Sympathetic situational discounting?

42

I think the original poster has a legitimate request from people who really are suffering, but regarding the other post, about someone with a sick child, who then wanted the host to match someone else’s price, and complained about the pillows, etc?

There are sociopaths among us- not the stabby stabby kind, but the ones incapable of seeing the world from anyone else’s eyes, and with no empathy or moral compass. And those folks wouldn’t think twice about telling you a lie about a dying child, if they thought it would save them 20 bucks.
They really are out there, and statistically, we’re going to run into them as guests. Side note, they make really good business people, and excellent CEOs, because they just don’t care about anything other than their own interests.

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43

And as hosts. …

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44

My PEOPLE!!! Yippee. I’m a big ole sap. (But I do have a touch of red neck B)

There are so many hard hearted people in this world, no one should criticize someone for showing kindness.

45

Who are you talking about here? Can’t be me but it seems that you and @JJD seem to imply it’s me?

If you are you owe me an apology. I’m now triple-vaxxed.

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46

Many apologies, then. I guess I confused your handle with someone else’s.

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47

Apologies. It did sound like that is where you were going with it, I couldn’t imagine what you meant otherwise. Covid times. Sorry again.

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48

Thanks. I’m very direct so always happy to answer directly.

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Appreciate it. It really had nothing to do with Covid. I’m more private than most about personal stuff and many many times I’ve been astounded at what people share about themselves or others. I’m definitely not part of the oversharing trend so prevalent now.

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50

Alcohol is probably involved then that typing occurs.:wine_glass::wine_glass:

51

I don’t get my knickers in a twist if people ask for a discount, it doesn’t hurt to ask. But I don’t give them.

If it’s someone I’m sympathetic towards, such as a disabled vet or funeral attendee, I provide a gift tote with local goodies.

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52

I did get upset 1x by this. It wasn’t the asking for this discount that did me in. It was the how & why, followed by persistent pushing including changing dates to get around a declination.

53

For our listings (and many others that I know of from our peers), it can indeed hurt the would-be guest to ask. The moment they ask, we decline to host 50/50 straight up depending on how they ask. At a minimum, we’ll say “I don’t think our listing is a fit for you” (or similar) and we give the guest a chance to win us over as the conversation progresses.

I understand the position of “it doesn’t hurt to ask” but at the same time, the guest is still communicating that they feel the listing isn’t worth it. So if the guest doesn’t think your listing is worth the price that you thoughtfully published, then how can the home be worth it later when they end up paying “too much” seeing as you didn’t give the discount?

I’ll leave you with this interesting exchange from only a few days ago. We did decide to host them! But we hope that based on this interaction, they aren’t PITAs when they get there!

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54

That seems like a lot of work and a lengthy interaction.

I just say, “Sorry, we can’t provide a discount. Let us know if you are still interested in booking.”

If they persist, “Although we cannot discount, there are a number of Airbnbs in the area that might meet your budget and short term stay needs. Safe travels.”

Mic drop.

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55

Tough love.

That’s why I’m on here! I’m aware I work too hard on some things and I’m trying to get better on it.

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56

Yeah, man. That was exhausting to even read, much less write :sweat_smile:.

God bless your patience. I bet they were (will be) great guests, but I would have been happier to let that day go empty then have that “conversation”.

But I’m tired as this year is wrapping up so my patience is in short supply :grimacing:. Plus it helps this isn’t my main source of income so I’m less inclined to mess with “mess”.

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We just say to the guest “our prices are set after a great deal of thought, and we do not offer impromptu discounts. The nice thing about Airbnb is that guests coming to this area have a huge variety of choices, and I am sure you will be able to find a property elsewhere that provides you with the right combination of amenities, ambience and price. In the meantime, thank you for your inquiry, and I am sorry that we are unable to meet your needs.”

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58

anyone who feels the need to namedrop their college like that would be a redflag to me. Hope it went well! you never know with people how it’s going to work out. sometimes the troublesome ones in the chat turn out to be great.

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Interesting the different perspectives—I think the reason the reason they mentioned UCLA & MBA was to convey they were responsible people. You can’t succeed in a competitive program if you are a party-person.

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Sure you can. My youngest daughter was really good at that. Plug away responsibly all week, party hearty on the weekend.

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@gillian Resolution update! They were actually lovely guests (you had a good feeling about them, I could tell - and you were right!).

They acknowledged all of our communications and didn’t ask a single question that hadn’t already been answered. They told us how spectacular the place was in chat (gives you the confidence to review them right away) and then left us a wonderful review as well.

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