Guest resolution request - how to respond

[Colleen253]

A guest wants out of the contract she entered into when she booked my place. She did not read my house rules nor the cancellation terms. Is cancelling and wants a full refund. I refused, naturally. Now she's sent a resolution request for the money. I apparently must respond somehow, though I'd rather just ignore it. Airbnb in it's typical finger wagging shaming way says I'll be up for review if I don't take some action.  I don't want the 'decline' option, as that then gives her over to Airbnb quickly and easily. She will probably try to involve Airbnb anyway, but letting her go the long hard way round is preferable. I could 'offer a different amount' (I'm thinking a buck?). The last option is 'send a message' which would just be repeating what I already said (with bubble thoughts full of middle finger emojis due to her attitude). So if I just send a message, does Airbnb consider that a sufficient response and I avoid being 'under review'? 

[Cave0]

@Colleen253 

I'd not engage with the guest directly if they elected to involve Airbnb.  I would, however call Airbnb and ask Airbnb to confirm that your cancellation policy applies and will honoured by Airbnb.  If the guest has no grounds to cancel on the basis that your listing was inaccurate or there was something wrong during their stay, there's no reason for them to be refunded outside of the cancellation policy applied at the time of booking.

After speaking to Airbnb I'd then decline the refund request.  Ultimately, not responding just gives Airbnb licence to take over and decide on your behalf, and even if Airbnb ultimately side with the guest, I'd at least make sure I'd chance to make my pitch 🙂

[Emiel1]

@Colleen253 

Why not sent a message first (if there is time left) and wait for what is happening ?

Do not let emotions in, just stick to the facts about the deal.

[Colleen253]

@Cave0  @Emiel1  She has zero grounds for full refund. She did not bother to read the cancellation policy nor the covid EC policy, made some assumptions that were wrong, and is mad because I’m holding her to the terms of the contract she willingly entered into.

I explained everything to her when she demanded a full refund, and then she sent the request. I loathe for Airbnb to become involved because they are clueless outsourced call center workers who don’t even know policy.  They shouldn’t, and have no grounds to give her her money back, but  I’m  worried one of the more clueless ones will anyway and then I’ll have a fight on my hands.

I’m mostly wondering if replying (again) in a message ‘through the resolution request’ is sufficient response in Airbnb eyes, to avoid a dreaded “you’re under review”. I’d rather not involve Airbnb and I’m not going to suggest a different amount. But do I HAVE to either accept or decline ?

[Emilia42]

@Colleen253 

What you describe could very well happen but it looks like you don't have much of a choice. I would use the 'send a message' option and continue in the endless loop. Perhaps offer to give her a full refund if you rebook the dates then tell her to check back closer to that timeframe. 

[Colleen253]

@Emilia42  I might have offered that option to begin with but she’s been such an entitled pain in the butt since booking that I don’t even want to give her that. I’m being stubborn. I shouldn't be.  I don’t really care about the money, it’s the principal, and her overall attitude. 

[Emilia42]

@Colleen253 

Ha, I've had a few of those. I always think to myself thank goodness the reservation didn't carry on. As in, you are so lucky she canceled! She could be sitting in your house right now, being a total p.i.t.a, stealing your payout based on a bogus claim, all while being able to leave you a review. 

[Colleen253]

@Emilia42 Yes! I was actually dreading the stay and was glad she wanted to cancel. I had an inkling she would be trouble and I probably should have just declined the booking. This is a good reminder to never ignore the red flags!

[Kelly149]

@Colleen253 as you know once abb gets involved then she very well could get it all back or none, it's always a crap shoot. Yes, you can copy/paste what you told her the first time. And then go ahead and hit the decline button.

An alternative is to pick a number that you can deal with ($100, 50%, xxx) and send that over to her hoping that her bad attitude is appeased.

I don't know what's wrong with people right now, I think I'm up to about 80% cancellation lately, it's an obnoxious waste of time when people should have read and behaved properly in the first place.

[Colleen253]

This wasn't about particular circumstances, it was about a guest's refusal to be a responsible adult and wanting a pass. Fact remains their reason for cancelling wasn't covered by the EC policy. Unfortunately most guests just hit 'book' having said they read and agree to everything when they actually haven't. I don't take contracts lightly, but I have actually given a guest or two a full refund when I thought circumstances warranted it, and they were easy and pleasant to deal with. This guest was none of those things. I had to dig in my heels. Tired of flaky guests who don't want to take personal responsibility,  preferring to deflect.

Anywho, caught between rock and hard place due to this guest being unwilling to accept responsibility for their oversight, I decided to just decline and have my say to Airbnb's so-called CS.

@Kelly149 @Emilia42 @Cave0 @Emiel1  Thanks all! What will be, will be. 

[Kelly149]

@Colleen253 yep, these types have what I call "wishful thinking"... it often sounds like this...

"but that's how it was at xxxxx other place I stayed at"

"well, that's how my friend/I would run my STR"

"but, how could I have known that would happen?"

"why does it matter to you if I......"

"I see that your January pricing for 1 guest is less than your Christmas pricing for 5 guests, could I have that January pricing for a Christmas trip?"

"I know you said no additional guests/parties/pets, but these people/family/animal are just here to visit, they're not staying"

Good luck!!!

[Katrina79]

@Colleen253 You’ve done what you can and addressed the guest’s request and communicated your reasons to decline. That is all that needs to be done. If the guest still believes they should be refunded after reading your response they may choose to involve Airbnb. It is no different than when a host requests money for a resolution from a guest. I assume the decline request button just allows the guest to involve Airbnb before the 72 hours is up. 
On a side note: I decline the request for refund and usually write an argumentative paragraph stating three valid reasons why I do not agree to refund. I do this to persuade the guest that a refund is not due and ultimately persuade the CS rep who may read it. Some of my reasons are:

1) Guest booked not far in advance knowing COVID-19 was on the rise.

2) My refund policy is already very flexible and cancellations so close to the reservation date may not be rebooked.

3) I’m still willing to host the guest.

4) I may be willing to offer a partial refund if I can rebook the dates. 
5) I haven’t received the payment for your reservation yet. 
6) I was able to change your reservation dates to a future date.

I believe some guests need to be reminded about their responsibility in their own decisions. They should communicate with the host first to exhaust other options before going straight to request a refund through the resolution Center after they cancel. I am quite flexible, understanding and accommodating so requests like this are rare but I have seen it a couple of times. I find it rude that a guest would cancel and go straight to request cash from the host because it is less than five days before the start of their reservation without communicating first. The majority of my guests do communicate with me and we are always able to come to a suitable solution. 

[Andrea4648]

I’ve just ignored the request for a refund, and it’s worked out for those who are legitimate. Someone who doesn’t have a good reason doesn’t have proof, so Airbnb hasn’t gotten involved. The only time they did, they provided some sort of documentation on a death and were refunded.