Revenge claim ... guest trying to get back at me

I just had a group of 4 guests stay.
They were very nice and I did my best for them, letting them use my private yoga mat and stuff. No problem.

After they leave I find a broken cup - a rather expensive one - pushed to the back of the cabinet. I wrote and asked them about it - they denied doing it but as I know it was not broken before they came, I filed a claim with airbnb resolution center. As a response they made up 2 bogus claims against me! There are 5 nice sleeping spaces in my place so there is no reason they should use my blow up mattress as they were only 4 guests and they did not pay the extra fee for a 5th guest. Non the less they used my blow up mattress and now they claim it lost air overnight and the one guest apparently hurt her back so badly on the floor that she was in pain for days … They did not mention this before my claim about the cup … and all of a sudden my sink had smelled so bad that one of them were about to get sick from it ???

Guess people will do anything to not have to pay for a broken cup…

Am thinking about making a re-claim or money for extra guests as they must have been more since they used the air mattress … It just makes me so angry!

Its not unusual for guests to break cups, glasses, plates. I would treat is as cost of doing business and let it go. It happened twice this year for me. Try not to leave expensive/sentimental items accessable to guests.

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12 piece dinner set - carelessness chipped a plate…

My last guest took a pair of socks and ignored my messages to return them (brand new CK socks) and destroyed one towel and face washer with make up, offered to pay for the face washer, hid the towel. I provide Clinique (expensive) makeup remover and pads and its in my house manual to use them. What can you do? CODB. I would however just contact Airbnb direct and make a complaint that these claims are retaliatory and ask they be blocked from reviewing you and Air consider blocking them from platform. Make no direct contact with claimants until Airbnb intervenes.

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You don’t say whether this is your house or a separate space. But two things…

You should probably put away anything expensive while you are renting out you spaces; and

Even though the guests probably did it you don’t actually have proof. It may have been the previous ones, so it is a tough one to make a claim on.

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Early on we were surprised to have pillowcases and washcloths ruined by mascara etc.
We thought about providing remover and pads but instead we found a picture of a hag scrubbing on a washboard, and added the caption "Please remove your makeup before retiring, as it’s impossible to remove from our linens and towels."
It is framed and hangs in the bathroom and is also reproduced in the house manual. We have had zero problems since.

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I’m going to print something like this today, my last 3 guests have done it and it’s super annoying and selfish.

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I agree that it is the cost of doing business, like replacing bed sheets and towels every year and Just accept that guests will break a glass or a plate or 2 it happens

I had to buy six mugs, 2 sugar bowls, glass bottles x 3 for water , 6 x glasses just today. These had disappeared slowly over the last year, only one person confessed about breaking a glass. It’s just one of those things when dealing in hospitality. I have a box in each bedroom of supplies you may have forgotten, toothpaste , earplugs, creams, razors etc, I had a Spanish lady two weeks ago who emptied the whole lot and took it with her, reckon she brought them home as presents !!!

I was using a Denby set for breakfast, I could see the mugs going back into room so bought a nice but less expensive breakfast ware. Looks just as nice but 1/4 of the price, remove items that are expensive or mean something to you.

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40 years ago I got a set of Denby stoneware. The color/style has gone out of style and come back in. I wanted to get some additional bowls and got ones at WalMart that match very well and at a fraction of the price. After all these years I’ve only had one plate broken.

The whole point of my apartment is to offer a first class experience in design and everything, so I do have very expensive things and people know that. I believe thats why they chose my place over others. Many of my guests are indeed designers and the like them selves.

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The point of my story is that they made up revenge bogus claims to get back at me for my rather fair claim …

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It’s really crazy that someone who could afford such a nice place would not simply pay for the cup and be done with it.

I have stayed at two very nice rentals in the past year. One was a 5 bedroom, 4 bath luxury home. Yet both had minor shortfalls that I could have pointed out. (Like light fixtures that don’t work.)

While this indeed sounds like a revenge claim, make sure the air mattress is in good repair and that your drains don’t smell bad.

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I do hope you messaged to her asking where they were?

Choosing to provide high end items does increase the cost of breakages that IMO are the cost of hosting. Personally, I find no attraction in designer accommodations. I find it hard to reconcile “first class” and an air mattress in the same sentence.

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ha ha ha
Yes I do see the point of the air mattress and it is only there as an added thing - if the guests want to squeeze an extra person in beyond what I recommend. Thats part of the problem here - they paid for only 3 guests and so had absolutely no need for / reason to use the air mattress unless they broke my rules and had “secret guests” ….

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Isn’t there a chance that they just did not want to share a bed? Our adult sons won’t share a bed, but don’t mind sharing a bedroom.

Nope :slight_smile:

2 beds and a couch no reason to use mattress …. and they were 3 girlfriends traveling together ……

Someone may have preferred the air mattress to the couch.

I’m not defending their review, just pointing out that the use of an air mattress you provide is not proof that they had extra people.

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I would definitely op for an air mattress after many a crook neck from a fell-asleep on the couch night and I’ve NEVER slept on a comfy pull-out sofa. Also given the divorce rate, and the unexpected stress of a family holiday, it’s not so unexpected one would want a separate bed after a little trip tiff :joy: