Help with Review

[Lenore22]

I'm having trouble finding the balance between being honest and not nit-picking.

- Guest requested a reservation for 8 guests, which is our max.

- Guest responded to initial request for more info (who's coming & the purpose of their trip & if there are pets), so request was approved along with a message about keeping it down for the neighbors.  After that, no response to pre-check-in message a few days before arrival confirming #s, & giving check-in details. No response to any  message, including one I  sent the day after check-in on app and as a text to the phone# she provided, informing them of a wildfire that was reported overnight just a few miles from the house and that I would keep them informed in case of an evacuation. (not a big deal, but I was a little surprised it wasn't even acknowledged)

- Disclosed cameras at entrances observed lots of people coming & leaving, but not staying (probably a few family groups meeting up at our house for their daily outing and then going to their accommodation to sleep. This is within our rules). They also returned one evening with several pillows from our couch and several blankets from our beds in a large hamper from our house. (Our guess is they took them for a day at the lake) 

- Our 1 request upon checkout is that they take out their kitchen garbage (so as to not attract insects/mice). Not only was the garbage left full, but several full bags of garbage were left in the laundry room.

- Guests did not speak English with one another, which I mention only because it might explain the lack of communication and failure to follow checkout instructions.

- When I asked my cleaner how the house was left, she said "very dirty. Things thrown all over. Makes sense if there were a lot of people with kids." She mentioned terrible smells from the dishwasher. In 2 years of stays, she's only ever said, "looks good." 

- Nothing was damaged/broken. They weren't loud or disturbing the neighbors and generally seemed like nice people, enjoying time with family.

These guests aren't "bad" guests, but they aren't a good fit for every host/house.  What would be a fair review that gives hosts a heads up and still recognizes that for some places, they're totally reasonable guests?

Thanks in advance,

Lenore

[Richard531]

"These guests aren't "bad" guests, but they aren't a good fit for every host/house."   Nope!  These ARE bad guests.  What host/house would the be a good fit for?  Nowhere.  You should call them out as such. 

I know these types of guests.  We get them about 1 out of 300.  They treated your home as they would their own.  Problem is: they treat their own homes in a crappy manner just like they did yours.  That's not your problem and they shouldn't be slobs to you, to your stuff, or to your property.  It's just another form of entitlement and you shouldn't stand for it.  

Leave 1-star for cleanliness.  2-3 stars on communication (depending).  I'd ding them on House Rules too (4-stars max).  Taking your stuff off property is not OK.  It's in the back of their crappy rental car, probably ended up on the ground at some point.  Nothing good is happening.  

These people don't deserve your house or the Sharing Economy.  

[Lenore22]

@Richard531 thanks for your considered reply. Excellent points. 

[Gillian166]

@Richard531  yeah +1 to this. I've had guests like this too, and they always bring extended family to join them and use my facilities. One of these groups (and I'm sorry to confirm that not speaking english is a common thread, although in every case there was one person, usually the person who booked, who does communicate well, and then upon arrival they defer to the arrogant males who haven't read the listing at all), flushed baby wipes into our septic system, which manifested in clogged drains 10 days later. Nothing I can do about it when we've had many guests stay after them. This group also took our lovely woollen throws off the beds and wrapped them around themselves and they walked around outside and sat by the fire! (we've since introduced a basket with "outside blankets"), broken furniture, excessive rubbish, kids running wild........ 

I've had 3 groups like this now, and I think i've finally learned how to spot them. you need to be very honest for other hosts. @Lenore22   and be sure to tick NO to "would you host again". this should stop them from being about to IB in the future. 

[Lenore22]

@Gillian166 it is so good to hear your take. Thank you! I also appreciate that I'm not just being "nit-picky."

[Huma0]

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@Gillian166 wrote:

be sure to tick NO to "would you host again". this should stop them from being about to IB in the future. 

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I also thought this was the case, but recently read here on the CC that this only means that the guests cannot IB with you and it doesn't affect their ability to IB with others. I wonder which is true. I couldn't find clear info about this, nor what 'recommended by other hosts' actually means the it comes to IB....

[Robin1119]

Love the basket for outdoor blankets!

[Richard531]

@Gillian166 "bring extended family. . .not speaking english is a common thread"

YEP!  Spot on.  

The whole thing is simply entitlement.  Period.  It's complete nonsense it is not OK.  The world needs to get past the sugarcoating/overly-sensitive landscape we currently find ourselves in.  Even the OP being all PC and saying "they aren't a good fit for every host/house."  Sorry for being all fired up, but they aren't a good fit anywhere on the Airbnb platform.  

They belong in lowbrow motels or the homes of masochistic hosts whose idea of a good time is being disrespected and, in this case, enjoy hauling refuse and replacing interior pillows and blankets being used "for a day at the lake."

SNUFF THEM OUT.  

When I was pledging my fraternity house (gulp) 20ish year ago, active members LITERALLY whipped us into shape.  "Call a spade a spade" was one of the battle cries tossed around a lot.  Basically, "if you're being a jerk, we're going to call you a jerk, we're not going to tolerate you being a jerk, and you're going to stop being a jerk - or you're OUT."  

Same goes for guests like these jerks in the Sharing Economy.  

[Anonymous]

@Lenore22  Even if your rules are lenient about visitors, I think it's worth mentioning in a neutral way that a large number of additional people were entertained in the home, lest the guest assume that future hosts will also be OK with that. Taking bed linens and pillows out of the house is rather gauche, although some hosts in beach/lake areas prevent that by providing a clearly marked set of outdoor towels and blankets.

The main points to emphasize was that communication didn't seem to be getting through, and as a result the checkout instructions weren't followed. @Richard531  has a point that these guests probably aren't a good fit for Airbnbs in general, but I'd leave that sentiment out of the review. They're probably no problem in an accommodation that provides cleaning and fresh linens daily, like a hotel, but how many hosts offer that?

[Lenore22]

Thank you @Anonymous ! Good point about visitors and linens. Although we clearly mark grey towels for the lake, blankets for lounging by the fire/taking to the lake like @Gillian166 mentioned are a great idea! 

[Gillian166]

@Lenore22  I originally got ikea blankets but now am looking in op shops (thrift stores) for those old fashioned check woollen blankets, they've become super trendy and are more durable, and a bit more fire friendly! If I bought them new I think they'd go walkabout....   

[Lenore22]

@Gillian166 great tip! Thank you!

[Lenore22]

Thanks for all the input. It was very helpful! Here's what I'm thinking for the review:

Cleanliness: 1
Rules: 4
Communication: 2
Overall: 3

Public review:

*** & her group stayed at our 4 Elements House in Mt Shasta, CA for a few days to enjoy each other's company and explore the beautiful wilderness. They left the house a bit messy, didn't follow checkout instructions, and took bedding off the premises (but brought it back). Once the reservation was approved, we didn't really hear from them, even when a local wildfire threatened that they might need to evacuate. There was no damage and they were respectful of our neighbors.

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Private note:
We hope you and your family enjoyed your stay in Mt Shasta! I mentioned the items I did because these might be concerns for other hosts... especially the communication. I was a bit concerned that you might not be prepared to evacuate if the wildfire got closer. Thankfully, it wasn't an issue this trip. Home Shares in general are a bit different from hotels and this is why there are things like check out lists & communication is key. (We ask guests to take garbage out so it doesn't attract bugs & mice... especially since it might be a few days before we get into the house to clean). Another difference I didn't appreciate until I started hosting, is that the cleaners are paid to sanitize the house for the next guests, not to wash dishes and clean up messes. Home shares tend to be cheaper per day than the equivalent hotel rooms because the cleaners don't usually come every day, so we just charge the cleaning fee once at the end instead of in our daily rate. We hope this helps & wish you all the best in your future adventures!

[Kristina46]

I know where you are coming from but this is way too nice. You either leave a bad review or you don't. Adding some things they did nicely accomplishes nothing. "a BIT messy?" Seems like you are making excuses for them! Three bags of stinky garbage and extra charges for cleaning does not seem like " a bit" to me.  I don't know. Make it short and sweet.

"Not a good fit for us. Communication was lax and they left three bags of smelly trash against our house rules. Extra messes inside the home incurred additional cleaning charges and time with our cleaner. Cannot recommend."

Your review sounds too wishy washy and almost Good! Would you host them again or wish them on one of us? If not, reconsider being so nice. These slobs messed up your home and disrespected you. They don't deserve any sort of good review at all. If you don't recommend them, please don't sugar coat it. 

[Kristina46]

Also, when they slam you for something in their review, how will you then feel about being so nice?