Thank you so much for responding!! I was reading other messages and was really discouraged because no one was getting reimbursement for similar issues and no backing from airbnb. I thought maybe I should feel lucky to get the $300, but I don't feel lucky at all.
I started drafting a review last night. Sounds like I'm going in the right direction with that anyway. The guest paid the $300. I never yelled- not my style. Very pleasant conversation with guest until he put his friend on the message thread which was him being a jerk telling me I should have more insurance or better countertops. Even after he paid he sent a message giving me his "2 cents" advising me he still thinks I should invest in quality stone countertops so it's not an issue in the future. Ha! If only his 2 cents or $300 would pay for any kind of countertop! No reasoning with that kind of person.
I'm not sure how the stars work for guest. Is it an average of cleanliness, communication, and following rules? In my draft I gave him cleanliness 3, communication 5, rules 1 The place was clean but does damage go under cleanliness or rules?