Difficult guests

[Saret2]

Hi for the first time since I started Airbnb I have difficult guests nothing is right they have a problem with everything I have tried everything to make there stay more comfortable but nothing is working.  I am worried about a bad review I don’t know how to deal with them so I told them if they would like to get another play I will refund the days they have left. They told me this is there first Airbnb experience and it really BAD.

This is really bad for me and I really don’t know how to go about these guests!!

[Emiel1]

@Saret2

Can you provide some examples the guest are complaining about ?

And how you solved or resonded to the issues ?

[Saret2]

Sure day 1 they complained about the showers and a mouldy smell I went and fixed the showers and sprayed some mould cleaner/killer underneath the basin where she told me the smell was coming from I also placed 3 of those containers that takes the moisture out of the and placed them underneath the basin too.

today the tv wouldn’t work I called a IT guy and he couldn’t find a fault (there’s 2 tv’s thay use the same wfif same apps 1 is fine the other one not) this was this morning 

tonight she let me know the washer/dryer is leaking everything thing is wet they don’t have dry towels now.

This is really the first time I have had guests like this and complaints like this usually when the guests ask and i fix the problems everything is fine but it seems like each day there are more and more problems with these guests.

[Huma0]

@Saret2 

I'm sorry to hear about your difficult guests. You have great reviews and it's clear that your guests usually really appreciate you and your place.

Unfortunately, it sounds like you just got unlucky this time, with a lot of things going wrong at once. They guests may well be demanding and they may like complaining, but it does sound like a few things went wrong and those things are maybe more important to these guests than other things.

I am not sure what more you can do. You could try letting them stay but giving them a partial refund for the trouble. Or you may feel that the guests are causing problems where there are none, in which case I would try to persuade them to go earlier if they are open to it. How did they respond to that suggestion, by the way? Neither will guarantee they won't leave a bad review though.

You mention that usually when guests ask, you fix the problems and everything is fine, but in future, it might be a good idea to try to avoid as many of these types of problems as possible by checking the listing and, as far as is practical, making sure everything is working and there are no weird smells or other issues before new guests check in.

Of course, unexpected issues do sometimes come up. I have had a lot of them recently and luckily my guests have been very understanding as they can see I do my best to get things sorted asap (e.g. dishwasher broke and I ordered a new one the same day but delivery was delayed, there were problems with installation, on and on), but I have no idea yet how they will review or rate me in relation to these. I wouldn't be surprised if I was marked down, even though there wasn't much more I could do.

[Skip33]

We have a guy who is he by himself and he can't find anything... he keeps texting my cell and I keep answering within the AIRBNB message inbox so I have documentation in case I need it. We have a pretty comprehensive FAQ list to help guests find stuff which I send when they book and there is a copy in our binder on the table. For example, "you will find items like wine openers, spare amenities... etc etc" The only way he could have missed the provided wine opener was by not opening the top draw located right under the coffee/ice machine/toaster counter. Then it was the next thing and the next thing--- all stuff right in front of him. I am getting worried about my 5.0 taking a ding from this guy and him asking for some kind of refund.

[Colleen253]

@Skip33 I had a guest like this recently. They hadn't read a single bit of anything, either on the listing, in house or in trips communications. Not a thing! My info is thorough and guests only have issues if they don't read.  I just kept replying 'as noted in......' They've not left me a review yet 6 days past, so it's not likely coming. Good! I'm waiting til the last possible minute to leave them one. Not sure how a person that inattentive survives themselves into adulthood. Thankful my house survived them.

[Huma0]

@Skip33 @Colleen253 

I've had a few helpless guests and they don't usually leave reviews. They are too disorganised. However, I did get dinged by one recently who I realised pretended to understand things when she really didn't (language barrier). Frustrating as she seemed to need so much help and I did all I could for her, except agreeing to extra discounts...

Then there are the ones who don't read anything, complain about everything and don't care when you remind them it was in the description that they confirmed they had read. It doesn't matter to them. They want what they want, not what you clearly described. Those can also ding you.

Luckily it doesn't happen too often.

[Colleen253]

@Huma0 “Luckily it doesn’t happen to often.”

Yes! If we work smart enough and hard enough, we can attract the best and avoid the rest. That’s the ticket. Always left feeling like I’ve been blindsided when one slips through the gauntlet. And thanking my lucky stars when I come away from it unscathed 🤣

[Huma0]

@Colleen253 

Exactly what you said. I don't really get the second type I mentioned too often anymore because I am so stringent about vetting.

The girl I mentioned slipped through the net because, although she hadn't answered all of my questions, she then went silent for weeks, so I never expected her to suddenly instant book out of the blue. Yep, I could of used one of my penalty free cancellations, but the red flags didn't seem so bad and I thought there was a good chance she would turn out to be a great guest (I've had some amazing guests who I initially had similar apprehensions about). 

My bad. Should have listened to the gut instinct and erred on the side of caution.

I really want to turn of IB, but with this girl's low ratings meaning I will lose Superhost status and things already being slow due to COVID, I'm worried that will make my listings drop. off the map.

[Colleen253]

@Saret2 I tend to agree with @Huma0 . This also smells a bit like a guest who may be creating or amplifying issues with the intent to stay for free. They may have success if they get Airbnb involved. Regardless, if they are that uncomfortable and unhappy, they would be best to go elsewhere, right? Try your hardest to encourage that along. Don't worry about the review. Not much you can do about that. Remember you can make good use of your reply to any review to assuage the concerns of potential future guests.