To Review or Not To Review

[Bryan141]

I'm at a loss on this one, need some helpful input please. I have rented my entire house for the past 3 years and not had this situation before. Here's what happened:

1. Housecleaner cleans house between guests. Assistant goes by to drop off some things and tells me "house looks great." I rarely get any guest saying otherwise.

2. Guest arrives and messages, "My wife is a germophobe and your house is filthy. Please send someone to clean it."

3. I send housecleaner back and she cleans entire house again. She texts me that the guest brought their own cleaning supplies and they drive an old pickup truck that is packed to the gills with junk.

4. I refund 2 nights (out of 10) and the pet deposit for their trouble.

5. Two days later, guest texts me a picture of a broken stool and says it broke when he sat on it. Now he's bruised and thankfully not seriously injured. 

6. I offer to put them up at a local hotel since my house is not suitable for their liking. He declines because it would be "inconvenient."

7. Instead he asks for a full refund, which I give him.

8. They stay the remaining 6 days without incident.

Somehow, this feels like I got scammed. I want to leave a review that gives him the benefit of the doubt, but I also want people to be aware, just in case this is a pattern. What advice do you have?

[Sarah977]

@Bryan141  You absolutely got scammed, but unfortunately you allowed yourself to be. I can't understand why you would give these scammers any refund at all, let alone a full one. 

If you thought refunding would prevent them from leaving a bad review, it won't. Scammers always leave bad reviews.

These guests arrived intending to stay for free. You knew the house was clean, so when they said it was filthy, you knew they were lying and the thing to do would have been to tell them to cancel the reservation and leave, and they will get a refund. Not give a refund and let them stay for free.

I know your question was about writing a review, but I really don't want you to have another situation like this in the future.

Absolutely leave an honest review to warn other hosts, or they will go on to do this to others.

[Ann72]

@Bryan141  What terrible people.  Luckily, as you say, a rarity among guests.

Other hosts don't need chapter and verse - at least I don't.  I'd be well warned with a simple one-liner, like "I had a hard time pleasing this guest."  The guest can't reasonably object (though he undoubtedly will) because you didn't put the blame on him.  Anyone looking at your listing can see that you don't have a hard time pleasing guests as a rule. 

I wouldn't bend over backwards giving him the benefit of the doubt, either - that's what the refund was for.

[Ute42]

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@Ann72  

I like Your proposal to write in a review:

• "I had a hard time pleasing this guest."

This is an almost unattackable statement asYou aren't accusing the guest of anything. I think I will use this wording should I ever need it. The german version would be:

• Trotz allergrößter Bemühungen ist es mir nicht gelungen diesen Gast zufrieden zu stellen.

[Ann72]

@Ute42  Your version, translated back into English, is even better than the original:

[Colleen253]

@Bryan141 You've gotten spot on input already. 

Interesting how #8 followed #7 so nicely, isn't it? 🤔 Quiet as church mice after getting their free stay all wrapped up. Please, no 'benefit of the doubt'. PLEASE.

Curious, did this guest come with prior reviews?

[Ute42]

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@Bryan141    

These people came to Your place with „an old pickup truck that is packed to the gills with junk“, and – they came to Your place with the clear intention to get a free stay. And You gave them a free stay, why did You do that?

They've let You doubleclean Your house because the wife is „germophobe“. But she has no problem driving around with a junk truck. The wife being germaphobe gives them 2 nights for free out of 10 nights.

• The wife to her husband:
  Hey Jack, did You see that, we just got 2 nights for free, let's try something else!
  
  

• Husband: Ok, I'll sit on the chair, maybe it breaks

The man sits on the chair, the leg breaks and „now he's bruised and thankfully not seriously injured“. This gives them the entire stay for free.

• Mr. and Mrs. Freestay:   Bingo

Again, Bryan, why did You do all that? There is only one response to a stunt like this and that is, tell them to leave for a refund of the nights not used and let them look for some place else to stay, as @Sarah977   suggested.

And now, after all of this, You are agonising if You should leave a review for these people or not leave a review. You're not even sure if You should warn other hosts from the germaphobe junktruck couple ??? Do You understand that these people will pull the same stunt with their next host and all future hosts if noone warns them?

cc:  @Colleen253 @Ann72 

[Emilia42]

@Bryan141 I would bet that this couple has done this before. Maybe a few times or maybe only once. But it was because of their lack of telling reviews that they were able to do it to you too. Hopefully, your review will save the next host before the stay ever begins.

[Bryan141]

@Sarah977 @Ann72 @Colleen253 @Ute42 @Emilia42  Thanks for the advice! I am pleased to see the consistency across answers from experienced hosts everywhere.