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I just had one of these, and it can be a bit nerve wracking. Do I want her $300 bucks badly enough to deal with an unhappy-she-was-“forced”-to-stay guest in my house for 3 days?
Guest told me she’d had a change of plans and wasn’t going to be anywhere near my location, so please cancel her reservation. Of course, told her I can’t cancel, she has to, please do so on the website or call Airbnb. Miraculously, once she figures out she’ll lose her money if she cancels, she’ll be in my neck of the woods after all.
Hi Allison,
I can imagine your frustration, but the problem can go both ways. Last November while traveling through Spain, my wife and I walk out of 2 properties after checking in, although we never bothered asking for a refund, we chalked it up as a lesson learnt.
Firstly I would suggest, if your place is small you mention the floor size in sqm. (Square Metres) to avoid any confusion. I consider anything under 35sq metres to be tight.
Hopefully there is an in-room safe, there should be, as people don’t trust leaving valuables about, and it might be worth putting an internal lock on the door for the guest.
While you may find it to be a personal insult that a guest assumes the worst about security, if you have been the victim of a theft or worse still an attack, then it is natural for guests to feel jumpy and cautious.
It happened to me. The guests thought that the room in our house was actually a separate apartment in the garden. So they walked in and walked out. They had booked for 7 days. We were paid out in accordance with our cancellation conditions.
Right from the very start however I asked Air to not permit a review by the guest or ourselves on the basis that neither of us can honestly answer the questions because as the guest hasn’t stayed we don’t know if they are clean or follow the rules etc.
I do make note of the size in both metric and imperial it’s 440sf/40sm. She didn’t read it.
I considered a safe, but ultimately decided against it. This is a homeshare. If I trust strangers from the internet in my home, they need to put a modicum of trust in me. They have a deadbolt to protect them from the outside world. (the prior owners didn’t even have a key to give me to the front door. they never locked it)
I can’t imagine having a safe without some kind of “master key” to override someone’s lost passcode, so what’s the point of a safe?
Up until the point they, in the same paragraph, made mention of their attorney-ness, threats about my review and “further” problems. She came out guns a’blazing.
I did rebook at a slightly higher rate to a family who, ironically, found their intended place unacceptable. They found mice droppings and no hot water. They complimented me on my beautiful place & yard. Lol. Go figure. Maybe I’m just midwest chic, not NYC chic?
That’s the trouble with beds … people have such different likings and one person’s blissful slumber is another’s bed of nails. Maybe we’re meant to keep a “library” of mattresses and check each guest’s requirements beforehand: will they be wanting soft or firm? Memory foam or box spring? Feather topper or no topper? And let’s not even get started on the choice of bed linen …
I have a queen set of the magnetic topper that was extremely expensive 10-20 years ago (got it for free from some military folks that were moving and were over their weight limit…these things are HEAVY). I always have wondered if I could/should offer it as an upgraded amenity for a fee. Difficult to explain and even more difficult to implement because I’d have to wait to for their response to make their bed. And then where to store them if they didn’t want them…and a lot of work to lift and some days when my back is bad I couldn’t anyways…
Out of my 700+ guests/inquiries only one has asked about the mattress. She specifically said that she didn’t want any kind of foam bed in a box. I replied that my Nest Bedding got rave reviews but she didn’t book. Given their proliferation she probably has to make a lot of inquiries.
I had guests a few weeks ago (I’ve referenced them in another thread, Mr. & Mrs. Perfection) that didn’t have anything to say about the mattress, but in private feedback they educated me to the fact that polyester sheets are hot and uncomfortable and as a hospitality provider, I should consider replacing my sheets with 100% Cotton.
I completely agree with them, which is why all 8 sets of sheets I have for the Airbnb rooms are 100% Cotton.
Never nice to have people like this in your world. Unfortunately the minute we open our doors we are susceptible to a certain extent. It’s unfair though when people who have clearly changed their plans don’t just take responsibility. Instead lash out or threaten others with extortion. The trick is to never give them even a thread of an excuse. I would warn that if (anyone reading this) offer regular (75” long) twins you should state, they are children’s beds. Or buy Twin XL. This is a very common mistake that homeowners make when they transition into the hospitality business.
I plan to leave a review at the end of the window. Can you guys help with this? The Review guidelines say I can’t mention an Airbnb investigation. Does that mean I can’t mention her request for refund, or just Air’s decision to not grant it?
Can I mention that she’s an attorney? I don’t think I can mention the extortion threat, but can I at least give other hosts a heads up with this?
This is the fourth group in 5 years we wouldn’t welcome back. Laura cancelled her visit upon arrival, describing the place as run down and misrepresented. This was a surprising first for us, as anyone who reads our reviews can see we put a great deal of care into hosting. (Cleanliness 5.0…Accuracy 5.0…Overall 4.96). Each item she took issue with (layout of suite, sq footage, bed size) was fully described in the listing, leading us to believe she didn’t read as she confirmed she had.
Laura made a point of telling us she’s an attorney. We weren’t aware of this before her visit, but make mention of it so fellow hosts can better prepare for her arrival. We won’t host Laura again and have reservations about her suitability for Air’s home sharing community.
Communication: 1 (failed to read/comprehend/discuss)
House Rules: 3 (left gate open)
Cleanliness: 5 (left the place in fine shape)
Would not recommend
Upon arrival, Laura informed us that she was an attorney and cancelled her visit, describing as run down and not accurated presented, our top-reviewed listing (Cleanliness 5.0…Accuracy 5.0…Overall 4.96). Each item she took issue with (layout of suite, sq footage, bed size) was fully described in the listing. We won’t host Laura again and have reservations about her suitability for Air’s home sharing community.
I’m not sure about this but I’m pretty sure you can mention your decision not to grant it. So something like “I refused xx’s request for refund as my place is exactly as explictly detailed in the description which she apparently failed to read.”
Why not? Given that she informed you that she is an attorney this point is even more important! I would include it. Indicate that she made the threat via a phone call, if my memory is correct.
This is relevant because other hosts may want to know that Laura may try to intimidate them with the fact she’s an attorney if they don’t give her what she wants when she wants it.
