Should I ignore this when I rate a guest?

[Loretta126]

We normally don't have problems with guests, so I usually have an easy time writing reviews.  But I need some advice on whether this is important to other hosts or not.  The short version is that the guest that arrived yesterday was a jerk to me this morning (via text) because he was frustrated about something. Prior to arrival, they seemed very nice.

I suspect he's actually frustrated about finances, but the issue he "yelled" at me about was something else (disclosed in the listing). No expletives or personal attacks, but several long texts about how this was not what he wanted and is unacceptable and it's ruining his vacation and how he should get his way because he spent a lot of money.  It was definitely upsetting to me, especially since it should not have been a surprise.

I almost told him to leave and I'd refund him for the unused nights. Fortunately, I took some time to calm down and came up with a simple solution that seems to have calmed him down, too. 

Should I consider this immaterial when it comes time to rate him?  I understand accommodating requests is part of hospitality so I would not be posting this if it had been a request instead of a rant.

[Kate867]

@Loretta126   If it were me, (and not knowing what the problem was here, just based on what you said) I would probably not mention it as you seem to have resolved the issue and he appears to have accepted it.  We all have bad days and it could have been anything that sparked him off, including a sleepless night, headache etc. and not necessarily his perceived issues with your listing.  We all lash at at times, and frequently at the wrong target.  He may well already be regretting his heavy handed texts.  Just review him as if they did not happen unless you really think a future Host needs to be aware.

[Anonymous]

@Loretta126   "several long texts about how this was not what he wanted and is unacceptable and it's ruining his vacation and how he should get his way because he spent a lot of money"

This is not someone I would feel safe or comfortable allowing into my home. I guess I see this quite differently from @Kate867  - no matter how bad of a day someone might be having, I'm not about to trust them with keys to my house if they can't show the basic ability to control their temper. Lashing out over a petty grievance is not OK. And if you had to resolve the issue by refunding out of pocket over a matter that was disclosed in the listing, that's not OK either. 

As far as I'm concerned, this isn't just a nice guy having a bad day. This is a bad, bad guest. Please don't let that slide in the review.

[Huma0]

@Anonymous 

I'm with you on this one.

It's difficult to say without knowing what the issue was and the tone of voice can easily be misinterpreted with texts as apposed to verbal conversations. @Loretta126 felt like she was being yelled at, but perhaps it was not the guest's intention to come across that way. Who knows?

However, if the guest was actually rude, I see no excuse for it and would not let it slide.

Early on in my hosting experience, I had a guest really bark at me and threaten me (not physically but with the implication he would leave a bad review) because I wouldn't turn the heating on in the middle of summer. Apart from anything else, other guests had their windows on and would not have been happy about the heating being on. It was summer! Still, I managed to appease the guest by giving him an electric heater for his room. It always irked me though that I let this man speak to me that way.

More recently, I had a guest really harass me about something mentioned in the listing. Whenever this happened, I would try to offer a solution but he would just stomp out of the room. He was sat down and told in no uncertain terms that it was not okay for him to speak to me that way in my own home and that, while I of course wanted him to be comfortable and enjoy his stay, I would not be putting up with rudeness. I got an apology. The guest didn't stop complaining but he stopped with the rudeness. I know we are in the hospitality business, and some might say that the customer is always right, but I don't think that means they can treat us like dirt.

[Caroline2151]

agreed. Its important specielly when you share the space and im happy i throw my first out for disrespecting me, slamming doors, hourse rules, beeing up late and talking like she owned the house. That is insane behaviour and its wierd you have this built in state of costumer is always right and thats good mostly ofc! but when it comes to this beeing rude I care more about myself then air-bnb. 

all the best to you!

caroline

[Debra300]

@Loretta126,

I would mention something about the communication style he.exhibited when reporting his dissatisfaction.  The comment would be objectively factual, "The guest voraciously expressed his displeasure about a matter that appeared he'd overlooked in the listing details."

Would you please share his response/attitude when you pointed out the disclosure in the listing?

[Gillian166]

i'm more inclined to think this is a nice guy having a **bleep**ty day. but without the full context we can't know. did you check out what reviews he leaves for others? 

[Loretta126]

@Gillian166 , @Kate867 I had checked in with him only an hour earlier and he was happy.

His texts came shortly after his planning session with the driver (if our guests hire the driver that works with us, the driver comes to the villa the first morning to help them plan their itinerary).  So I think money set him off.  The cost of the driver was probably more than he anticipated, even though we provide the driver's price list at the time of booking (or earlier if they don't IB). 

[Debra300]

@Loretta126,

In my experience, guests often think that things should cost the same as back home, or less because the island is a small developing country.  They don't understand that almost everything is imported, and those goods are heavily taxed and expensive.  Guests also discount the worth of a person's time and cost of doing business.  For example, if they go somewhere like the sulfur springs or stop for lunch during a tour, the driver has to wait for them so that he's available when they're ready to leave.  He cannot go to the airport or into town and pick up another fare while they are bathing in mud and natural springs or eating lambi and drinking Piton beer.  All of the time that he's spending with them is missed opportunity to possibly earn more money with other passengers.

It appears to me that your guest isn't a seasoned international traveler, and didn't do any research on make inquiries about what to expect, so he wasn't prepared for the cost of a full-service holiday.  He displayed his inexperience when he commented about how much money he had paid instead of acting like he's "been there before" and has reasonable expectations for his stay.

Please do the hosting a community a favor, and make mention of his poor behavior and sense of entitlement in your review.  Since my listings are less expensive than yours, I don't want to run the risk of him deciding to come up north for a short stay and renting a place that's more comfortable for his wallet.

[Loretta126]

Update - my decision is easier.  They've shown themselves to be the epitome of the ugly American tourist, being very insensitive to different cultures. I don't mind clueless if they are willing to learn, but clueless and selfish don't work for me.

And they've also pulled the "the kitchen wasn't clean and we found a dead bug in the bedroom when we got here" 48 hours after arrival. I haven't kicked them out as I am not convinced they are scammers, but I'll kick them out in a heartbeat if they lodge a complaint tomorrow with AirBnB (they checked in Saturday) - and they will be screwed as there is no place for them to go that isn't four times the price of our home.

I heard our neighbor had a guest leave early, too.  I don't know the details, but it seems to be the week of a--holes!

[Debra300]

@Loretta126,

I am not surprised, and I don't think you are, either.  Again, just no home training.  They appear to have little or no experience with traveling abroad, or to tropical destinations, or to places where the locals don't have backgrounds similar to theirs.  It makes no sense to visit somewhere that's different to your community, but don't like the types of people who live there.

They need to be careful, because word spreads quickly on this rock, and they may have difficulty not only with finding another place to stay, but getting a ride to the new spot ( unless it's a hotel, then they will send someone for them).

[Loretta126]

Our driver isn't too happy with them, either. He dropped them at a restaurant and then parked. They called him to pick them up but then disappeared and wandered back about an hour later. Downtown Soufriere. The driver didn't care that they wanted to walk around, but it was inconsiderate to just disappear after calling to be picked up.  

[Helen744]

@Loretta126 . Havent they heard of Uber . Give them the number Who offers a driver?Drivers should be a special .H

[Helen744]

or are there no ubers ?I dont get why the driver has to stay ?Are there no  taxis ?

[Loretta126]

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@Helen744 wrote:

or are there no ubers ?I dont get why the driver has to stay ?Are there no  taxis ?

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Not taxis like most people think of taxis. No taxi app.  I think there is a local rideshare app but it doesn't work for our area - too rural.