitchen floor- she took a picture on an angle to exaggerate the slant- making it look like the crooked house of horrors, lol)… Then she managed to find about an inch of dirt- which I almost believe she put there- near some old cupboard- cause i sweep, vaccum and mop between each guest and go around with cloths to pick up specs everywhere - so almost doubt this was there- as most guest remark on how clean our place is.
airbnb sends me the $ - says case is closed- then next day says they are taking the $ back and giving her a full refund.
-while this went down she wrote me a message- that she will give me a small partial payment as a compromise if I return her message by a certain time and she won’t “write me up in a review”.
-but airbnb meantime- gave her a full refund- so she of course said she’s not giving me anything. (and will probably give me a terrible review)
-Am I not entitled to any fee- for a guest who booked my calendar and decides on a whim she doesn’t like the place (and fabricates lies to get a full refund) and will probably give me a low review out of spite? - she messed up bed covers, ?! used hand towels/bathroom - etc etc.
And how would you review this guest who told me “she never gets anything less than a 5 from hosts”… and never experienced such a thing.
-my place is very cute, very clean and right on the ocean. Her exaggerations of how terrible it is - is really insulting …
I don’t know your rights, or your odds, on trying to get your money back. I’m sorry this happened to you, but keep in mind that some guests are jerks with unreasonable expectations and some are just cheaters.
Review: “Guest used the bathroom and messed up the beds, then claimed our place was dirty, smelly, and decrepit. Guest then left, less than an hour (?) after arriving, and demanded a refund of her entire 2-night stay. I do the cleaning and everything was in tip-top order when I left one hour [?] before she arrived.”
Rate her one star. At a minimum, she is supposed to give you a chance to rectify any faults such as a little bit of dirt.
I don’t think there is anything in there that can be denied. It’s stating the facts. No conjecture on whether she planned it or not.
I would add a line at the end of that review suggestion- “Please see our other reviews for an accurate description of previous guests’ experiences here”.
good idea. and when she counters back in a snotty way?
can i say guest was condescending, threatening with a bad review if I didn’t refund her money?
Thank you some very good ideas here. So should I refrain from saying guest was condescending, demanding, exaggerated flaws and asked for a refund or threatened she would “write me up in a review” - or should I try to stay away from escalating matters? lol…
If that message about responding in time or she’ll write you up was on Airbnb messaging, then I think you have a reasonable shot of claiming inappropriate behavior bordering on extortion. I would bring it up with Airbnb and claim extortion. If that was not on the Airbnb app, then I think the other advice is about all you can do.
I believe the guest can respond to your review (and you can respond to her review) but it stops there, at least publicly.
Vent all you want with us and to your friends/family. Be professional in your review of her and don’t let her drag you down to her level.
yes it was on airbnb…
thanks… you’re right… I do expect her to retaliate in a review but I may be able to get it taken down -based on the fact that she did say she would write me up unless i gave her a refund which may be against the rules…
Condescending, demanding, and exaggerating" are subjective judgements of someone’s behavior, so yes, you should refrain from those kinds of comments. However, saying she threatened to leave a bad review if you didn’t refund her, as long as she said that in an Airbnb message, so you can back it up, is simply a fact, which other hosts would want to know, so I wouldn’t shy away from saying that.
If she starts sending you nasty messages, don’t respond, just block her.
So if she offered you a $$$ compromise on the Airbnb chat, it sounds like her credibility just flew right out of the window. I would be on the pone with host support non-stop if she wrote that to me. Absolutely disrespectful. Clearly shows her character and intentions.
The problem is that Airbnb is quite lenient when it comes to accepting fake evidence, and its decisions often seem to be made not by human reviewers, but perhaps by a yet poorly trained AI system. Depending on the country where the STR is located and the applicable local regulations, property owners can appeal Airbnb’s incorrect decisions through Small Claims Court or Consumer Protection agencies.
do you give out your phone number? i’m old fashioned and only have airbnb on my computer- so check it regularly- and tell guests in an emerg- you can call my phone for prompt attention… but now i’m wondering if giving out my phone can be hazardous.
I strongly advise you to use a separate phone number for renting. Keep your personal number private.
In my welcome message when they book it asks them to send me a special code to my business phone number so that I see that they’ve read my incoming message and I also get the actual number they have. It’s very stressful if the only way I can communicate with a guest is through the Airbnb app since if there out and about, they may not look at their app for days. However, they’ll always answer their phone and if somebody needs to be contacted quickly, that’s the best way to do it.
A second line to your phone may be as little as $25 a month and can be set up so the guests don’t have your home number if that’s a problem for you.
Your phone number is visible to guests as soon as a booking is confirmed, as theirs is to you.
I’ve never had an issue with guests abusing the phone call, sms or whatsapp messages they can use to communicate with me. In fact, it’s the only way that works well for my guests to let me know when they are boarding the bus at the airport, and again when they arrive at the local bus depot (I pick them up).
Internet can go out here, and many of my guests don’t have phone data, and I don’t want to have to sign in and check my Airbnb messages to see if they’ve arrived at the bus depot, and I need to see that info immediately.
As a homeshare host, I actually use whatsapp a lot with my guests. If I’m out at the grocery store, I might message, asking if they want me to pick anything up for them.
And as I only host solo travellers, some female guests like to msg. me to let me know they are on their way back from town (which is a 20 min. walk), especially after dark, for safety reasons. (If half an hour went by and they still weren’t back, I’d go look for them).
okay thanks - i thought that was true- they get my phone automatically- I’ve never seen where I can see their’s- but I guess it’s in there somewhere… I don’t make alot with my airbnb- its only 2 months of summer people rent here- so not wanting to pay for extra phone lines/or extra phone data if I can get buy without it…
On the desktop version (I don’t use the app), you see the guest’s phone number on their profile and booking info to the right of the message stream with them.
It’s easy to miss- it’s in tiny grey font.
I don’t have a separate business phone number either.
I’ve been thinking for a couple of minutes about that but I can’t see how it can be?
I communicate with my guests via whatever method they prefer and probably 80% of the time that’s the phone.
I very much agree with @ola - it’s best if hosts can have a dedicated phone or phone line. (I remember a few years ago,. when we still took our computers on our travels, that between the two of us we’d have five phones, two laptops and one iPad. Bonkers. )
Guests don’t look at their phones as much as hosts do and some, who have booked on their computer, haven’t even downloaded the app so much as Airbnb would like us all to keep communication on their message system, it’s just not practical.