How would you feel about this enquiry?

[Huma0]

Just wondering, as it was an immediate no from me...

Guest message:

"Hey, I currently work in London, but here from California. I’m clean and respectful. I’ve been looking at several places and shortlisted a few. This is one of them.
Just a few questions:
1. How’s the cell service and internet speed there? Is it good enough for video conferencing without disruptions?
2. Is it quiet? Can I hear the neighbors? And is there any maintenance/construction going on at the property or nearby?
3. How many people will I share the apartment with? Please include max possible.
4. Can I use the kitchen, washer, and dryer?
5. Is there a TV in the room?"

Doesn't sound that bad maybe? I have several problems with it though...

- Generic message where the guest doesn't bother to address me by name nor read my listing where several of his questions are already answered

- Number of questions which suggest he's going to be picky, high maintenance and impossible to please

- Has totally ignored the parts of the listing that request guests to send me specific information

Then his reviews...  most of which are very positive, except this one:

"It wasn’t easy to host X. First he wanted to check in 2 hours before. I told him I’ll do my best. At 1 pm he text me to check if the room was ready, check in is after 3, However, due to the extreme weather I told him the room will be ready at 1:30. When he arrived he insisted in me opening the garage, even though I explained it was locked and I don’t live there. The next day he complained about cameras in the house. I told him it is in the description, there are cameras towards every entrance of the house. He said he wasn’t comfortable and I gave him the choice to cancel the booking. He is very hard to please. The light was out and we gave him an extra lamp, as his request. Then he complained of the heat, I lowered it, then he asked me to come and help him open a window. I found that very strange, yet, I did, easily. He said he wanted all the windows open, and the temperature outside was below freezing. I suggested him to turn on the ceiling fan for what he replied it will be too cold. It seems that nothing was enough for him. On checkout day he wanted to checkout two hours late, even though there is a poster explaining the fees for late checkout. I gave him a discount fee and he paid, although he bargained, but at this point I just wanted him out of my house. Then I got pictures of some yellow sauce splashed in the blinds of one window and the comforter, I have in the welcome poster in the room that if you chose to bring food to the room and leave any stains, there will be a cleaning fee if $25. I requested the fee and he declined."

Now, there are some things in that host's review that one could question, but the host has many, mostly great reviews and excellent ratings. Also, the complaints from the host kind of ring true to me when you read the guest's initial message to me. There's definitely a sense of entitlement... On the other hand, perhaps he had some bad experiences at Airbnbs and is now just trying to be cautious before booking (I generally don't mind people asking questions and actually prefer it).

Maybe I am being too British... We don't tend to be so direct and demanding.

Anyway, I already told the guest my listing was not a great fit for him but out of interest, was wondering what others think of this. Would you accept or decline:?

[Huma0]

PS I am not being picky because I am inundated with bookings. This enquiry was actually for nearby dates that were just cancelled by another guest so it would be great to get them filled. However, I am really trying to be more vigilant in spotting potentially undesirable/problematic guests.

[Colleen253]

@Huma0 Oof, would have been a no from me, too. Even if he'd been trying to book my entire place listing. Don't you just love it when a potential guest comes screeching in sideways, red flags waving wildly about? Easy no, saving so much grief.

[Huma0]

@Colleen253 

Yep, that's what I thought! 

Here is my response:

Hi X, thank you very much for your enquiry. However, I am a bit concerned by one of your reviews. Coupled with that, I feel from your messages that you have not actually read my full listing, which is very detailed and already answers several of your questions. Within that are some questions that I ask all guests to answer before they book, but you haven't responded to those.

Based on the above, it doesn't sound like my listing is the best fit for you. I do hope you find somewhere nice.

Kind regards,

Huma

[Colleen253]

@Huma0 Perfect. Now hopefully he just goes quietly away!

[Huma0]

@Colleen253 

So far, he has. Some guests will keep pushing even if you tell them it's not a good fit, but I doubt this one will as it's clearly a generic message he's sent to everyone on his 'shortlist'. Besides, I haven't answered any of his questions 🙂

[Michelle1851]

I would have declined, life is too short to be so picky.  I would have said I didn't believe my listing would be a good fit.

[Huma0]

@Michelle1851 

Thank you! I feel validated because that is exactly what I responded.

[Mark116]

@Huma0  A high maintenance guest who doesn't read the listing is a recipe for stress.  Also, there is something in the tone, that makes it seem like you should be thrilled to be in the competition for this guest and thus ready to jump through hoops to ensure his video conferencing is fast and the neighborhood is quiet.  Also, obviously didn't read the listing or even pay much attention to the photos.  

[Huma0]

@Mark116 

Yes, there were a few red flags but it was that tone that worried me more than anything else!

[Cathie19]

@Huma0 , more than a FEW red flags 🚩 here. Besides the ones

mentioned, what is he doing to need quiet for videoing?  Study? A blogger/influencer?  A telemarketer/canvasser? Too many questions not answered including your wifi being queried. Most gamers state why they need the speed, but this person did not elaborate. Making films? 

As you have entered winter, the open window and central heating costs would also be a concern.   I would have no issues with kitchen or laundry use. 
Hmmmmmm….. I think you dodged an overtly self centric individual. 

[Huma0]

@Cathie19 

WiFi connection and speed are clearly very important to this guest. He has only left reviews for half of the hosts that have reviewed him, but each time he mentioned the WiFi. However, I don't think there is anything suspicious going on. He works for a company in San Francisco, so probably needs it for Zoom meetings. I had a couple of guests last year who worked entirely from home due to the pandemic and had numerous video meetings with colleagues every day. It's just part of the culture now at some places. I don't know how they actually get their work done.

Until then, I'd never had any issue with my current WiFi package, but it wasn't quite strong enough for that so I added a booster. The guests didn't make a big deal out of it though. They were logical enough to realise that their WiFi usage was not the norm for Airbnb guests. However, for a lot of people, it has now become the 'new normal'.

However, I'm not going to make guarantees about the WiFi, even though I know it's pretty good. One of the guests mentioned above asked me about it before he booked but just wanted to know which type I had. When he found out it wasn't strong enough for his video meetings, he bought a booster himself. I actually already had one he could have used, but he didn't want to bother me. This enquiry doesn't sound like a guest who is not going to want to bother me!

The heating would be much more of an issue though. I really do not want windows left open while the heating is pumping out of them. That would drive me insane. As he mentioned ventilation in a review he left for another listing, I'm pretty sure it's not a one off thing...

[Huma0]

@Cathie19 

The other thing I realised is that, if he is on video calls throughout his working day, with the time difference between San Francisco and London, that would mean all night, which would be an issue as sound travels in this house.

The room is directly below mine and it would be very audible to me and possibly other guests. I remember being able to hear the two guests mentioned above, but that wasn't a problem as it was during the day.

[Brian2169]

@Huma0 

Good call. He probably sent out several identical requests in order to avoid having to read all the listings.

Lots of host hours wasted.

Lazy and inconsiderate from the start, maybe worse later.

[Huma0]

@Brian2169 

Yep, it's definitely a generic enquiry. I still usually answer the questions, but this one was not worth my time.