Questionable refund to guest.

[Lisa9630]

Hi, I’m new to hosting on Airbnb. I am in my Second month of hosting and had an incident with some renters this past weekend. They checked in around five , went to dinner,  came back said they popped a beer and it wasn’t very cold. They brought their own “temperature reader” and put it in the refrigerator and said it was 64°. I received a message on the app at 9:45 PM saying the refrigerator wasn’t working and so I offered to bring a large cooler and some ice to them so they could put their food and drink in until I could get someone over there the next day.  They said that wasn’t necessary and  they would wait till Monday. I sent my handyman over there because I couldn’t get a service man there until Tuesday. He arrived at 10 AM and couldn’t find any problems with the refrigerator. It was 38° according to my refrigerator’s reading but the guest brought her own “temperature reader” and it read 41. The guest sent me a picture of the reading at 41° and another time she sent me a picture of her thermometer reading 44°. At no time did she send me a picture of her thermometer reading 64°. She refused to believe my Handyman, so I was able to get a service man over there the next day, Tuesday. He spent 30 minutes inspecting  and did not find any problems with the refrigerator. He told me  that a broken refrigerator does not repair itself. He said if it were broken and read 64°. it would have gotten hotter and not colder. He also said the temperature reader that they brought was inaccurate. He emailed me the service report stating that the refrigerator is in great working order and nothing is wrong with it. I emailed the renter the service report as well as sent it to her on the Airbnb app. The service call cost me $110. They have been checked out for four days and I just received, a message from her saying she wants a refund for groceries that she claimed were spoiled. My issue is I have a repair man stating there is nothing wrong with my refrigerator. The people that were there a whole week and checked out the same morning that they checked in had no problems nor have the people that checked in after they checked out, have had any problems with it. So she wants me to believe that for less than 24 hours the refrigerator broke and fixed itself and now wants me to pay her.

Thank you for reading this lengthy complaint and thoughts and suggestions  are greatly appreciated 

[Maggie633 · Accepted solution]

Sorry ! Sounds like a con and exhausting!!!!!
 Depending on how much her stay was $ you might consider a refund and get her off your back!

Them I’d  write a “SHORT” and to the point review. I don’t have energy for those types of problems or people. 
maggie 😊

[Lisa9630]

Thank you, Maggie for your response and advice! Haha I was definitely long winded on my post and will keep my review short and sweet. 

[Helen3]

I wouldn't refund the guest . Share the report from your handyman and evidence of temperature with Airbnb and the guest @Lisa9630 

Say guest raised issue. You paid for a tradesman to come out at your own expense. Handyman found no evidence fridge wasn't working properly. On the contrary found it working at the right temperature (show photo and report) . Guest provided no evidence otherwise therefore no reason to refund. 

as a gesture of goodwill you are not charging her for cost of tradesman visit.

next time go out yourself and check before calling out tradesperson