Absolutely. That right there is the violation of the rental agreement. I would have called Air exactly then and said Get her out or re-House her. She isn’t staying here. No refund.
THANK YOU. I often get disapproving looks from my friends about my Nest security camera. Are you kidding me? My very first guest on Airbnb brought a bunch of friends with her who were NOT on the agreement and then had the balls to complain to me that she couldn’t find extra bedding. I was so green I didn’t say right then and there she was in the wrong. Since then I have seen dogs not pre-approved, butylene torches and guests from other vacation rental platforms, not my own.
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Is shyster Emma still active?
Thanks I just used your security reasons no extra guests. I had one guest show up with friends and wanted to throw a BBQ!he asked for a BBQ, but never once mentioned friends coming with him when he checked in. I was pissedd to say the least. I changed my policy but I like your wording lol
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The plot thickens…
So, after hearing nothing back from the guest, or her daughter, since yesterday, I sent an Airbnb message to the guest (the mom) this morning, stating:
Hi D,
After checking my security log, it appears that you never entered the apartment. I will consider this entire matter closed.
Natalie
At 7:30 this evening, I receive something back from the guest (the mom)–the first interaction I’ve received from her in three weeks:
Hi Natalie, I assume your security log is on the fritz because we most assuredly entered the apartment. I could not stay there because 1) the heat for me was unbearable and you told us we could not adjust it. 2) When we walked in the front door there is a very, very strong odor that smells like dog urine or cat urine. Those are the two biggest issues. I could not stay for health reasons.
I’m sorry Natalie, as I’m sure you are that this had to happen. I truly did not have a choice. However, I know that you and Stephen need to be compensated for your time. That is why we accepted your offer to refund us for the second night. Thank you.
D
At no point did I say she could not turn on the air. I say in the house rules please don’t adjust the heat in the winter because it’s radiant heat. There are three ac units in the apartment that you are free to run at will. And if she is referencing my house rules, the very next line is “Please let us know if you are too hot or cold and we’ll be happy to accommodate your preferences.” And everywhere else I just say to turn off the ac when you depart.
There hasn’t been a dog or cat in that apartment in over two years. The place doesn’t smell, we’ve had 250 guests since 2014 and no one has ever said that. Our current guests are happy as clams! And no comment on what “wasn’t like the photos.”
Ugh. Sometimes…
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I’m calling air in the morning. I just hate the consternation of this.
Ah, now it all comes into focus! It was your “hood” they didn’t like! Which sounds just like MY hood here in the lesbian/gay capital of the free world. How very funny. It’s too bad they just couldn’t come out and say it instead of all the b.s.
Regardless of whatever she now says her “issue” was, the fact is that it was either 1. user error, or 2. nonexistent.
Tell me if there is a problem. I don’t have 5 stars for communication for no reason.
She’s treated our home even worse than a hotel…because no hotel I know of would entertain your refund request for the previous day 8 hours after checkout.
Will update later…
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All I can think of (if they are telling the truth) is that they opened the door, walked in, the hot room (unless you already had the A/C’s on cooling it) made it smell stuffy and the old cat/dog smell was apparent. Some people are very sensitive to smells. That could have been enough!??
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I live upstairs. I have a very sensitive nose. There are no smells. The place was aired out before they arrived. I was there just prior to when she “says” they “checked in.”
Believe me, I’ve smelled some nasty stuff down there. I get the fans blowing, air circulator on, you name it. They were just nasty folks. I am a good host. This has me bent up.
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Well it sounds like a scam then, especially as we know how hard it is to prove smells! and how one persons ‘bad’ smell is another persons ‘nothing’ smell.
Do you usually meet and great or do more self entrys? I guess for future the meet and greet would avoid this type of scammer, but even then they probably would have come up with something after you’ve shown them through. Sorry you’re having to deal with this, I hope it ends in your favour.
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@Natalie They know that it is impossible to prove “smells” one way or the other. Such scammers! I just spent some time researching your issue (because – if it came up for you, it will come up for all of us, sooner or later). Nothing official regarding the subject of smells officially from Airbnb. I found a BS Airbnb reply to a bogus mold smell complaint that said something like, maybe they did smell mold; take a white rag and wipe all the surfaces. My only suggestion is to find an irreputable witness who will attest to no smells (I have no idea who that would be or how to find such a person), or ten of your friends to attest. Or, look back on your prior reviews – does anyone say anything about how clean your place smells? My last guest did, thank goodness, as now I will always be able to reference back to her messages (where she asked me how I made the house smell so clean – which was really a combination of fabric softener and bleach). The bottom line is that Airbnb would logically side with the person with the most documentation, so that’s what you must do. I wish you the best of luck. Please keep us posted. What a bummer.
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just saw this, does this mean she’s now dropping her request for refund?
Oh no, no other communication from her at all.
She thanked me for my offer, which I made before I realized she was never even here. The only reason I offered it in the first place is because I know that no guest is better than a bad guest.
I am very proud to have very positive reviews and very few minor complaints, and I just wanted this person to leave if they found it so deplorable.
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Yup, she found another place to stay. Simple as that.
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I just…sometime I hate this “business” we’re all in. After so many uneventful–AWESOME–guests…lessons learned.
To be so hoodwinked like this makes me sad.
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Yeah - it’s really hard. The hospitality business involves a big chunk of our heart!!! Hang in there. Keep us posted.
It is the same everywhere, in all relationships with humans. There will always be a relatively small percentage who will disappoint for one reason or another. I have found in my years that, cliche as it is, almost every dark cloud has a silver lining. Every “bad” guest is an opportunity to learn and improve and make it easier in the future.
I don’t feel personally hurt by guest misbehavior. Most people are just looking out for what they see as their short term best interests. They don’t know us, they aren’t out to get us. It’s not that they don’t respect us, it’s that they respect themselves more. If someone connects with you and likes you they probably won’t take advantage of your kindness. If they do, then there was no connection there and you should be grateful they only came into your life for a few nights.
Learn from them and find your satisfaction in the lesson, not the person.
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This is a fascinating tale. Really loving the suspense.
So what’s the upshot? Do you think she actually ever entered the place? Did you ever see them?
The one thing I’d say you could have done was have the air conditioners running a bit before they came in, especially on a hot day, so they’d have a comfortable “landing.”
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