Unrealistic expectations from guests!

This is more of a rant than anything else but don’t you find guests have unrealistic expectations? Just had a guest review mentioning that we don’t have a coffee press. I mean this isn’t even in my description and secondly how many people actually own one of these??? If he wanted one, then he should’ve stayed at a coffee shop instead.

Another review complained that my listing was inaccurate and then mentioned that my kitchen didn’t have enough pots and pans. I mean if it’s not listed, then it’s not going to be there!

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I’ve had a few but in private feedback. One recent one said that we should have a coffee machine, We do, Another said that we should supply washcloths. There are four in the bathroom.

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I think a coffee press is pretty standard. You can buy them for a fiver over here. But yeah I get the gist of what you’re saying and I agree.

I guess it’s a culture thing. I live in Scotland and none of my friends or family have one at home so I wouldn’t know how to operate one.

I mean I stayed at 2 air bnbs and they didn’t even have a TV. Nevertheless still gave them 5 stars.

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Do you have some other way of making coffee? If not , you might want to get either a French press AKA cafetiere or a coffee machine.

Coffee making equipment is one of the first things I check in a listing. But I would never ding someone for not having it in the listing. I would just bring my own French press.

Petty of those guests to leave it in a review. On the other hand, future guests will disregard and roll their eyes at someone who publicly complained about a French press or lack thereof.

You know there is a whole Yelp page about those clods who were disappointed in the Mona Lisa (" it is smaller than we had hoped") or those who think the Taj Mahal is just "so dated.":rofl:

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@Gary_Woohoo - relax mon; chill a bit.

I really don’t think guests have “unrealistic expectations”. Some people think that their way of doing things are laws of nature. They will eventually learn different, be patient with fools. You can’t have everything; and you can’t cure stupid. Ignore it.

Coffee press? Is that the same as a French Press? I wouldn’t know what to do with it and couldn’t care less.

You say someone complained that your listing wasn’t accurate. In what respect? Is that the reference to not enough pots, or is that a separate issue?

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Unlike some of the awesome hosts here…I run into guests with unrealistic expectations also.
Fortunately, most are either in private feedback or directly to me.
Once had a guest (who admitted she would never ever be an ABB host cause ‘it’s crazy’) tell me that I should turn the little room in the upstairs portion of the house where guests stay (that has a sign on saying, NO GUEST ACCESS), into a mini kitchen/reading room for guests. She even showed me links to things such as a mini-frig’s and toaster ovens, and suggested I move the comfortable chair from the shared living room downstairs up there.
I have many guests who are extremely careless in their cleanliness in the shared kitchen, so that is just never going to happen, as I"m not going to allow my upstairs be filled with crumbs and food.

I dont have one , i dont even know what it is.
With that said, i kind of listen to what my guests suggest. I disregard the stupid one like “coffeepress”, but i go along with those who few guests expressed they would want to have. As any business Airbnb needs some investment. Considering that we started it all with almost zero investment its still a good deal.

Over 2+ years i host i put TVs in every room, bought microwave (never used one), put irons in each room to avoid constant requests, put more pillows, bought extra dressers for longer term guests. Now i am thinking of putting fridge and microwave in each room, as there is too much comotion on a kitchen and there were people who take other’s food.

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It’s a cafetière in Europe; in America it’s called a French press.

I think i saw one in my father’s house when i visited last year

If people put things like a coffee press in a public review it’s quite hilarious and only reflects on them.

Everything put in private feedback should be seen as well meant feedback and a chance to improve your service. Whether the proposed improvements are feasible is of course entirely up to you, but I would never mind anything in private feedback.

Me, as a guest or client, also like to give constructive criticism, but I will only do it if I like the business / business owner. Think of a restaurant: Sometimes things just go a little bit wrong with the food. As the owner of that restaurant what kind of client would you prefer when asking how the food was?
A) The client who says with a big smile that everything was good, but that will never be seen again?
B) The client who tells you his honest view on things and criticizes, but who is also giving you the opportunity for improvement and who will return to give it another try?

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I had a recent review where we got nice comments and 5 stars in everything and only 4 stars overall. Why? “Because of the stairs.”. My listing title is “Upstairs Apartment” and right at the beginning of the description is “Note: This is an upstairs apartment with no elevator.”

I also had a guest who was a light sleeper who kept booking our downstairs room in the same 2-story building. If he heard a single noise from overhead or from the other two occupants after 8pm we’d get a 4-star review. Finally I asked him, you know there will be noise so why do you keep booking here? Answer: Because it suits my purpose. One night the guest got mad at one of the students (who also shared the apt) who was making himself a midnight milkshake and hid the blender in his room until checkout day. That one actually made me laugh.

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That’s cleared up yet another confusion for this Yorkshirewoman in the USA. Who would think that I’ve been here for over twenty years? :slight_smile:

We have both a coffee machine and a cafetiere. No guests have ever asked me how to use the coffee maker. Which is weird to me because it’s a complicated Bosch machine and I have to look at the instructions every time I use it.

But yet I’ve had a few guests who have asked me how to use the cafeitiere which I always thought was sort of obvious. Cultural differences … :slight_smile:

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Ummmm surely a cafetière is the simplest way to make real coffee??

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I think that French presses are probably more popular in Europe than electric coffee makers because European houses (especially in the cities) tend to be smaller with less counter space in the kitchen. I don’t have a French press as I think the coffee tastes bad if you don’t drink it right away. I think it’s reasonable for guests to expect to be able to make coffee in an Airbnb unless the listing states that there is no way to make coffee. I don’t think it’s reasonable for guests to dictate which style of coffee maker the host should provide.

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You do understand the OP, if he doesn’t have a French press, doesn’t have a way to make coffee? He’s in Scotland …

By the way coffee machines are very popular in Europe… the cafetière is really almost exclusive to Britain where for some reason we don’t make coffee using countertop filter style machines …

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The original poster said that he is not familiar with French presses, so I assumed that he makes coffee with a different style of coffee maker.

“I guess it’s a culture thing. I live in Scotland and none of my friends or family have one at home so I wouldn’t know how to operate one.”

It appears that it’s pretty inexpensive to buy an electric coffee maker in Scotland.

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I love my press. Easiest way to make coffee. I’m using it right now.

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A cafetiere costs £5. I’m willing to place a bet that there is no coffee on offer apart from instant…a cafetière is a far more common item in a British kitchen than an electric coffee maker, which here would be like having a pizza oven.

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