"I am doing you the service of booking with you"

[Laura2592]

Uh...

Got a booking inquiry that said this:

"Hi Laura-

I am interested in booking your cottage. Looks very nice. I do wonder why there is a guest limit. Your place has 2 bathrooms which others in the area do not have and those one bathroom places sleep 6-8 people. We plan to bring between 5-7 family members and our dog a 50lb well-trained lab. I am doing you the service of booking with you so I would like to understand why you wouldn't allow me to bring more people to align with other places I am looking at. I wouldn't want to lose the money if I were you. Please respond soon as I am making my decision. Thanks!"

I mean....can people get any more entitled?

[Emilia42]

HA! Yeah, because your calendar shows that you are totally desperate! 🙄

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  What a pompous jerk. Obviously someone who can't inagine that their own behavior might ever be out of line.

Good thing your place doesn't sleep 7.  I can only imagine what dealing with them during a stay would be like.

[Christine615]

Wow - this is an EASY guest to decline. Trust your gut. Honestly, there are people out there that think Airbnb is a flea market open to bartering. I'd like to see them try that on a hotel and see where it gets them. Sigh.

[Melodie-And-John0]

@Christine615 , I grew up (and still live) in a pretty rural area where Farming was the number 1 career, either farmer or farm hand.  Most of the old timer Farmers would barter everything they bought or exchanged goods for.  One I knew would even barter at the fuel pump, Arnie was the master of the deal and would be disappointed if he paid list for anything even if it was a great deal.   I have to say, he and his family were also the best neighbors anyone could have and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, i actually legally lived in their home for my last 2 years of high school to go to a school district that I could thrive in (every day I walked to school (the bus pickup spot) 1 mile uphill both ways !), I probably would not have graduated if not for them, RIP Arnie and Mea!

Im not guessing that the  rude potential guest that inspired this thread is An Arnold Leuenburger , (more like the stuff stuck on the hooves of his cattle).  Probably a respectful decline is in order, someone else can be graced by their presence!     Stay well, JR    

[Kelly149]

@Melodie-And-John0 not to quibble, but barter means something different than 'ask for a discount' or 'try to get more than what's on offer'. Barter means I'll trade you this for that... now the value of this or that could be in question depending on which side of the equation you're on, but nonetheless it's a trade.

@Laura2592 guest was trying to trade guest bosses host for host sets the terms and let in more people for same money... neither of those are good trades. 

When I get someone who wants something extra, that's fine with me so long as they're willing to pay for it, cause extra should always merit extra. I just get annoyed when complete strangers figure they should get more than everyone else because, I don't know, no good reason.  And when the innkeeper's space is routinely full, they don't need to take extra people, or extra attitude, for same money.

[Melodie-And-John0]

I agree @Kelly149 , if your generally booked without discounts, there is no need to barter.   My sense is that folks have lost the art of the Barter because of the huge amazon like distribution channels that already compete with each other daily for our business.  I suspect most established and successful Airbnb's  are probably already tuning their price and leave little room for bartering.   

[Anonymous]

@Melodie-And-John0  Sorry to be pedantic, but the word you're looking for is "haggling." 

It's only bartering when you exchange something other than money for the goods or services. 

[Melodie-And-John0]

True @Anonymous ,Most of the Farmers I grew up with including Arnie were experts at both haggling and bartering. 

[Susan990]

I believe it is your right to report this user to Airbnb promptly. And then call Superhost tec support and start a ticket, if you can, or just a report of an attempt to book with intentions of violating house rules and occupancy reporting. Then communicate back to guest wannabe and inform her with carefully crafted legal details the violations of this property with intent to use illegally. That communication thread stays in system forever and you have it as your legal backup should this person actually book.

Then you can cancel her and provide reason why etc.

   I learned to do this taking control of the situation immediately and taking the 'power' these people think they have over us and our business. 

[Mary996]

Wow! @Susan990 .... no messin' !!  xx

[Kelly149]

These are the kinds of inquiries I answer by not answering. (Bc the bots are tracking that I said something, not what I said)

”How lovely!”

”I hadn’t heard that before!”

”you don’t say!”

”good luck with that”

”I hope you enjoy your trip”

”bless your heart”

as you saw @Laura2592 , these folks weren’t interested in reasonable, I’ve stopped wracking my brain to find the “right” thing to say bc nothing will be right to this GUEST

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

tnx @Kelly149  I saved it for later use 😄 😄 ❤️

[Kelly149]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 we got to use this in an inquiry just yesterday...

HIM:  "Hi! I wanna rent this for my girlfriend and I from the 3rd to the 7th. We plan on relaxing and camping. The total comes out to 2282.52 but I was wondering if you would be willing to rent it for $1500? We are very clean and will treat it like it is ours. You wouldn't have a single problem with us. Please let me know...if so I'll book and pay for it today! Thank you!!"

me: "Have a great trip!!"

HIM: "So I guess that's a no? What is the best you can do? I'm on a budget but I really want to make it special for her"

me:  "If Budget is your #1 concern then maybe you should not be looking at such an expensive motor home. There are many options."

We're busy enough... if I wanted to make 35% less then I'd price it 35% less. (**this is our RV we rent, not our Barn)

[Emilia42]

You tell em @Kelly149!

I think my new biggest beef with the Airbnb world is people not taking us seriously in that we are running a business. This isn't a free for all!

[Kelly149]

@emilia42 just like @Christine615 said upthread... does anyone try this with "real" businesses?

Airlines "I see the bag fees, but I'll book right this minute if you waive that"

Hotel "I have a 2* budget but my GF would be really impressed with your 3* place, let's make a deal"

Restaurant "I'd like to pay for 4, but we'll actually be a party of 6. We'll IG the heck out of it, doesn't that sound great"

No, no, they don't, and what's annoying about that is like @Laura2592 said, we own these places. You're literally annoying and trying to shortchange the actual owner of the property that you presumably want to stay at. What idiot thinks this strategy is going to work?