Communication-would you cancel if you had a weird feeling?

[Marissa160]

Hi all! I come to you for help again! I have a guest that booked a couple months ago and communication has been “weird” for lack of a better term. He would ask a question and I would answer it, then he will respond and basically ask me the same question again.  He asked a lot of questions about the privacy of my location and our hot tub. Today, he asks to come a night early and I share the cost difference with him, then he asks me to tell him the cost difference! I am just not sure if he’s a good fit or maybe he isn’t reading or understanding. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt since I’ve had other first time Airbnb users and it’s all been fine. What do you all say? Thanks! 

[Kelly251]

Red flags, decline…

[Pat271]

Is this an instant booking? If not, you really shouldn’t cancel, as the penalties are quite severe. You could try calling Airbnb to ask them to do it for you, but I don’t really think you have grounds for a cancellation. Although the guest might be “weird”, Airbnb usually wants you to make that determination before, not after, the booking is complete.

If it is an instant booking, you are within your rights to cancel, although you may be asked to call Airbnb if you cancel more than 3 times in 1 year.

[Marissa160]

@Pat271  he was not an instant book so I should have listened to my gut then. I am inclined to think that maybe his Airbnb settings are such that he is not seeing my messages and just replying without really checking to see if I responded as his responses are in quick succession. I am just going to hope and pray that I am wrong. Definitely nervous but maybe he is just socially awkward or new to all this. 

[Kelly149]

@Marissa160  What if you tried an “oh dear!! I answered all this already. Can you show me what your message thread looks like so I can get ABB CS to help you? Of course we need you to have accurate info about the listing!”

I wouldn’t just act as if all is well when it isn’t. 

[Marissa160]

@Kelly149  I finally did that by saying “did you not get my earlier message”. I definitely think he is a little high maintenance but hopefully all will be okay! Thank you for taking the time to respond! 

[Pat271]

This seems to me to be a combination of a somewhat high-maintenance guest and some sort of technical difficulty, like maybe your messages aren’t hitting his app in a timely fashion. I know that happens to me when my guest responds and I can see it in SMS and on the Airbnb website on a browser, but it doesn’t show up on my Airbnb app until I either re-enter the app or some time passes by. This could explain some of the symptoms you are seeing.

As far as the high-maintenance part goes, I’ve had discomfort a few times, thinking I was in for a rough ride with particular guests. Luckily, the vast majority have turned out to be just fine. Just make sure you are friendly, but strict with your adherence to your rules and rates.

[Marissa160]

@Pat271  Thank you so much for some reassurance! It is appreciated! 

[Ann783]

I would trust your gut. But he likely is not weird... just entitled and a poor communicator. I recently had a guest like this. He left the house in decent shape but refused to use the App until I blocked his cell number. I was glad all communication was on the airbnb app... as he seemed to “forget” about the number of registered guests, additional cleaning fees, and rules on unregistered guests.

[Laura2592]

@Marissa160  try--

"Hi guest! I am really concerned you may not be getting all of my responses to your questions so I have attached screen shots of the messages for you. Sometimes the app can be wonky about notifications.

Unfortunately I can't change my cost structure or offer you an extra day stay as I do have back to back bookings. Thanks again and have a great day."

[Marissa160]

@Laura2592  I feel like you will understand my pain. The saga continues with this guest - who is checking in today. “What kind of coffee do you provide? Do you have firewood (it’s 100 degrees in Texas)” “can I check in early?” I am bracing myself for an interesting weekend. 

[Laura2592]

@Marissa160 I would just say:

"Hi again-

We provide ground coffee in varying kinds as our set up crew changes it out. Unfortunately I am not sure which variety we have at the moment. There is a grocery store X minutes away if you prefer a different type. We do not provide firewood as the summer heat leads to safety issues and seasonal burn bans.  We can't allow an early check in as our crew needs enough time to set up.  We do have a lot of information in the house guide so once you check in I am sure all your questions will be answered. Thanks again."

We get these types. They want to know every detail about their stay prior to their stay. My strategy is to hand off to my husband once the stay starts. Its called the "second voice" theory of customer service. Transferring to another person often changes the interaction. And if its a guy, some men are just weirdly entitled and sexist and will hound a woman with stupid questions (we are here to clean up after and coddle them in their minds) but will clam up around a man.  So if he continues I would just say "My husband can answer that question. He's the expert in that area." and hand it over to your mate. Have your mate be a lot slower to respond than you and have yes/no very curt replies. Betcha anything it works. 

[Pat271]

What an interesting strategy! I’ll have to talk my husband about that.

[Marissa160]

@Ann783 @Pat271 @Laura2592  so my gut was right about this guest!! He messaged me all weekend asking for everything possible. Asking where items were. Got the hot tub all dirty (by him and his kids swimming in it), then wanted me to deliver shock to clean it. Used every bit of firewood we had. Broke the coffee pot. My cleaner accidentally left a key in our locked cabinet in the kitchen and they absolutely cleaned me out of all my snacks that I keep for guests! Broke a tp holder in the bathroom and a light cover in my laundry room. How does that even happen? Just super annoyed with myself because I knew he was going to be a problem and I should have listened to myself! 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Marissa160 

So sorry this turned out negatively for you   -  I guess everyone here got a lesson in "trust your gut" ...  Yikes!