Guest leaving due to wifi

[Thomas2683]

We are new hosts and curious on how to proceed with this issue? Guest checked in to day and notes 1 guest however, there are 2, no big deal since its a spouse but, both are trying to use internet wifi to work and the wifi speed is slow. We have had 2 guests prior with no complaints but understand issues will happen. Guest checked in at 4pm and contacted me via text at 8:27pm asking for the password for wifi. I replied within 15 minutes that the passwords are on the router base. There is a wifi issue it appears and we contacted customer service,sadly they were no help and told us to call technician at 8am. When I stated this to the guest,she replied back that ,they have made other arrangements and are leaving in the morning. Whats the typical host to do in this situation? I've been a guest in the past and have had the same issue and allowed the host time to rectify the issue before I would decide to leave 5 hours into my visit.

What is typical procedure for hosts in this?

[Bes175]

Hi Thomas2683,

I understand that your guests already made the decision but this  might help other users/ hosts. In UK we have 'daily option' and I'm sure main/big telecom companies abroad might have some equivalent deal. Say your broadband drops or they can't help with the speed for 1-2-3 days, you contact another [here is BT - British Telecom] They give you a web-page to log-in, pay 1-2-3 days or more, even a month and problem might be sorted. Of course, it will be more expensive [1-2 times i tried was 8-10£/day] but there and then can be used a a fix.

Wishing you better luck next time.

[Huma0]

@Bes175 

I am with BT and spent hours on the phone with them this afternoon when my broadband went down. Weirdly, they never mentioned this option to me and I spoke two different people at length...

[Bes175]

Huma there are two options if I'm correct.

I found this out 'by chance' when TalkTalk broadband was 'under repair'

[A.] was a page online, that you simply paid by day - since BT owns most [or all] of network [tel. ones not fibre]

[B.] option by hour/ day [£5/h - £8/ day] via wireless hotspots. https://www.btwifi.co.uk/ 

2nd time I had this problem these solutions were a godsend, one of my children was in exam season and all Uni system [log in, lessons, etc] were online, choice was either go to Internet Coffee or pay a little more with BT and solve our problem. 

[Huma0]

@Bes175 

Thanks. Good to know! WiFi seems to be back up and working fine, but it's useful to know the options if this happens again.

[Sudsrung0]

Its a deal breaker these days with the wifi,

We had a guest a while ago he didnt tell me while he was here he wrote it in the review, Be prepared for the slow Internet, There was a problem with it and had he told me I could have got it fixed, the internet company we use are very good it would have been the same day, 

[Gillian166]

If the internet goes down, why is that my fault? Do we also have to refund if there's a power outage? 

[Debra300]

@Gillian166,

We clearly state in our listing details that internet or electricity services have scheduled and unplanned interruptions, and it may take longer than 24 hours to resume service.  We have offered a discount only when there were problems with our home equipment.  If the outage is limited to our immediate area, we may recommend a local cafe that offers free wifi.  

@Huma0,

In the US, we changed from home internet service to business internet service.  The cost is $10 USD more than the residential plan, but the primary benefit is that there is a local customer service rep available 24/7, and a technician is sent out within one business day.  We plan to choose Tmobile's business 5g option for the same level of support.

[Huma0]

@Debra300 

When I was talking to BT yesterday, one of the reps did tell me that, with business customers, they aim to fix any problems within 48 hours and also offer compensation. With domestic, you only get compensation after it's been down for several days. So far, touch wood, my service has been pretty reliable, so I'm really hoping this won't become a regular thing. 

I should probably mention something similar in my listing too. I thought it was just common sense, but so is 'please close the front door securely', which is something I've had to add to my rules!

[Sam397]

@Gillian166 Any time you cant provide something you say you will no matter whos at fault you should give a refund.

[Gillian166]

@Sam397  that's nice in theory, but in practice it's just yet another example of the poor small business schucks always bearing the brunt. If the power goes down, or my internet goes out, I don't get a refund from those providers. They don't deem it worthy of a refund. 

[Sam397]

@Gillian166 ,  I dont think that you should refund them if they lose services for like an hour or so I am talking about if they lose it for a long period. For example if you lose power for 17 hours and have to tell your guest to get water out of  a pool then definitely give them a refund. And its not  so much because its the right thing or its fair to do, its about getting that 5 star review. If you dont provide something that you said you would provide the guest has every right to give you a lower rating, no matter if it was your fault or not. If you give them a refund no matter how much it is they will see it as being fair and the chance of them not holding it against you when they give their review is a lot higher, but if you dont give them a refund they could see that as you not giving a s**t and will most likely remember that when they give you a review. You need to remember even though its not your fault , its not their fault either so why should they be the ones who has to pay for it. I dont have to tell anybody how important the guest reviews are and how much a bad review can affect the bottom line so to me its well worth a $50 refund to get a 5 star review rather than a 4 star. 

[Huma0]

@Sam397 

I get your point, but for certain things that are totally beyond the host's control and only last for a short period of time, I don't think it's always necessary to automatically offer a refund.

I have stayed at plenty of 5* hotels where the WiFi has been dodgy and they NEVER offered any compensation for it. I even stayed at a 5* hotel in Barcelona where I had no water in the room for the best part of the day during a heatwave. Reception staff told me it was an external problem, so it was not the hotel's fault.

I am not saying that's okay, but when it is something out of your control, and also it hasn't affected the guests really (like my WiFi issue yesterday which I was stressed about but the guests really did not care about), then you have to weigh up whether it requires a refund or not.

Every case is different. 

[Sudsrung0]

@Gillian166 

Power goes out often here Ive never given a refund, out of my control

The worst one I can remember was 17 hours, What can I do?

I just the guest if they need water get a bucket and get from the pool,

[Huma0]

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@Sudsrung0 wrote:

I just the guest if they need water get a bucket and get from the pool,

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Lol, @Sudsrung0 half the time I can't tell if you're being serious or not 🙂

[Sudsrung0]

@Huma0 

HAHAHA I was being serious there meaning they can flush the toilets