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You seem under the impression that the story a guest tells you in order to get you to accommodate them must be true. Unless the Airbnb account shows a photo of them both, for all you know, they were just looking for a place to have an affair and they live locally and have spouses.
I agree that not refunding at all is hard nose -it’s not like their booking blocked off your calendar for a week and you missed out on other bookings. And keeping the entire payment is not something they would just accept- they would end up calling Airbnb and making some bogus complaint about cleanliness or something as to why they had to leave. Then they’d get refunded anyway and leave a bad review.
@Skai, were they carrying one of those umbrellas with the poison needle at the end ?
For the record, if someone checks in and then wants to leave 30 minutes later, I’m keeping the cleaning fee and the first night’s rate and then wishing them well so that I don’t have to know what the heck is going on with them. Not my job man.
No, I don’t believe everything I am told, but I’m not as ignorant as you suggest. I’m the one that spoke with them for 15 or so minutes. They were from an IL town where I lived 40 years ago.
But I tell you, these two Super-Elaborate Scammers did it so well… they rented a $100/day Jeep to make them look like tourists and even better, they made and atttached phony luggage tags that looked so real!
The part I don’t get is, what was/is about to be scammed from me?
Getting to use the facilities for free? Maybe their friend whose unacceptable condo they left texted them saying he’d make sure it got cleaned, or whatever the issue was. Or said “Hey, you can stay at my buddy’s place then, for free, it’s really nice and he’s out of town- I have a spare key and he’ll be happy to have someone there to keep an eye on things”.
Who knows what their shtick was. It just is weird that they didn’t give any explanation as to why they changed their minds if that condo was so unacceptable 30 minutes previous that they were ready to book another place for a week.
If it were a direct booking, guests could possibly learn a lesson by not being refunded. But when dealing with Airbnb, all a guest has to do is make up some complaint about why the place was unacceptable and some clueless CS rep will refund them, so usually what guests who are intent on scamming learn is that it works.
No, I didn’t miss that at all. You asked what possible scam the guests could have had in mind booking for a week, entering the space, messing up the bed and cancelling. They didn’t know when they did that that you were going to charge them for one night, right? They could have thought they could use the facilities and then demand a full refund for some reason.
I’m not saying these guests had some nefarious plan, and you don’t seem to think they did. Maybe they’re just flakey and can’t decide what they want to do.
Maybe. But since they are not at the listing, it does not matter what is in their heads, it is not the host’s concern. Contrary to popular belief, the Airbnb host’s job does end somewhere
@Skai When you say they messed up the bed, I thought you meant they sat or reclined on it, but you mean to say they got under the covers? That is sketchy, but…
I will admit there’s some much “scam/not a scam” interwoven in this thread I got a little lost. For what it’s worth, I think you handled it well. I also would not want someone in my home for 7 days who did not wish to be there (a 4-star review waiting to happen). The cleaning fee and 1 night (even if that is not your min. booking) is good and hopefully, you did not lose potentially bookable days (i.e. you have a min. number of days between stays, for example, due to Covid).
it was only half an hour, so they must have been around my age, because you would have to include getting undressed and then dressed again within the 30 minutes …
This a.m. I got a inquiry from a traveling nurse asking if my rental was available right then. I told her no, had a guest and he might not be gone till noon.
Just now got the weirdest one yet, someone that lives here that said she’d “be willing to book tonight and tomorrow but has her two potty trained little service dogs with her”.
Two things, I usually require 48 hours notice and she wants to come now (7 pm) and I do not accept dogs.
I know, I know, service dogs. But, 2 little potty trained ones, BS.
Told her I cannot accommodate her as I usually require 48 hours notice. Rental’s not ready, end of story.
Some people are totally fricken weird.
Since when does one person require 2 service dogs? I don’t think that’s a “thing”.
Anyone who refers to their dogs as “potty trained” is likely not someone with a service dog. Dogs don’t use potties- it’s called housebroken. Dog owners who say “two potty trained little service dogs” just want to bring their pets, who they treat like babies. If they truly were service dogs, “potty trained” i.e. housebroken, wouldn’t be mentioned. It’s inherent in the designation “service dog”.
