Host Nightmare: Airbnb representatives add insult to injury. Airbnb recommends keyless locks guests can use to enter with. In fact on host-assist, airbnb's website, shows 8 locks they recommend! When I get a new reservation, I send the guest an entry code. This is the beauty of remote hosting. Problem arises when an airbnb guest arrives and that person's identity is not the guest who booked. So when an airbnb rep told me yesterday that I'm at fault for allowing that guest to enter, telling me I needed to verify that guest's identity before allowing her in, the airbnb rep apparently doesn't know how airbnb works! Airbnb is not a traditional hotel where you have someone's ID to verify at entry. If I need to stand guard at the front door, then why am I using Airbnb's platform? If you run into this problem, don't expect support from airbnb, especially if the rep doesn't know airbnb's very own host options, such as the setting to only accept bookings by guests who have been rated by other hosts. An Airbnb representative who tells you that something is confidential about the guest's identity is shooting words out without making sense. There's a setting option, that while it can limit your reservations, I'm going to opt for it from now on. Why? Some woman who first inquired about a reservation made it her concern to ask if she would be safe being a woman. By the time I went to respond, she used a man's profile to make the reservation. That wouldn't normally be a problem, but, in this case, the woman came in with an aggression to kiss me. I left the house and felt very uncomfortable with her. Then guests who had reservations for other rooms in the house arrived only to be greeted by this woman who informed them they would be sharing her room. Those guests immediately left to stay in a hotel. I felt responsible as a host and called airbnb. Who was this woman or man? I told the guests who left that I had no problem refunding their money with no cancellation penalty. They emailed me within airbnbs messaging system that they felt uncomfortable with the aggressive woman who was there. Very bad move, the Airbnb rep took the liberty to cancel the guests who left, without discussing with me, the host! Then the Airbnb rep emailed me telling me what he did "took the liberty to cancel other guests." This affects a host's rating. In addition, I wanted Airbnb to take responsibility for the inappropriate guest. How reliable is Airbnb if they can't review the facts, but instead recklessly affect a host and innocent guests? The Airbnb rep I spoke with blamed me for not verifying the woman's identity before allowing her in. In 10 years as a host, this nightmare is a first. I feel Airbnb is unable to train its reps to handle difficult situations, even if the reps are in the "safety" dept.
