Guest claiming damages to clothes from my washer

[Gregory486]

I have a guest who said that my hot and cold hoses were reversed on my washing machine, so a load of laundry he did on day 2 of his stay resulted in $350 worth of damaged clothes, because they were washed in hot water instead of cold.  He said corrected the hose hookups, and has sent pictures of the damaged clothes, as well as receipts showing prices, taxes and shipping, all of which he is claiming.

After only 2 months as a host, I have already had one guest try to get a refund due to  a minor convenience, so I am leery of being scammed by guests now.  Had I thought about it, I would have a sign saying that they can use the washing machine at their own risk and that I am not responsible for damage, but hindsight doesn't help me now.  

Do I just pay the claimed damages?  There is no way for me to know whether the hose hookup issue is true or not, and you can't tell from the photos whether the clothes are damaged or not.  

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Richard531]

This guest is OUT OF HIS MIND.  Do not reimburse him at all.  Your W/D was hooked up correctly in the first place.  

Pandering to these maniacs makes the whole Sharing Economy a tougher business landscape for everyone.  Do not allow this person to get the better of you.  

[Pat271]

We, as hosts, should refrain from granting refunds in general. Refunds should not be a normal part of hosting. You don’t see hotels doling out refunds at every guest whim. At the most, hotels offer a gift certificate to one of their restaurants or offer some other amenity, rarely refunds, and this only if it’s indisputable that the guest’s stay has been severely impacted (like no A/C, hot water, etc.). Just get “refund” out of your vocabulary. Guests should not be considering refunds a normal option for rectifying their every whim.

[Helen3]

Why in your opinion would a guest or you for that might go to the trouble of changing the hose hooks ups.

And why would the guests just happen to have all the receipts on hand.

Just confirm to the guest that the hose hook ups were correct.  Also remind him if there is an issue to do with an appliance or anything else at the property that your tradespeople will fix it and guests shouldn't attempt to make any changes.