If they are horrible then I will do that to warn other hosts. But I think even when some guests get a couple of excellent reveiws under their belt…they can get comfortable and then think the rules don’t apply to them.
I just sent yesterday’s checkout an email. I was soooo pissed yesterday! He came through VRBO and thanks to you guys I decided to write him an email. I cannot even explain the huge huge huge difference that my house notes/rules have made over time. The guy even had his daughter write a lovely note and leave a $30 tip. They weren’t horrible guests but I think so many things happened because the guy who booked did not speak English! That is no excuse, but I do want to tap into the Black and Hispanic community. We don’t get many in this neck of the woods, and I know those communities are fairly tight. This is what I wrote to him:
"Hi XXXXX,
I refunded the damage deposit so you should have it in your account within a week. This is the address for your daughter to mail back the magazines: XXXXXXXX. She only needs to mail back the 2016 June/July issues and the collector edition magazine that has Drew Barrymore on the cover.
XXXX was able to fix the toilet. I believe that is why the water was running low yesterday morning. When I was cleaning I went to flush the upstairs toilet and it was making a very loud sound. XXXX thinks someone may have tugged on the rope too hard. I am not sure. But he said if the toilet was running all night then that would most likely be why the water in the well was low.
Also, I know your daughter mentioned you do not speak English. I wish I would have known this, as I would have told her to be sure to read everyone in the group the house notes. The grill was not left clean after each use. XXXX did spend an hour and had to purchase oven cleaner just to get the grill cleaned. The house notes document states that the grill is supposed to be cleaned after each use. I was very disappointed to find out that nobody read the house notes at all. The bears in our area is very a serious issue right now, and our guests cannot leave anything outside that will attract them. Once the bear finds food, the bear will keep returning. Regardless of bears, the grill is supposed to be kept clean after using each time.
We would still be happy for you to visit again. However, we do need all guests to read the entire house rules and departure checklist. All members of the party are supposed to read it. In the house notes it also states that we must be notified immediately of any issues so that XXXX can fix them immediately. Probably one of the kids broke the toilet and didn’t say anything. But they need to tell you so that we can come and fix it right away. Our guests checking in yesterday never would have been able to check in on time at 4. It is very important that the next guests can check in on time. The only reason the guests did not show up on time is becasue they got lost.
I hope you all come back again but I felt I needed to express how important our house notes are and all guests need to abide by them.
Thanks."
The guy really did love the place and they did try to do a nice favor and wash the towels they used. They hardly used any towels at all and I think they washed ours with theirs. My house notes says not to do any laundry belonging to the cabin. Luckily there were no stains on them.
Then I noticed that all the magazines on the coffee table were gone. There was a separate stack of old magazines with a note saying to take them home if they want. Well I don’t know if someone took the magazine pile and placed them on top, but only the current issues were gone. What happed is they asked for permission for an adiult daughter and boyfriend to join them the last two nights because they wanted her to see the place. They did pay the extra guests fee but I have a feeling they may have caused the problems and one of the daughters was the one who took the magazines. The other daughter offered to mail them back to me.