Review

[Thea-and--Keith0]

Fellow hosts,

I could use some assistance in how to handle a review for a recent guest.  Below is a synopsis of what occurred:

A guest sent an inquiry requesting to reserve our unit and bring her dog.  We agreed however I did not notice immediately that she did not include the pet when completing the reservation.  I noticed a few hours later (5pm ish on the same day) and sent her a reservation adjustment adding the pet fee ($25).  At this point, she could have cancelled the reservation without penalty if she did not want to pay the pet fee.

I did not hear back from her.  The morning of check in I requested she accept the reservation adjustment prior to check in.  She had requested an early check in and we provided a noon check in.  Shortly before 1pm, she sent an email stating she didn’t know there was a pet fee and wanted to know what it was for.  She indicated she would see if her dog could stay with her sister. 

Then she sent an email saying her “dog will mostly stay at her sister’s house so she didn’t need to pay even more.”  She stated it was already an expensive trip for her.  I asked her to clarify if the dog was staying at the unit.  She stated yes the dog would stay with her sister most of the time but  would need to be with her in the apartment.  She stated if that wasn’t okay she would cancel the reservation.  I told her if the dog was in the unit there was a $25 fee.

I contacted Airbnb myself and explained the situation and requested how to handle it.  They were unusually helpful and supported me that she was responsible for the fee.

Then her customer support Airbnb person  contacted me and reported the guest wanted to cancel the reservation with a full refund or bring the dog with her without paying the pet fee.  This was twenty minutes before  check in.  I did not agree to that as we would not have been able to re-book the unit given the time and I did not feel her lack of communication was our responsibility.  The guest chose to stay in the apartment.   That customer support person actually apologized to me later and documented that they did not read the entire thread of our emails before contacting me and acknowledged I had sent her a reservation adjustment. 

Any suggestions on how to write a review for this guest?

[Helen744]

Helen@744 I would simply say  "It is important for first time guests travelling with beloved pets to liaise closely with the host to prevent misunderstandings as rules do apply' H

[Thea-and--Keith0]

@Helen744 Helen744  this was not a first time guest.  She has 49 reviews and has travelled around the world with a cat and dog.

[Helen744]

Helen @744 well all I can say is some of those reviews lied. What happened to the cat?Who travels around the world if they really need support animals ? The people I know who have them use them to leave the house to go to the supermarket or to make them feel safe at home . I call fraud on this and as I said before that animal needs rescuing from that owner. I have great sympathy for everyone who has a disability but when it becomes obvious that the person is relying on an animal to manipulate people things get muddy.Not everyone actually should have a support animal or even benefits from them and in this case it is like the person with the crutch who uses it to hit others. does he need it or should it be made of rubber? There are no answers .I dont generally allow pets and people like this are the reason why.everyone likes animals ,mostly but they draw the line at certain things and travelling with your animals long distances is paramount to cruelty in my book. If you need to move countries or have a legitimate reason is different. In Australia where we do travel long distances in cars to move around to tourist spots it is illegal to leave animals in cars .Neverthe less people used to do it with children as well . They die . End of story. We have good catteries to leave pets when necessary for people to go holidaying or travelling.Some people like to host people and animals so maybe their opinions on pet travel are better than mine. I would just suggest they choose someone else and help them to do so.

[Thea-and--Keith0]

@Helen744 She didn’t claim the dog as a support animal and I have no idea what happened to the cat.  I can just see on her reviews that she was traveling with a cat and dog in Italy not long ago.  If she had claimed the dog as a support animal, Airbnb would not have supported me.

[Sarah977]

@Thea-and--Keith0  You say that you didn't hear back from her when you sent the adjustment for the pet fee. In the future, you should not allow a guest to check in if they haven't paid any necessary additional fees and let them know when you send that fee request that that will be the result of ignoring it.

[Thea-and--Keith0]

@Sarah977 I didn’t let her check in without paying the fee.  Re-reading it I realize I may not have made that clear.  

I am looking for guidance on how to review her because she was clearly manipulating the situation.

[Sarah977]

@Thea-and--Keith0  Yes, sorry, maybe I misread-  you did say "guest chose to stay in the apartment". 

I'd just state the facts, like "Guest refused to pay the pet fee yet insisted on staying anyway" or whatever you feel accurately and briefly outlines the situation. 

Of course, if she left the place clean (if she in fact stayed, which I'm still confused on) you should mention positives as well. 

[Thea-and--Keith0]

@Sarah977 Yes, she stayed.  She Did a few annoying things (ignored stripping the bed, left a couple dirty dishes, didn’t take trash out) but nothing I would put in the review.  Otherwise she was a good guest. Thank you for the suggestion on the review.