The most common STR money-back guest hustles today...

[Fred13]

This year we have observed that guests, even those coming to higher-price listings (like ours), have become more creative and feel more entitled (and unashamed) to grovel for money back using an interesting array of reasons. Unlike the past (pre-Covid) we rarely encountered this new phenomenon before (maybe once a year), but this year (2022) we have encounter it a few times, and perhaps the easiness in which guests were allowed to cancel during the 'Covid Years' without penalty is at the root of the 'problem'. Given Airbnb has been traditionally so hysterical to placate to the guest over hosts, maybe it has facilitated the hustling.

The 'We lost time staying at your place for reasons beyond our control'  hustle: We now get guests that because of weather (or their incompetence) show up a day late and feel entitled to want a refund for the missed day (or two) because was 'beyond their control'. Really? Whatever happen to Travel Insurance? The fact a flight is delayed or cancelled, especially during winter when one is coming from 'the Artic circle' like north of the Mason-Dixon line of the U.S. for example, it is bound to happen. How has that now become the host's problem?

The 'I didn't think that children need to be included in the reservation' hustle. This year this one has been a true classic, so much so we have had guests right out ask us to explain to them why their 'children' (even late teens) should be paying what adults do. We point out that when they flew down to us, did the airlines allowed them to fly for free? In our experience a case can be made that kids should be paying more than adults, since they can be a terror on resources and wear and tear.

The 'Stay the entire length of the booking (quietly) and then claim it wasn't what they expected' passive-aggressive hustle. This one is a doozy. If they were so unhappy why didn't they leave, it is not like they can't find another place to stay at a time when it appears the supply of STRs far outstrips demand in most areas. We now take the approach, when we detect the 'home inspector' type of guest because of their self-importance air about them, to explicit tell them "If this is not for you" let us know immediately, we will refund your remaining days and let's part 'friends', no need to even get into opinions why. No takers yet, but we are ready.

The 'Carbon monoxide / mold / cockroach standard'  hustle. This one is probably the most common since it is hard to proof. And dangerous since a listing can be shut down with little recourse. Of course, we have monitors everywhere in our place to prevent this hustle, but every time I read this complaint in one of the posts here my eyes and attitude take on this look >

The 'Legal Eagle type of traveler' . I am enclosing this because it is amusing, at least to us where we live (Belize). It is amazing to me how many travelers, especially coming from a nowadays too-socially-charged-up country, think that the rest of the world must follow with all their complex rights, entitlements and expectations of back home. Well, not exactly.

I could think of quite a few others, but this small list should get you all to think of hustles you are encountering nowadays. The question remains, have hustles now become more frequent and more inventive than in the past, pre Covid vs. post-Covid?

[Gillian166]

@Fred13 

I can't be sure what pre-covid was like as we only operated briefly pre-covid, although we did open up all through 2021. My worst guest was Jan last year, guest complained about the heat and bugs (which he let in) and left early and asked for a refund, which I granted. The guest was aware we don't have a/c so it's not my fault, but I granted the refund as he was annoying and I was mindful of the review (he never left one in the end). He then took a photo of dog poo and tried to scam the first night back as well. We are on a farm, it seems rather ridiculous to do such a thing, and I was able to talk sense to the CS person who contacted me, and she agreed no refund was required. That's been my only "hustler" to date.  

Although yes, I've also had a few guests who don't think their kids need to be included, and we all know kids cos so much more cleaning, last week I found a line of something sticky (chocolate? jam?) smeared along the wall and doors of 2 rooms at toddler height. I don't usually wash down all the walls between guests, but when little kids stay you really have to pull everything out and look for the sticky or crumbly mess that is bound to be somewhere. 

[Sudsrung0]

@Gillian166 

When kids have been around check the remotes 

[Gillian166]

@Sudsrung0  against my will I have just put in a TV. I didn't want to but after 2 reviews where people marked me down for not having a TV, even though I mention it THREE times!!! I've opted to include one. Streaming will be crappy, but we put in a DVD with over 50 DVDs, so now we get to check and clean those. 🙄

If I get some scammer wanting a refund due to the TV "not working" I will remove it. 

[Rick4645]

I agree, the grifters are out in force.

There's also the cleaning fee scam.  Guests arrive at the house and before they even unpack they go around actively looking for something, anything to complain about.  They do things like turning over the rug in the living room and complaining they found a hair and therefore want a refund of the cleaning fee. Or the teeny, tiny single strand of spider web under the dresser they turned over looking for dirt.

Of course, if you offer to send your cleaning team in, they're not interested in that. They just want the money back.  That's when I inform them the cleaning fee they're paying is to clean up AFTER they leave, but I will be happy to refund the cleaning fee to the previous guest since they are the ones who paid for the cleaning before you arrived. 

Here in the US, we have the Service Dog scam. Pet owners claiming their dogs are service animals to avoid paying pet fees or bypassing "No Pets" rules. 90% of people claiming their dogs are service animals are LYING. Training a service dog is a long process, and it's expensive. Yet it's amazing how many people suddenly have Service Animals. There are seemingly more Service Animals traveling than regular pets.

AirBNB says guests don't have to disclose a service animal when they book, which makes it even worse.
Guests show up, bring their dogs.
Host says, "We are pet free".
Guest says, "Service Animal. Screw You!".
Then the animal trashes the house and when asked to pay for damages, Guest says, "Nope". AirBNB says, "No problem. Have a nice day!"  No repercussions whatsoever.

Then we have the, "My itinerary changed, so I need to cancel. How can I hustle a refund I'm not entitled to?" grifters. 
And what is the one thing that is impossible to prove?  Odors.
Guest's schedule changes, they pack up and leave claiming there was an odor and they want a refund. 

[Huma0]

@Fred13 I shouldn't say this, as I am probably tempting fate, but I've yet to encounter a hustler guest, i.e. I've never had guests use some bogus reason to get a refund for nights they have already stayed.

That being said, I do feel like something changed since the pandemic in terms of guests' attitudes and sense of entitlement. While, luckily, the majority of my guests are perfectly nice, the percentage of picky and high maintenance ones has gone up considerably. They are also now more likely to complain in their review or mark down the ratings, for something that was clearly stated in the listing, or because I didn't agree to some ridiculous discount when they booked. 

I started to receive an insane amount of requests for extra discounts in 2020 (see: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Grow-your-business/Are-extra-discounts-the-new-normal/m-p/131882...). I mean almost every guest that contacted me was asking to pay less, even though the nightly price was really low at that point, not necessarily because they couldn't afford it. They just felt that there were entitled to it 'given the current situation'. Erm, what? Luckily, that seemed to be a phase, and stopped towards the end of 2021.

[Fred13]

Good stories and how can I forget such classics as:  'my schedule has changed', the crazy 'service animal' phenomena and the old reliable 'odor' angle, the latter being such an important part of the 'Carbon Monoxide / Mold / Cockroach / Odor' Superfecta.

@Huma0The wife and I traveled the entire month of October this year in Europe; from London, France, Italy, Greek isles and even to Bethlehem and two things were apparent to us: the absolute amount of tourists (good for them!) and how incredibly welcoming, honest and polite people were everywhere. Reminded me of long ago where I grew up, which was on the other side of the 'pond'. Have things changed.

@Rick4645  Funny how coincidentally 'the odor' also ceases to exist when the odor-hustlers exit  out the door.

@Gillian166  We just had two guests leave from this side of the pond (not Airbnbers, but from the other agency with four letters) and made no mention of their two teenage-kids during their booking, until we brought it up when they were leaving, as is our usual custom when guests pay for any extra services like fishing trips, etc. We offered to charge for the 'kids' at a 50% discount. "No problem".

   On the way to the airport (2 miles away and to a tiny one where planes wait if someone is late) and with a full hour to spare hustled our driver not to stop by our office to pay their bill because they felt they did not have enough time to spare (1 minute) and to 'bill' them. They ended up sitting in some rinky-dink airport for an hour staring at a blank wall. Thus far they have not answered three e-mails asking for payment from the booking agency nor ours. They are embarrassingly high-paid professionals and the bill is a minute fraction of their income. This would be a first in 7 years.

[Huma0]

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@Fred13 wrote:

   On the way to the airport (2 miles away and to a tiny one where planes wait if someone is late) and with a full hour to spare hustled our driver not to stop by our office to pay their bill because they felt they did not have enough time to spare (1 minute) and to 'bill' them. They ended up sitting in some rinky-dink airport for an hour staring at a blank wall. Thus far they have not answered three e-mails asking for payment from the booking agency nor ours. They are embarrassingly high-paid professionals and the bill is a minute fraction of their income. This would be a first in 7 years.

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@Fred13 Wow. Now that's my definition of a cheapskate. 

I have never understood this attitude where parents think that their kids should holiday for 'free' (which usually means at someone else's expense). Because I don't accept children at my listings, I don't have this problem, but I have holidayed in a group which was made up in part of single adults and in part by families.

I was surprised to find that the costs, including the airbnb, taxis etc. (although luckily not the restaurant meals) were to be split equally amongst the adults, as if the four kids weren't taking up any space. That meant that the single guests had to pay DOUBLE for the same accommodation as those with kids, for an extra taxi everywhere we went etc. etc. At the same time, the parents made sure to make a note and ask for reimbursement for a single cappuccino. I was astonished really and will think twice before I holiday with families again.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Airbnb breeds these types of scammers just as booking.com breeds rude and untidy guests. I'm happiest when my guests book directly, it's sooo relaxing 🙂

[Fred13]

Us too, we are running about 35% direct. Total control.

[Elaine701]

Just a generalisation, but my experience is that those who aren't concerned about price tend not to be concerned about much else either. 

Price pirates are on my red flag list. If you don't want to be turned down, don't ask. Prevention is the best cure. 

[Huma0]

@Elaine701 

Yep. With those that aren't concerned about price, it's often because they already appreciate the value of the listing and therefore are likely to be good guests. 

For those that ask me for a discount "because it's a long stay", I will simply remind them that there is already a long term discount in place. They will often go ahead and book at the advertised price and turn out to be great guests.

For those that ask twice, it's a hard no. The last time I accepted a guest who did this (well, actually she instant booked), I regretted it. She gave me 3* because, she said, "Everything was great but the room was a bit over my original budget."

For those that ask because they say that it's more than they can afford, it's a hard no. Not my problem. There are cheaper listings they can book. Sure, they won't get as nice a room/furniture/facilities, or it won't be as central, or both, but how is that my problem? I don't need guests who expect everything for nothing or think they are entitled to live beyond their means. If you're a 'poor student', then book student-like accommodation. Why do you need a king sized gilt bed, silk curtains and a roll top bath?

[Elaine701]

@Huma0 

Yes, well, they're out there. 

Luckily, the vast majority seem to be great guests. I hope it stays that way.

It's not just a problem with guests and the STR business. Many people are just self-absorbed and fail to see the light. It's something that impacts every business, politics, economics.. 

But my sixth sense has become more acute as I've had to learn by fire, so that helps keep things on an even keel.

Yet there's always some who slip through the cracks. It's unavoidable. But it's just part of hosting and you have to chalk it up to experience. 

[Huma0]

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@Elaine701 wrote:

It's not just a problem with guests and the STR business. Many people are just self-absorbed and fail to see the light. It's something that impacts every business, politics, economics.. 

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@Elaine701 I am sure you are right, but I wonder if STR, or Airbnb in particular, has become one of those businesses that attract more of this behaviour, or at least more customers who feel it is their right to try to wrangle a discount/refund for any little thing, than others.

I don't know how it is in every country but, for example, here customers going to a restaurant do not try to negotiate a discount. They pick a venue and dishes they can afford. Sure, you might have the odd customer here or there who tries to scam for a refund, but it's rare, because it's just not accepted. 

If you complain in a restaurant, at best you will be comped a free desert, but it's highly unusual to receive a discount/refund. The last time I complained in a restaurant, it's was hard enough to get an apology. People will pay the 'discretionary' service charge that's added to bill even if the service was not that great. It has to be really bad for the customer to refuse. 

But, let's face it, that restaurant is in control of the situation. They are not governed by a third party making those decisions for them. They may risk a bad review, but they are not going to be shut down because one customer complains or their review rating falls below 4.7*.

[Sudsrung0]

@Elaine701 

I like when they send me a message, You have a really nice place I would love to stay there but it's not in my budget, We sorry about that but I hope you find something that is within your budget,