@Amy-and-Brian0
WOW, that's a puzzling one, why would anyone take to a smoke alarm, which is there to protect them (with a broom) and doesn't detect cigarette smoke anyway? What's that old saying...."Some mothers do 'ave em" !!!
Yeah, nothing is infallible guys! If someone is hellbent on breaking your house rules or doing something illegal, you can't stop them....prisons are full of rule-breakers.
My rationale with the cigarette smoke detector is, I make the perceived risk not worth it for the guest. Most guests I don't even make mention of it when I do a walk through with them other than to say it specifically detects cigarette/cigar smoke and is an adjunct to the other smoke alarm in the ceiling. They are not smokers, and are pleased to know the extent we go to to discourage guest smokers. It is seen as a plus for us straight up front.
But if they are smokers, I will explain that as well as giving a high pitched scream the detector will send an alert to my mobile phone which is time stamped in the message stream.....that is bull, it won't but, the guest doesn't know that, and in the 18 months I have had it installed not one guest has put it to the test. Before, I periodically had smelly linens and towels to deal with....not any more, it was the best $62 I ever spent!
Brain, or Amy, look I understand just what you are saying and you are absolutely right. You should be able to host with confidence that.......you do your part, Airbnb will do theirs, that's only fair, but Airbnb are not big on 'fair'! Just reading the TOS graphically illustrates how weighted against the host the rules can be interpreted by the company! And if you don't like it, stiff, no matter how many times you (an others) run into the same brick wall, you have to agree not to indulge in any form of class action against Airbnb if you wish to use the service.
(19.11 No Class Actions or Representative Proceedings.)
This is not just some CX guys interpretation of a rule or two.....this is company philosophy right from the top down, through marketing, finance and legal depts. The wording of the TOS did not fall out of a half empty chaff bag.....it's been carefully crafted to give Airbnb a rabbit warren of escape clauses to disappear down!
You can scream, it's not fair till the cows come home....that won't change anything.
Like so many before you, you can ask for extra money to cover extra work which you have legitimately gone to in order to maintain a standard which one of Airbnb's guests has jeopardised by breaking one of Airbnb's rules, but, I reckon you have got two chances...... None and Buckleys!
The best advice I can give you is....protect yourself, cover your bases and don't depend on Airbnb to come to your assistance, they might, but there is a strong possibility they won't, and by trying to make them abide by something they might have said as a sales enticer, all you are likely to do is shoot yourself in the foot!.
Those cases that do get a bit of attention tend to be the higher profile ones that get some media coverage. Airbnb are not sensitive to many hosting issues but they are sensitive to having their dirty linen aired in public!
Cheers........Rob