Cancellations due to winter weather

[Holly142]

My cabin is in a remote area of the ozarks on top of a hill. We do get snow here and this year has been very snowy and icy. The county plows the highways but not the side roads. I've had several cancellations due to the fact that they did not have a 4wd or awd vehicle. I'm surprised at the people who didn't think they needed anything besides a 2wd car to access it for their winter reservation and then cancel and want a full refund within a couple days of check in. What do you think is the best way to handle the cancellations? Should I be taking these losses?

PS: I do have the info in the listing that 4wd is needed in winter conditions.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Holly142 I would strengthen your listing to say '4WD IS needed in Winter when it is snowy/icy' rather than your current 4WD is not needed except in snow and Ice

Then I would apply cancellation policy as people have been properly warned

[Colleen253]

@Holly142 No, you shouldn’t be taking those losses. You and the guest have a contract. You are under no obligation to over ride your cancellation policy. If the guest didn’t read the listing details, that’s on them. Tell them that the cancellation policy they agreed to at booking will be applied, and that IF you get a replacement booking, you will be happy to refund them accordingly.

Guests are generally terrible at reading listing details, so to help prevent these headaches going forward, you might confirm at booking that they’ve read and understand that they need the appropriate  vehicle to access the place. 

[Lorna170]

@Holly142   Guests are special people.  They don't read, and they don't seem to understand weather and driving in the mountains. You want to be really specific.  4 Wheel Drive is necessary during December, January, February and March when we have snow and ice.  Our cancellation policy is strict; no refunds for last minute cancellations due to weather.

If your reservations are several weeks out, you may want to message the guest and remind them that the 4WD will be necessary.  I would also include the location of the grocery that they should stop and shop at on their way in, and a local restaurant that has late hours.  Those suggestions will usually make the guest feel that you cared, even with the 4WD warning.  

[Holly142]

Thanks for the advice, I will strengthen that in the listing. 

I'm not sure why so many guests are surprised. I've had people tell me they will be fine in their car because they are from (insert northern city) and are used to it, but the difference is this is a remote area and no plowing is done on the roads off the main highway and our side roads can and often do involve steep grades. When the guest books a remote mountain cabin, they seem surprised that it's really a remote mountain cabin. 

[Ann72]

@Holly142  Ugh.  And I'm guessing that snow and ice are rare enough that everyone doesn't have someone lined up to plow?  That's what we do in Maine but of course snow and ice aren't rare there in the winter.

[Holly142]

No, the only plows around here are from the county. Most people do own tractors if needed, but it's rarely deep enough that a 4x4 truck can't travel through it. However, a small car is a different story.