Sorry if this is a bit long winded.
I have a problem with the booking detailed above for which I would like some advice from other hosts.
The client arrived on the 25/07/2021 around 15:30 and checked in with her husband. They had traveled for the Airport in Limoges and had lunch on the way to place.
The Gite we put them in has a split level between the kitchen and the living area.
On entering the gite she had tripped when she encountered the step, and my wife told her to take care and pointed out the sign that says take care on the stairs as they a quite steep.
About 15 minutes after we left them to settle in, I returned to the gite to put a fresh battery in a clock and was informed by the client that she had tripped up again. She was seated on the sofa and showed me her ankle which appeared a little bruised. I had another maintenance task to carry out before I went back to the house where my wife informed me that the client had sent her a message and a picture of her ankle and a request for some ice and something to strap it up. Her husband was not downstairs and the client stated he was upstairs lying down as he was tired.
My wife provided and ice pack for the swelling. My wife later provided bandage, strapping and ointment for her husband to strap her ankle. We suggested that if she was in so much pain and as it was Sunday, she should visit the hospital in Angouleme where there is a 24/7 A&E or she didn’t want to travel she could visit the local A&E department in the hospital in Ruffec which would be open on Monday.
The client continued to claim that she had repeatedly tripped on the step and her husband had also tripped, but he did not confirm this fact.
The client was quite aggressive and very opinionated about why we had a step in the gite. We have been fully inspected and certified as a 3 star establishment under the terms of article D 324-4 of the Code du Tourisme for France.
Before the incident we had offered to provide them with a welcome drink and some food in our garden. After the incident we suggested it was postponed but gave them a bottle of wine, which they accepted. They had said that they had no food with them so we offered to provide a pizza, for an evening meal, and some yogurt , bread and jam for breakfast. The offer was refused.
On Monday 26/07/2021 we had an urgent appointment in Poitier early in the morning. The client messaged us as we were on our way out. My wife phoned her back and the client stated that she had not been able to climb the stairs and had tripped repeatedly on the step. We sent a message back to her saying that we had no other accommodation that would be suitable for her with the injury she had. We stated that we would arrange a refund through Airbnb if she decided to leave.
While we were in Poitier the client and her husband left the property but did not inform us they were leaving.
We have rethought our position regarding the offer I made for the following reasons:-
- To trip up once is an unfortunate accident, to trip a second time in the same place indicates you are not paying attention to your surroundings. To trip repeatedly in the same place would appear to be a deliberate act to provoke a response from us.
- We have a video security camera that monitors the entrance to the property courtyard which showed the client walking slowly and carefully, but unaided, out of the property.
- On clearing the room after they had left it was obvious that the client had been able to climb the stairs and occupied the double bed and use the bathroom which she stated she couldn’t do.
- On emptying the waste bins we found food waste and an empty bottle of wine, but not the one we supplied which was left unopened.
We are now of the opinion that she took a dislike to the property and deliberately exaggerated the problem of the step so that she would have an excuse to leave and get some of her money back.
She hasn’t cancelled her stay so we cannot open the gite and therefore we are potentially losing earnings.
If we can cancel the reservation, or she cancel the reservation, then we would be prepared to refund her some of the payment she has made.
