Pipes Froze

[Rogers8]

Hello 

This is our first year of hosting in the Beech Mountain, NC area.  We had all 5 star reviews until the snow/ice and below zero temps happened.  Our cleaners couldn't make it to the cottage due to road closures and wrecks during the ice and snow.  We had someone coming in that day, so I let the guest know that they may need to rethink their trip or find another accommodation, as I had no one else to clean it for me.  They said they were coming in for a family function and had to be there.  After asking other hosts what to do, they said that I could offer to let them clean it in lieu of refunding the cleaning fee, which I did.  The guest accepted. I updated them via text on road closures/conditions and asked them to let us know when they made it because the safety of our guests was important.  They made it and  said the house was cute and comfortable.  The first morning of their stay, I messaged them to make sure everything was okay.   No answer.  The next morning, when they left, she told me "we left...oh by the way, your pipes are frozen since yesterday".  I told her I wish she had told me as soon as it happened so I could have gotten someone out there to thaw them out.  I asked her what I could do to make it up to her and she said that it was my discretion, so I offered her a free night stay next time she was in the area.  She said they would never come back to that area, so I apologized and told her if they were to come back to reach out and I would give them a free night.  Then she left me a 3 star review saying it was dirty...duh.....I told her that....and that we sent numerous unnecessary messages.  I guess she was referring to our weather/road condition updates.  I would like to hear what you all would do in this situation.  We could have cancelled without explanation, but I wanted her to know everything that was going on.  Can you advise me if I could have handled this better?  I know we have to open up the walls of the pipes that are on outside walls and insulate the pipes so hopefully this doesn't happen again.

[Bhumika]

Hi @Rogers8 ! From your post it does seem that the guest left a review for their overall experience and the situation. Did you leave a public response to their review, to share your side of details? 

Usually Hosts in our Community have often advocated responding to reviews in such cases so that potential guests/viewers are able to read your Host's side of the situation.

I am also inviting a few experienced Hosts to your post to kindly share their Hosting experiences or if they've any suggestions on what to do during such situations : @Lorina14 @Nicholas439 @Adam1846 @Tonia649 @Hitomi3 🌻.

[Lorina14 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Rogers8 @Bhumika,

It is best to publicly respond to their review explaining the situation and that due to unforeseen weather circumstances rather than cancel without an explanation, we reached out to the guest to allow them to decide how to move forward. Since they decided to come into town and the cleaners could not safely get to the place due to the icy roads and accidents, you offered to have them clean it and waive the cleaning fee. I probably would have given a percentage off the first night as well for the inconvenience. If the guest called Airbnb to complain they would get 30% off the first night stay (just FYI as this happened to us as guests with an unclean place with many issues and it was later confirmed by a rep when I called on a different occasion to inquire about giving a reduction due to a fire alarm battery dying and waking our guests at 1:55am). 

The reference to the numerous unnecessary messages, I would approach it such as: As hosts we care about our guests safety and would rather err on overcommunicating than under communicating. While the trip did not go as smoothly for either the guest or us as hosts, we wanted to make sure our guests arrived safely due to the condition of the roads. We also reached out letting them take the lead in the reservation as these were unforeseen circumstances and being honest and transparent is important to us. I understand our space was not cleaned and this was explained beforehand but the guest chose to stay here and received a refund on their cleaning fees and a sincere apology for the inconvenience. While we had record lows in the area, our pipes froze and we were not notified by the guests until after we checked in with them after they left. We would have appreciated a heads up so we could have addressed the issue as soon as it happened.

We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences our guests experienced during their stay. We appreciate the feedback and will create an inclement weather policy for future guests.

[Rogers8]

Wow @Lorina14 !  I wish I would have read all of these support messages before I responded.  I've learned much and appreciate you all very much.  The 30% first night fee would have amount to $27 and probably would have angered the guest more and I did contact Airbnb first before I responded to ask if I should do more and they didn't mention the 30%.  We charged them $90 a night which is half of the night fee for local hotel so that's why I offered a future free night instead.  I see now, I was wrong.  However, we don't charge a pet fee either, like many hosts in tge area, and they brought a dog.  

Anyway, I seem to still be making excuses for myself.   Thanks again so much for your support!   Lessened learned.  How many more 5 star reviews will it take to raise our rating again?

[Lorina14]

@Rogers8,

Airbnb didn’t tell me this number up front for a discount, it was after I offered to discount the stay by 40% due to the inconvenience for the fire alarm beeping to the guest that the rep offered that was more generous than what they would have offered if the guest would have called to complain themselves. There is a balance between giving a discount for inconvenience, losing business for that stay (if you cancelled or they cancelled), and potentially having a poor review that could negatively impact future reviews.  In the end, good communication, admitting fault if there was fault to be admitted, apologizing, asking what they would appreciate to address the issue, and working to a compromise is probably the best way to approach the situation. 

Always respond to a negative review to show you care and are responsive to feedback. Even if it it to offer an I’m sorry for the inclement weather and we tried our best to accommodate the situation and am sorry it was not acceptable for you. State what happened, your policies or what you offered and what they agreed to and be sure to be polite, professional and kind in addressing any issues. 

Most people would be able to know that this was an anomaly due to the inclement weather and situation if they saw your response and that most reviews otherwise rate the space highly. 

[Lorina14]

@Rogers8 

Also you can always discount more than what Airbnb says aircover may cover. It’s more about goodwill, being a good host, repeat business, and having a grateful guest and a good review. 50% off a hotel rate is more than generous given the circumstances. 

[Nicholas439]

Hi @Rogers8 @Bhumika,

Agree with @Lorina14 that you should respond publicly - just facts and no emotional content.  You went way above and beyond to try and make their stay as pleasant as possible in trying circumstances.  You don't need to change because your guest has problems communicating. Truth is, there will always be some customers that will complain despite anything you do - that is something you have to be able to take on the chin and still come up smiling.  It's THEM not you so don't let it get you down and realize it is the SMALLEST percentage of people that a*#holes! The greatest majority are wonderful people and make wonderful guests and are the reason you are doing this.  Most guests will that actually read reviews will appreciate you willingness to engage and understand that the bad review was a self reflective comment on the guest - not your home.   The one thing that I have found that can soothe an unhappy guest that is fomenting is to talk to them directly rather than via the app.  Actually call them as it makes it personal and you become a real person to them rather than an app icon - makes it more difficult to be testy - not impossible - just more difficult.  Wishing you continued success, less unappreciative guests and more happy ones! 

[Danlee1]

@Rogers8 

Although you did not do anything wrong and the guests should have absolutely notified you about the frozen pipes…I, personally, always offer to refund guests for any nights/days where my property has any type of issue that makes there stay uncomfortable (the frozen pipes, not the lack of cleaning for which they were warned). I would just rather operate mainly with the old adage that “the customer is always right” and keep my good reviews over losing a bit of money. This is just a personal opinion and may not work for all hosts.