Impossible guest

[Mark105]

Hello hive!

I’ve been hosting for a while and a Superhost 22 times in a row. It’s been hard work, but rewarding. 

Currently, we have a guest in house on day 13 of a 32 day booking. So far I have received 68 messages from her. It started shortly after booking. The messages are always “concerning.” At first, before arrival , she was concerned, 5 times and starting 5 weeks before arrival, about the air quality from fires 300 miles away. Then, after arrival she was concerned she didn’t have a dish drainer (we have a dishwasher)  a coffee grinder, hangers and a full length mirror.  We provided everything she asked for within hours. Soon it progressed into complaints about noise from the vineyards ( it’s harvest and she booked a house next to a vineyard)  refusal to allow us to schedule property maintenance, complaints about flies in the unit (she doesn’t using screen doors). She complained about the google home being disconnected and won’t let us have the speaker to reconnect it. She complains about the ice maker making noise but won’t let us investigate. It took about 10 messages to confirm (and finally cancel) cleaning because she could not commit to a time and date. The list is endless, and now, she claims to be allergic to the redwood bark mulch outside in the garden and she is demanding a refund.  As of tonight, Airbnb is with me on this and not providing a refund. Long winded.. I’ll get to the point. 

She’s going to flame me in her review. I see in her profile that she’s done this previously, and she’s nasty.  A host left a long review detailing similar issues and she jumped into the gutter. ( to be fair, she’s had a lot of great reviews since, but I do suspect hosts are scared of her.) Any advise on leaving a review for her that remains neutral and how to respond professionally to her nastiness? This woman is a challenge  so far, I’ve been successfully professional and “bland.”  I hope I can remain so until she leaves. 

So far, I’m planning this:

overall 3 stars 

 
“Despite an initial friendly interaction, I would not host Natalie again in the future”

Thoughts? 

[Brian2036]

@Anonymous 

Interesting article. Thanks.

I always liked Galveston. We often docked there when I worked for Lykes Lines.

 I guess it’s been 20 years since I was last there. It sounds like I wouldn’t like it so much now.

[Debra300]

@Mark105,

You've been given some great advice.  We all have encountered the demanding, never satisfied, or entitled guest.  We accept long-term stays in our spaces, and a current guest sent me a message saying that she couldn't find the countertop composting bin, there was just a couple of garbage bags, and she bought some laundry pods, because there were just a few in the place.  I ordered a replacement compost bin, because I appreciated that she was committed to supporting this practice.  However, I told her that we provide enough household supplies for our long-term guests to get settled in, but these items are not replenished in the same manner as shorter stays that pay the standard rate.  I believe that set the tone to let her know that we are willing to insure that we provide the things that we list, but not to expect us to bend over fill her every request.