Would you respond to this?

[Laura2592]

We had a guest recently check out. Overall fine. She texted me a few questions during her stay. Not a big deal on anything.

She left a review and private feedback saying our downstairs bedroom was cold. We have record cold temps in our area right now. I went to check and make sure the heater was working. It is a baseboard. It was turned off.  Its typically switched on in the winter as its wired into the thermostat but if its off it won't come on when the heat comes on in the rest of the place. So yes it was probably cold.

Would you bother to respond to this guest? Or just make sure future guests don't turn it off? In almost 200 stays this is the first person who has not figured it out!

[Pat271]

I would respond to her, and in a delicate way explain how the heater works. Who knows, she may rebook with you someday, or recommend your place to others. I like clearing up misconceptions, as long as they’re reasonable, e.g. I wouldn’t respond to “You should have 2 bathrooms for 2 people” (I’ve actually gotten this feedback.🙄).

Also, when you say it was turned off, who do you think turned it off? The guest, a new housekeeper, or…? Make sure it wasn’t someone other than the guest, and deal with it accordingly.

[Laura2592]

@Pat271 I think the last guests before her turned it off. We had 60 degree days followed by what is currently 18 degrees. The heater is typically on all winter. 

She messaged me that she spent $4 on my Amazon account accidentally buying a movie...I had forgotten to log out one day when i was setting up. She logged in with her own Amazon but accidentally picked the wrong account (😏). She sent a few messages about not getting a brand new light to work then figured it out. (Again not anything beyond using a remote or wall switch. ) Not a big deal but I would have thought she wouldn't have a problem mentioning the temperature if it bothered her. 

[Emilia42]

@Laura2592 

I don't think her review negatively impacts your listing or future guests in any way. I quickly skimmed and missed it at first. 

I wouldn't think (or know) to turn a baseboard heater on or off. My brain would be solely focused on the thermostat. But if you can simply turn the baseboard on and leave it on for the rest of the winter then I wouldn't think it needs any explanation. I wouldn't respond. 

[Laura2592]

@Emilia42 I'm probably overthinking it. I've had a rough week. There's a big knob on the heater with ON and OFF as well as numbers to indicate output. It's difficult to miss even if you aren't familiar.  

[Huma0]

@Laura2592 

A couple of times, I've had guests accidentally turn off the radiators in their bedrooms, despite the fact that the controls clearly indicate which way is up/down and on/off.

The first time was two lovely ladies who, when asked during check in if the room was warm enough, said it was perfect and that the temperatures were much colder where they came from. The second day, they asked for an extra duvet but said it was because they didn't like to share one (the room has one king sized bed) so I thought nothing of it. It was only after I went into the room to clean that I realised it was freezing because they had turned both heaters off. They gave me 4* with the only reason being that the room was cold, but they never mentioned it at all when I asked if all was going okay with their stay. Sooooo annoying.

Since then, I have made a point in my house rules/tour to tell guests not to fiddle with the heating controls but to ask me if they need them adjusted.

Despite that, I have still had the odd incident where guests have ignored this. There were two time when guests broke the controls (one of these leading to water damage of the freshly painted ceiling and some vintage furniture in the room below) and another time when the guests told me "the curtains must have turned the radiators off," but those last guests were prone to lying about almost everything.

Nonetheless, overall the tactic has worked and guests no longer seem to turn off the heating by mistake.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Laura2592 just remember that if you respond to private feedback it is posted publicly on your listing. If you  do bother to respond make sure it is through the messaging system rather than the feedback system

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  I would respond. Saying you're really sorry she was cold, and you wish she would have told you that during the stay, as you found that the baseboard heater must have been turned off by the previous guest, but there is a big on/off switch right on the heater that you're surprised she didn't notice.

It's weird how people don't have common sense- if I encountered a cold room, saw there was a baseboard heater, I would walk over to it, feel that it was cold and not putting out any heat, and ask the host about it if I was so unobservant that I didn't see the on/off switch, or wanted to make sure it wasn't turned off for some specific reason.

[Linda108]

I have been a guest many times and have been easily befuddled by what many hosts might think are obvious.  Therefore, I tend to  be more sympathetic to guest errors.  If you have a thermostat the guest might assume that is where the temperature is controlled.  Perhaps your private feedback could be to thank her for her feedback and ask her how you could have made it clearer to her to either contact you or remedy the situation.   Just treat this as another guest inspired learning opportunity.  

[Susan1188]

Fully agree!
If one guest doesn't get it, it's on them. 
If two don't get it, it's on you!

Usually first day message helps let them know you are available and ready to help.

Online guidebook lets them solve problems themselves without needing to call you.

I also don't really like calling or interacting with the host during my stay, but it's nice to know you can.

[Helen744]

Helen@744 . I think the amount of interaction people want with the host is very different from guest to guest we communicate early and mid week ,if they stay a week, for towel replacement but leave our mobile number on the fridge and make it very clear that we want them to ring us for any issue no matter how small otherwise we are simply not around, but not far. This way they choose and we send a message the morning they leave . especially at the moment it is handy to know if they leave early A guest who does not communicate is always a little suspicious. H

[Mark116]

@Laura2592  I think a response would draw attention to it, and you would also have to really police your tone on how to professionally say there is a large on/off switch for the baseboard heater w/out sounding condescending.  No one is not going to book your place because  in an otherwise positive review the guest thinks you need a sweater for the downstairs.

[Sarah977]

@Mark116 @Laura2592  Just to clarify, when I said I would respond, and how, I meant in private feedback to the guest. As far as a review response, I would also leave one, just so future guests don't think that bedroom is always cold, but I would just say there is a baseboard heater in that room that works well, it had just been turned off by someone, likely the previous guests.

[Debra300]

@Laura2592,

For future guests, I recommend that you have some sort of signage, mention in the guest manual, or guest email that describes how the heater works.  I probably wouldn't have figured out the heater situation right away either (Keep Cool would have, because he's tenacious with these types of things).  Until I left California 10 years ago, I lived in spaces that had gas wall and central heaters.  I've had no personal experience with baseboard heaters, and until reading this conversation I didn't know that they have on/off switches.  I would have focused my attention on the wall thermostat, which are traditionally hard-wired to the AC/heater to control its functions.  

[Anonymous]

@Laura2592 I don't think the review merits a public response. It's not misleading, and the only people I can see being dissuaded from booking are the types who like to crank the heat up on a mild day with the windows open. 

You could DM the guest to clarify the heating method if you're angling for repeat business, but I don't think it would have any effect on whether the guest chooses to stay again or not. 

One of the main topics I go through on the arrival tour is temperature control. Heating is easy, but I don't miss having to explain why opening all the windows and curtains in mid - day will not cool the house off when it's 100° outside.