Bullet dodged. If you decline you are discriminating....

[Laura2592]

Geez, guys and gals. 

I only have a couple dates left for this year. I get a booking request-- joined in August 2020, no reviews, 1 verification, no profile image,  local area, minimum stay during the week (2 nights.) This is the conversation:

Guest (12:32 am booking request comes through)

Just my husband and I trying something new

My response at 8:30am

Hi  Guest--

Thanks for checking out our cottage! Congrats on being new to Airbnb. Typically when you request to book you give a little info about what you will be doing during the stay, have a profile filled out and ask any questions you may have so we can determine if its a good fit for your needs. Our place is a great getaway-- and not too far from you in (local area town). Are you looking to explore the area? Do some hiking? Visit nearby wineries? Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Laura

Guest 4:45 PM

Only a short getaway. We are very familiar with the area

Approx 5 mins later-----Discussion with husband who says "This seems fishy.  Just decline."

Laura4:54 PM

Thanks so much for your interest, but we really need more information/a verified profile with everything filled in to accept a reservation. I know you are new, so perhaps you can take some time to fill in more details for your next inquiry? Unfortunately we will need to decline at this time as we just don't have enough information to feel comfortable. We wish you the best in finding a great place to stay.

Message from Airbnb Service󱜄

Request Declined

•4:55 PM

Laura4:55 PM (Auto message)

Thanks so much and best of luck finding somewhere great to stay!

Guest 5:10 PM

Interesting. My profile shows verified and I was required to upload a photo in order to book your cottage. I believe AirBnB has a policy of not showing my picture until the host accepts the reservation. This seems discriminatory that the way I look has something to do with my acceptance into your rental.

(Suddenly this guest communicates in more than a few words!)

Laura5:13 PM

There are several types of verifications-- address, identity, phone number etc. A new profile will not have all the information. People upload all kinds of photos-- not even one of themselves, but we need a complete profile for acceptance of any request, or a recommendation from other hosts. Inviting someone into your home also requires good communication, and your responses were very minimal. We wish you the best in finding a great place to stay!

Seriously. This was a bullet dodged. You can't write a full sentence to my questions except to accuse me of being discriminatory? I am just blocking those days now.  Not worth it. 

[Anonymous]

"My husband and I trying something new".... whatever that is, I guess they didn't want to do the cleanup. 

It does leave the door wide open for discrimination complaints if you decline after making a guest fill in their profile - especially since they don't tend to realize that you can't see the photo. I'd keep the focus squarely on the poor communication rather than the profile. 

[Laura2592]

@Anonymous  yeah I didn't think about that at all but you are right. I was more focused on the local guest/no reviews/single verification/no communication combination of red flags. Lesson learned for next time.  I've had to decline people occasionally and no one has ever come back with nastiness.  That says a lot about what kind 9f guest they would be.

My sense is that this was an affair meet up. It has all the hallmarks.  Honestly? I don't care what consenting adults do. Just act like a normal human long enough for me to approve you.

[Kelly149]

@Laura2592 @Another example of less said the better. Or being ridiculously blunt.

“hope you have a great trip” decline

”we host guests who make their request with more than  8 words” decline

also with crummy people, I type something immediately, but don’t hit decline until nth hour in case they’ll go away on their own. I also have a few generic messages saved that I can throw in... house rules... how to make a profile... how to be a good guest...synopsis of listing...

essentially I want them to realize that they don’t like me sooner than I have to tell them I don’t like them. 

[Laura2592]

@Kelly149 good ideas. Im going to write up some canned responses.  I don't decline often but its always good to be ready. 

[Sarah977]

I might have responded to her message about it being discriminatory to base acceptance on what she looks like "You misunderstood me, XX. I wouldn't base acceptance of a booking on what a guest looks like, that's immaterial to me. I was just letting you know what the verifications are that I require. Since a host doesn't see the guest's photo until after a booking is confirmed, we have no idea of whether a guest has actually uploaded a face photo, or a photo of their cat or a cartoon character. A guest having a clear face photo just indicates an openness and friendliness on the part of someone who is requesting to stay in my home, and additionally it assures the host that the person who shows up for a reservation is the same person who booked."

I would have done that just on the off-chance that a guest reports you for discrimination. 

@Laura2592

[Mark116]

@Laura2592  You definitely dodged a bullet as that person doesn't seem too with it, as she writes that she knows Airbnb doesn't show you the photo, but still thinks the photo...that she just acknowledged you can't see....caused you to discriminate against her.  

[Marg11]

Being accused of discrimination is unpleasant, especially after reporting on a guest for lack of manners when he didn't want his wife ( girlfriend ) to have a key and didn't introduce her, left dishes in the drainer that needed washing, didn't strip the bed, couldn't sort his rubbish from recyclable materials, left an unidentified mess on the kitchen floor which needed scraping off despite clear house rules and that he was not welcome back. Airbnb then accused me of discrimination until I pointed out that we had successfully hosted many international guests, I had taught students of many religious backgrounds and we have friends from various cultures with no previous problems. However, there was never a real solution or apology.

[Laura2592]

@Marg11 yes its unpleasant for sure. Poor behavior in someone's home is never ok and its really an affront to be accused of being biased when you are probably doing a lot of heavy lifting emotional labor to keep everything professional while the guest is making messes and being disrespectful.  We will see if anything comes of this. My gut is telling me that this was an affair meet up (late night booking, local guest, weekday,  defensive about sharing details,  poor communication) so I guess the jury is out if they want to wait on the phone for Airbnb.  There has been some good suggestions and advice here that I will definitely implement in the future.  Im not overly picky about guests...we do have IB on after all, but when my husband and I both have the "something isn't right" feeling ots best to err on the side of caution. 

[Anna9170]

I absolutely do not care if the profile of the guest is filled in, it does not affect anything. Here are the hosts, this is really the biggest nightmare when they come as guests. 😏

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 I'm not excusing or defending this guest's lack of communication but you may want to tweak your pre-booking message to give a better idea of what you are looking for. Technically, this guest did answer what was asked of them, Just my husband and I, although not beautifully executed. 

[Laura2592]

@Emilia42 thanks! We have it in the listing but point taken.  Do guests see a booking message if they aren't booked? 

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 When I go to book Firefly Cottage this is what I see. The guest's booking obviously came through as a request so somewhere they got hung up on your booking requirements - probably because they weren't recommended by other hosts (no reviews.)

[Laura2592]

@Emilia42  yes we do have a filter for "must be recommended by other hosts" or they have to send an inquiry. 99% of the time, no problem. But thanks for the tip to change that message. I so rarely log out and see what others see in my listing.

[Marg11]

@Laura2592 , @Emilia42 , @Anna9170 , @Mark116 , @Sarah977  You are all such clever hosts able to suss out the guests to avoid the worst. At the moment with just locals and FIFOs all is well but when interstate and international travel resumes we may need to use some of your skills.