What to do, or maybe not, when major amenities aren't working

Airbnb used to (unless this has changed) want the guest to reach out to the host to try to make things rights.

You could have tried to log on with your cellphone and when you received the “no service available” pop up, taken a screenshot of it as proof of no internet.

As for the lying culture, it makes it difficult to trust anyone. I’m a teacher and so many students lie that when one student told me her mom was in the hospital and that’s why her project was not done, I assumed she was lying. Turned out that her mom was really very sick and I felt awful. Wish folks would stop lying so casually like your host, falsely advertising wifi and a/c.

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Alas we couldn’t even get the SSID most of the time…

But the host never defended either the wifi or the a/c, she just attacked me personally in response.

The ABB Support person seemed to find that alone to be persuasive.

Children tend to exaggerate and make things up, it must be challenging as an educator to assess these things!

The child in question learned a wonderful lesson from you :slight_smile:

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Not quite, but you’re close! In an earlier message (the one that Support thought was so rude, before the get-the-h-out message), she ended with, “Perhaps you just did not find your happy place.”

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Yes, of course, we all know this, and as hosts would want guests to give us an opportunity to make things right. You missed my point entirely. There was nothing in this situation that the host could have made right, nor did she want an opportunity to make things right, as evidenced by her response to vacate when the guest messaged her about the missing amenities. It wasn’t a matter of a water heater going on the blink, or the air conditioner blowing hot air. The host advertised AC and Wifi, didn’t in fact have either, and was well aware of that when she rented the space.

One of mine was the poster child for that. It wasn’t that she purposely lied, it was that the line between fantasy and reality was really blurred for her and she had a very rich imagination. Her favorite books were fantasies- The Hobbit and such. She actually said to me at one point, “So you know how you dream something, or make something up, and then you repeat it to yourself or to someone else, and then you start to think it’s real?” “Uh, no.” “Oh, that happens to me all the time.”
If she came home from school complaining about a teacher and something supposedly inappropriate or mean the teacher had said to her, I would have to ask, “Really? Are you sure those are the exact words she used?” “Well, not exactly.” “Okay, what did she really say?”

But her sister was totally reality-based. She didn’t ever play “let’s pretend” games, she didn’t make up scenarios with dolls, didn’t have any imaginary friends, didn’t even have a stuffed animal she was attached to and attributed human qualities to, as most kids do- she liked physical activity, puzzles, board games. She was incapable of lying, it would never occur to her to even embellish a story, she always related something exactly as it happened. If she told me a teacher said this or that, I could be sure that was indeed what the teacher said.

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We do not even have a land line and the wireless service, personal lines and booster device for guests is 180$ per month combined. The router device cost 40$.

I was the exact combo of both of your daughters…

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I’ve never had a landline here- there aren’t any phone lines out to my place. But Mexican cell phone service is incredibly cheap- I pay the equivalent of $10/mo. for unlimited calling and texting to anywhere in Mexico, the US or Canada.
Internet was a different story- I only had cell-based internet for years, which was metered and expensive, so it was really limited for me and my guests. But it was my only option.

However, about a year and a half ago, a guy started an internet business here, he has his own towers. It cost me $200 for the set-up, not a modem, but an outside receiver. It costs $30/month, is unlimited, and because the signal easily reaches my neighbor’s house, I split the cost with him, so it only costs me $15/month.

It isn’t lightning speed, but it’s perfectly adequate for everything I and my guests do. However, while the signal and speed is reliable, electricity around these parts isn’t, and when the electric goes out, the towers don’t function. So I still would never post internet speeds or encourage digital nomads who might be screwed if they needed to zoom with clients for their work, as it occasionally goes out completely. But the provider is really good about getting it fixed ASAP.

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Oh I have a lot to say about this because I have a remote, off-grid luxury cabin at 9k feet (2.7k meters) in Colorado that has had solar issues since the day I bought it five years ago. It’s also constantly subject to the whims of the mountains, like the landline suddenly going out, etc., but the solar is the number one hassle for guests. This year I finally took the plunge on a major solar upgrade but supply issues and contractor delays have forced me to put the installation on hold so all of the equipment is sitting on the carport or in the yard and we’re having to squeeze by on the existing system until I have a break in the calendar. So anyhow, for five years I’ve had to navigate guests paying top dollar and having the bother of running a noisy generator during cloudy conditions or - worse! - deal with other annoying power issues. By some utter and complete miracle, I’ve still managed to get 40 five-star reviews. And I mean sometimes these power issues are a total pain in the ass, though I won’t go into detail here. I believe the reason I still manage to deliver great experiences and get 5 star reviews is because I show the guests that I will absolutely hustle to make things right. If it’s bad enough, I immediately and without question send them a refund. Usually, it’s just a token amount (say $100 or a full night if it’s really bad). I also offer to show up and help. I also proactively give them advice on how things work in this quirky environment. And most importantly, I approach everything with the same mindset I had to refine over many years when I was a consultant - I’m 100% committed to delivering the best possible experience and if that doesn’t happen, I’ll do everything in my power to make it right. So it’s stunning to me that this host would be anything other than open to feedback. Some people are so defensive and honestly it gets no one anywhere fast. I believe my guests know that my first priority is to make the experience right for them, and when they communicate the issues to me, they’re always polite and often apologetic. Again I think that’s because they know I’m approachable and that none of us can control what Mother Nature throws our way, but I’ll do my best to help them navigate that. Anyhow @SleepingCoyote I’m sorry this happened to you. What a downer on a trip that I’m sure was meant to be a memorable getaway.

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That’s exactly right, CC. All I really wanted was an apology and a commitment to make the listing accurate.

Thank you for your commiseration :slight_smile:

What you’re talking about is exactly what I think ABB hosts need to do if we’re going to stay in business. You’re taking the professional approach to problems, and guests appreciate it.

I hope your solar issues resolve. With supply chain issues and labor shortages, not to mention inflation, it’s tough to do any contractor projects right now.

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I’d venture a guess that it’s both your on the spot attention to issues as well as your place attracting a certain type of guest, which is my situation, too. I’m not off-grid- I have regular electric and am on the city water line, but infrastructure here is so iffy that we sometimes lose the electric, the cell signal, or the city doesn’t send water down the pipes for whatever reason- their pump is broken, their wells are low. The cell signal, which is normally good, can suddenly vanish for 12 hours.

Once when I realized I hadn’t heard the water pump go on for days, I went up on the roof to check how much water was in my tank and there was maybe enough for a couple of toilet flushes and a couple 4 minute showers. I had to string 3 heavy hoses together, drag them to my neighbor’s outside faucet, 60 meters away, to fill my cistern, about an hour or two’s task.
The lovely guest I had in residence volunteered to help.

I once ran out of propane in both my large cylinders at the same time, which had never happened before, over Xmas holidays, in the midst of a country-wide propane shortage. I had to ask my guest in residence to let me know 20 minutes before she wanted to shower or cook so I could keep switching my little barbeque size back-up tank from the hot water tank to the kitchen stove.

Because my place is a 20 minute walk to town and the beach (almost all my guests fly to this area and are car-less here), in a rural area outside the bustling little beach town, it attracts a certain type of guest. Most are veteran travelers and have experience with 3rd world infrastructure, some have or do live off-grid or in the countryside themselves, one spent 2 years in Africa with the peace corps.

So in spite of there being possible glitches in things most first-worlders take for granted as dependable, I also have a solid 5* rating.

I won’t stay in a a rental with ratings this low. For one, I search with the superhost filter on. And if there isn’t a suitable listing, I just wouldn’t go this low. I’ve never had so few rentals to choose from that I had to stay in a place like this.

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I actually didn’t realize that was low! I kinda figured 4.5+ would be OK, but I know better now.

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Information on how to measure the strength of a Wifi signal numerically:

To measure Wi-Fi signal strength on your phone or tablet, you can use the Airport Utility App for iPhone and iPad, or Wi-Fi Analyzer for Android. Both are easy to use and show results for any wireless networks in your area.

FROM: https://www.howtogeek.com/426642/how-to-check-your-wi-fi-signal-strength/

For iPhone users, the Airport Utility App does require you to go into your device settings and turn on the Wi-Fi scanner. Just go to your iPhone or iPad Settings app (not the app’s settings), tap Airport Utility from the list, and then toggle on “Wi-Fi Scanner.” Now, go back to the Airport Utility app and start a scan. You’ll see dBm measurements expressed as RSSI.

For Android users, Wi-Fi Analyzer is a step easier. Open the app and look for the networks found. Each entry will list strength as dBm.

Android Wi-Fi analyzer and iOS Airport Utilities showing Wi-Fi signal strength

Windows 10 and 11 don’t have a built-in way to view precise signal strength, although the netsh wlan show interface command gives you your signal strength as a percentage.

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@muddy it was almost a joy to read your post because it reminded me that I’m not alone in my absurd home maintenance/management woes. But of course I sympathize completely and it would be even more of a joy if both of us did not have these stories to tell! Ha ha.

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The total number of ratings matters. A place with say 20 ratings and an average of 4.6 is pretty bad, but a place with 400 ratings at 4.6 is quite a bit worse. A new place with 5 ratings… you need to read all of them and see if it’s just 1 bad (possibly full of lies) review pulling down an otherwise 5* rating.

Absolutely. A newish host who is actually a fine host with a perfectly good listing could have the misfortune to get one of those awful guests who leave a 1* revenge review, If the host got 9 5 star reviews and one 1 star that Airbnb refused to remove, the host’s rating would be 4.6.
This is one reason I put no stock in star ratings, even for guests. You have no idea what led to that rating. Written reviews are what actually tell you something, as long as they are honest. And scammers’ revenge reviews usually stand out like a sore thumb.

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I think the way to start this, such that you are not instigating a defensive and hostile host reaction and to please ABB, is to message something sweet and mildly confused, like:

Hey host, I am here, XYZ looks great (choose some feature, view, bed, any little positive thing), but I am confused about the Wi-fi & AC stated as offered amenities in your listing. I must be missing something? My phone/Laptop shows (then say whatever you see for Wi-fi), how do I access the Wi-Fi offered in your listing? And on the AC you offer, I see the portable swamp cooler, but where is the actual air conditioner?

Thanks so much, Guest

Yep, you and I both know she lied, but you jump through the ABB hoops without starting something with your true (and justified) feelings. Plus in some cases, there can be a mistake, maybe the Wi-fi name was changed and the book not updated or maybe that swamp cooler is extra and you have to go turn on the thermostat behind the hall door. Obvi, not in your case, but if you write the initial contact as if the apparently missing items just MUST be there at least keeps it friendly.

Then when you contact ABB, you come across as the mature person. AFAIK, not providing an offered amenity is a reason for a refund

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Brilliant, BusyMumsy! My message was polite and corporate in tone, she replied sarcastically, which of course got us nowhere. “Am I confused?” is the way to go

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