Modifying a Reservation as a Guest- Am I being unreasonable?

[Andrea5497]

So my husband and I booked a stay from Sunday to Sunday- about one week from now. We are sadly going for a funeral and to help with his widow. Unfortunately my dog ended up needing emergency surgery about 10 days before our initially planned arrival date and his vet said he'd need to have stitches in for two weeks. That vet visit is on a Monday so I submitted a request to modify my reservation to arrive Wednesday instead of the Sunday and leave the following Thursday. I figured this would still give them the full amount agreed to plus one extra day actually. 

Mind you this particular place is not popular. There are a lot of available dates left for the summer. It's a college town so it's not the busy season yet and I wasn't trying to take up another weekend. But the host (who is actually a company- they have many rentals on Airbnb) declined my request for the change. I'm already pretty stressed out and honestly these are kind of extenuating circumstances? I'm in a tough spot- going for a funeral and I've got a sick dog now too. I tried explaining this to the host and pleaded for them to please reconsider my request but he declined and said that he wouldn't have time now to book the Sunday- Tuesday nights that I initally booked.  

Is it me or is this guy being completely unreasonable? I could see if his place was super popular or something but it's not. I'm really annoyed. The whole experience is making me really wish I had not booked with this host- I feel like an actual human host, not a company would have been much more accomodating since I'm not trying to stiff them less money or fewer days. Those of you who host, am I being unreasonable here? 

[Anonymous]

@Andrea5497   I hope all goes well with your pup's operation and wish him a speedy recovery!

Alas, this situation is not what is considered an extenuating circumstance in terms of your contract. You weren't unreasonable to request the date change, but I also don't think the property manager was unreasonable to decline it. Nothing in your agreement obliges them to be flexible on the dates if they prefer not to. 

What would seem inappropriate to me would be to push the matter any further after a request has been declined. Even if you prefer a different outcome, no means no. So at this point, it's best to put aside the hard feelings and decide on a plan B. The choices are:

a)  Keep the booking as-is but ask to change the check-in date to Wednesday

b)  Keep the booking as-is but request to extend it to the following Wednesday or Thursday

c)  Cancel the entire stay for whatever partial refund the host's cancellation policy entitles you to

[Kate867]

@Andrea5497   I am sorry this happened, but I do agree with the comments made by  @Anonymous .  However, there is another possible option here and one I have used myself before in similar circumstances.  Look for a recommended veterinary surgeon in the area you are planning to visit, have a quick chat with them, ask your vet to email your pets notes to them and have the stitches taken out there.  It really is quite simple to arrange.

[Anonymous]

@Kate867   That's some great thinking outside the box, I like it!

Personally, if it were my dog I think I'd cancel the trip so she could recover at home. But my dog is 17 years old, so I already handle her with kid gloves as it is. Maybe for a young dog and adaptable dog that would be a good option.

[Andrea5497]

@Anonymous yes I absolutely would! But unfortunately I'm going to attenda a funeral of a very close friend. Otherwise I absolutely would. I do appreciate your feedback though. I think it was partly the very cold response I received from the host. Which I do get it- I just felt like some compassion for my situation might be nice. My experience with hosts in the past have been very different- much kinder. 

[Anonymous]

@Andrea5497   I have to admit to a bit of bias - I'm not a fan of the bulk property managers that are taking over on Airbnb, and I also prefer the grassroots type hosts. If a guest contacted me in distress due to both the loss of a dear friend and an emergency with their pet, I'd want to do everything I could to respond gently and compassionately. It's just a part of hospitality. 

Depending on the circumstances, I might still decline a special favor, but I'd try to communicate that in a way that didn't feel purely cold. It's entirely possible to show care and compassion to people without giving them everything they want, but that takes a certain finesse that I don't expect from real-estate investors using residential housing as their ATM. 

[Andrea5497]

@Anonymous yes I agree!  It was so different even only a few years ago 🙂 Have met some wonderful people that were our hosts!

[Andrea5497]

@Kate867  It's a good option I did consider and I'll just have to see how he's doing the next few days, but I'm leaning toward just arriving later and eating the days I can't stay. I still need to be there for the funeral & want to be able to help my widowed friend- but I definitely won't be extending my stay with this particular host. Their response just rubbed me as really insensitive. But overall this experience has made me think that in the future this is why it's better to book at a hotel. Most have much more flexible cancellation/change policies. Atleast in my experience... 

[Amanda660]

I was going to suggest exactly the same scenario as @Kate867  

Have you checked to see if your travel or pet insurance would  cover it a date change/amendment?

[Andrea5497]

@Amanda660 Thanks! I had not considered this but I'm not sure I actually have either. Is this something you purchase when you book? 

[Amanda660]

@Andrea5497 I’m a host but my husband and I both have year long travel insurance policies (unrelated to Airbnb).  Pet insurance policies often

cover travel interruptions caused by surgery, etc.  

[Lorna170]

@Andrea5497  Many Company Managers/Owners are inflexible.  Many single property hosts will consider your request but may not make the adjustment, especially if the rental property is their sole income stream.  I wish Airbnb would get rid of the rental companies and the mega hosts.  They can have their own website… Gougers.com.