We will "ruin your reputation" if you don't

After about 2-3 hours after check-in guests (tourists, international, couple in their 30s) say they’re leaving – the place was not as they expected. I ask them to tell me why - I’ve listed every single detail of what is on offer and what to expect. They mumble and say they didn’t like the feel of it.

They then ask for a refund, I tell them to hit the Cancel button online first thing, which they do, and then I tell them I’ll speak to Airbnb and let them know. They start to insist, I tell them I can’t commit, it also to some extent depends on who else books the two nights now left vacant.

Guy appears really angry - he says he “would rather not ruin [my] reputation” in the review, so I better think of refunding them, ending with a stern-sounding “got it?”. And leave in a huff.


I spoke to Airbnb right after (guests had said they’d spoken to them before talking to me, but Airbnb said they had made no contact.)

The Customer Support guy was supportive, and his answer reasonable: it’s my full discretion to refund or not. If they leave a libellous review violating T&C, it’ll be removed. I got him to give it writing too.

I need a stiff one (drink that is!)

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What a nasty piece of work!

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Their plans probably changed and they had to leave. This was an attempt to get money back when they knew they weren’t entitled to get a refund. If there was a valid reason your place was uninhabitable, they would have told you.

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I hope you have this on tape! Extortion is a clear violation of the TOS. You don’t owe the punk a penny…er… pence.

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How very unpleasant for you @Astaire :frowning:
What a complete :eggplant: (I’m told that’s the correct emoji these days).
Good to know that airbnb have been supportive, in principle anyway.

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Mag you cracked me up and yes I read the emoji as you meant it! Wonder why it wasn’t a cucumber :wink:

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I did swither between the two vegetables, it’s true. But in the end I went with aubergine/eggplant because I dislike it even more than cucumber :smile:

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Personally, I like eggplant. Which I usually call brinjal, though. I also like cucumber. Both suitably prepared, of course.

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Nasty nasty bullying knob head. Well done. That warrants more than one stiff drink!

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You did exactly what I’d have done, right on ;)!

A thoroughly unpleasant experience, I imagine you want no further contact with them now - but presumably he’ll pester you about that refund. Let’s hope he’s stupid enough to continue threatening you through the message thread!

An idea just occurred to me - if you have his mobile number, block him on Whatsapp so he can’t contact you there.

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What a nasty bully!
Please tell me you’re going to give him the 'ol thumbs down business. It’ll be justice served that his rep is the one suffering major damage - and some relief to know that this jerk won’t be able to instant book :slight_smile:

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Got a call from a different Airbnb CS an hour later who says those guests had called Airbnb to tell them that I had promised a refund, so where is it.

I said I hadn’t committed to any refund, please tell them so once more.


Good points. In hindsight I think too it’s likely they had a change of plan. They came here from a (much prettier) neighbouring town and they said how beautiful it was. And before they left the guy even said 'we might now just go back to [that town] tomorrow.


There’s times you wish you had certain utterances on tape!
I might have given them something back after a few days, but after that extortion: no way josé no get monae!


It surely helped, I was in a state of shock. When was the last time someone told you “we will ruin your reputation”?

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That’s reassuring. Looking back I was pleased with how I responded too, in the early days I might have given in and groveled. (Thank you Tom Petty RIP!)

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Lordy @KIKC + @Astaire lighten up…

@KKC was clearly being sardonic - making a point about the pointlessness of generalising based on race l!!!

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@Helsi the same can be said of your vehement protests in so many threads in this forum against the slightest hint of generalization by someone made over any other ethnic group apart from this one. What double standards eh!

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What on earth are you talking about @Astaire I haven’t generalised about any ethnic group. Either had @KKC - her comment as you are well aware was relating to the recent posts generalising about Chinese guests.

So what double standards are you talking about?

I would speak out when generalising about any group of guests whether young or old, Christian or Muslim, black or white, disabled or not, lesbian, gay, transgender or hetro-sexual.

After leaving the place, they’ve only got Airbnb to call me to press for the refund. I stood my ground saying I haven’t committed anything at this point.

Of course I wouldn’t want them to contact me. But I’m wondering if to message them at some point (before they leave a review) to tell them that ‘ruining reputations by reviews’ goes both ways.

I’m not decided on that one. Thoughts welcome.



That’s a technical impossibility as no tengo whatsapp!!

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I know you feel like it but DON’T. It’s sinking to their level and may end up in the removal of your own review.

I think if it comes to that you can mention how you can’t recomend these losers because they threatened to ruin you with a bad review if you didn’t meet their extortive demands. Save it for the review! Leave it at the last second if they don’t leave theirs first.

I wouldn’t talk to them again, even though you feel like it, and who can blame you.

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Maybe he said that in the sudden rage of realization that they wouldn’t get the money back and may later regret it, after reflection that it was indeed their call to have changed the plans and not mine – if they have any conscience.

I’m holding the stiff drink off until the time today’s booking window closes. Which is in 10 minutes lol :wine_glass::wine_glass:

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If their ruining reputations comment isn’t in the Airbnb message thread then that might cast you in a bad light. So if you just want to remind them that you also get to review them, i.e., reviews go both ways, word it carefully. And as a host you’ll recover much faster from a bad review than they will.

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