reviewing difficult guests

[Andrea4439]

Hi

Just looking for advice on some guests that have recently left a property I look after. It may be i just need to get it off my chest and move on....These guests were our first since lockdown in March. The guests asked if they could arrive earlier on their arrival day as they were leaving another holiday let at 10am, the journey would take a couple of hours and they had a 2yr old child. As they were our first guests and the house was ready I agreed and let them arrive from midday instead of 4.30pm.
Unfortunately due to the pandemic the next door neighbours building work had been delayed and would be going on during their stay. I let them know in the same message and that I thought it best to review the situation on a day to day basis and depending on the noise, we would discuss some compensation if it impacted on their stay.The guest was not happy and said she suffered with noise anxiety and this would cause her lots of stress. She had booked a town house on a busy street. I again apologised and offered to move her dates or refund her as we didnt want to cause any stress. She agreed she would stay and we would review this. The builders did as much noisey work as possible prior to their stay and tried to keep things as quiet as they could but they did still have to work.
On their arrival day they called to say they couldnt get to the house as a road was closed (we live in a very small town) they had taken some wrong turns and were trying to get down a road that was not on the route. I directed them via the phone until they were a minute or so from the house. They called again to say i had given them the wrong keybox code and the keybox wasnt working - I talked them through how to open the keybox and they were in.. A few hours later the husband called to say he couldnt get the plug out of the bath..and was there a knack? no you turn the dial on the side of the bath - it worked. I put this down to a stressful journey and that once they had settled in it would all be ok. The weekend was fine. Two days later he called to say the noise of the work men arriving at 8am wasnt acceptable and he had had to tell them their radio was too loud. I spoke to their boss who reminded them to be as quiet as they could. On wednesday night at half past midnight - he called to say the smoke alarm was beeping and had turned the fuses off but it was still chirping. i explained that would be the battery and and the fuses should be put back on. I live a few miuntes away and said I would get dressed, as I was asleep and come and change the smoke alarm battery. I knocked the door, went straight in, got the step ladders and changed the battery. It was only when I was leaving that I realised the husband was half naked with a towel wrapped around his waist..It did make me feel uncomfortable - this is not acceptable is it? he knew I was female and would be on my own at 12.30am, surely you would put a t shirt/pj's on or something? but then i guess he didnt understand why a linked in smoke alarm system would have batteries - ( Power cut?safety feature?) and asked me how you change it incase he ever had to do it at home?
I felt uneasy the next day. He said he would call to discuss the discount on the evening. I had plans with my family that evening and tried to call him at 5pm to discuss the discount - no answer - no option to leave a message. He didnt return my call and I thought it best to message through the Airbnb system. I offered them a 25% discount on the 4 days the builders were in. They called a couple of times but i couldnt answer as we were on the river. He sent a text saying 25% wasnt enough they wanted 50% as the noise had a big impact on the family - his wife liked to have a rest in the pm and their toddlers schedule had been disrupted and it had impacted on their holiday. To be honest I was exhausted with them and agreed and compensated them straight away - they were leaving the next day.
Due to the pandemic we have asked guest to strip beds and place linen in bags, make sure their rubbish is removed and is in black bags and the wipe down frequently touched surcase and windows are left open. The last two requests were done.
With all the extra cleaning procedures we have to adhere to and for the safety of our staff we dont think this is unreasonable. The place was a mess - kitchen rubbish in bins with no bin bag/, dirty nappies in bins, food left in fridge/ cupboards. Linen stripped but left on the floor - defeats the object. really disrespectful in the current climate.
The spare key is missing and they have left earrings behind. The husband has since sent a text thanking me for the discount, apologised that they had broken a plate - he was willing to pay for this and that apart from the building stuff they had a really nice time?!?! and that he would sort my review when he got home....
Its the first time we have had the situation and I have learnt to never agree to a discount until the guests have left but I feel that they have taken advantage of the situation.
With regards to their review if I put “These guests would be more suitable to a hotel environment” rather than list the issues, would this be the right thing to do?
Thanks in advance

Andrea

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Andrea4439 No great advice from me BUT if his review complains about 3rd party noise then, as per section 3 in the attached link, this could get the review removed as you cannot be held responsible for builders next door.

Now, if you can't get the review removed your reply is critical to how future guests will view your place. Be careful to word the response with this in mind. I personally would not mention offering a discount as this will then encourage future guests to do so and make a rod for your back.

Finally smoke alarm back up batteries really out to be changed yearly to stop them beeping which will inevitably happen in the middle of the night! I am now reminded to change ours!

www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/2673/airbnbs-review-policy

[Andrea4439]

Hi Mike

Thank you for your reply.

I will definitely be changing smoke alarm batteries on an annual basis - lesson learnt! and thank you for the link re the noise which I will read through and  I agree would not be wise to mention the discount. 

Many thanks

Andrea

[Elena87]

@Andrea4439 

Probably your review should briefly focus on the condition left at handover being very less than desirable and the lost key.

If you know there is building noise likely, take measures in advance to manage this if you wish to remain open - you can mention prominently in your listing that 'building noise expected between July x- August y during hours of a to b. Price now discounted during this time, not suitable for guests sensitive to.. etc

Come off instant book if you are on this too.

It seems that you perhaps lost a bit of control over the noise and negotiations with the guest and magnified problems in retrospect with bathplugs and doorcodes. 

[Andrea4439]

Hi Elena 

Thank you for your reply.

The building works should have started in April and it was only the owners that would have been using the house until they were finished. Always good to know that you can mention this in your listing should a similar thing happen again -(hopefully not!) if you have availability. This would only apply to new bookings though and not to guests that had already booked before you were told about the work.

Due to Covid and the lockdown the work was delayed and we didnt know if we would be able to open to host these guests until the UK government announced this officially at the end of June. The guests had booked in January and it should never have affected them. 

I did offer to move the dates for them and to refund them should they wish but they chose to stay.

Thanks

Andrea

[Anonymous]

@Andrea4439  I don't think "better suited to a hotel" fully conveys the main issues with the guests:  they were lacking in any self-sufficiency and required far more assistance and extra cleaning  than most, but still believed that noise issues beyond your control entitled them to a 50% refund upon departure.  I wouldn't mention the random details like the man being in his bath towel or the earrings. And if the spare key is not returned same-day, you're entitled to a claim for the cost of having your locks changed.

A gracious and humble review might note that a miscalculation you made at the outset ultimately affected your outcome.  If a non-essential amenity like gym or pool access is unavailable, negotiating a discounted rate at the beginning would be appropriate. But outside noise is either acceptable or it's not. If the guest clearly indicates that the conditions will cause them to be unhappy from the beginning of their stay, the best thing you can do is encourage them to cancel the booking for a full refund and relocate. Otherwise, as this example shows, you wind up stuck with high-maintenance people who don't respect your property, reduced income, and most likely a negative review. Is it worth it just to fill a vacancy?

[Andrea4439]

Hi Andrew

You're right - no its not worth it to fill a vacancy! They had booked in January at which time the works were planned for April and the owners were the only guests staying but due to lockdown were delayed. I did offer to move their dates to a more suitable time and refund them but they chose to stay

Yes they did need far more assistance and extra cleaning which I will mention and I will look at claiming for spare key/change of locks and I wont be offering a discount in future - lesson learnt!

Thank you for your time

Andrea

[Ann72]

@Andrea4439  "Noise anxiety"?  Are you kidding me with this shi(r)t?  How has she managed to parent a toddler from infancy with so-called noise anxiety?

These people aren't better suited to a hotel.  They're better suited to staying home and bothering as few people as possible.

I think that with things like outside noise that you can't really control, no matter how many phone calls you make, you need to take the position that "it's better to apologize than to ask for permission."  You haven't hired the contractors nearby so you really have no knowledge of their work schedule or anything else.  If someone calls irate that there's noise, you can offer some kind of recompense then.  Not in advance.  There are people who won't be bothered by it at all.

"Noise anxiety."  Please.

[Andrea4439]

Hi Ann

I know, it did send alarm bells ringing especially as they had booked a house on the main street through the town.

A lesson learnt - and a mistake I will not be doing again..!

Thank you for your advice

Andrea

[Taizz0]

AirBnb removed my review of a guest because it “wasn’t relevant “ to the community. Could I get some help for how to leave a review for a guest that made me so uncomfortable I had to contact AirBnb to alter the reservation and end his stay a month earlier?
This guest would have been fine in a private apartment, but I host a share house, so have a lot of interaction with the guests. Problems were:

guest stayed in room smoking, vaping, and playing video games 24/7

guest had no boundaries, overshared, and had frequent emotional outbursts ( within 10 min of arrival he told me his mother was 17 when she gave birth, and his father was a violent, abusive alcoholic). 
guest struggled with unlocking the door, recycling, and reading anything at all

guest was rude to the neighbors, but told people who wandered onto the property to make themselves at home. I actually found syringes on my property.

Communication issues abounded, and the guest related to me as if I was a counselor in a half- way house, or perhaps a parole officer. 
Guest left the space dirty- it’s taking me 3 wks to get the smell out of his room; and I might have to repaint it. 
I would sincerely appreciate any help the community can give me on how to leave an acceptable, authentic review for this guest. Thanks!

[Sarah977]

Will Airbnb even let you leave another review for the guest? I don't think so. Once reviews are published, you don't get a second go.

Do you by any chance have a copy of the review you left? If you could post it here, others could advise you as to how it could have been worded differently so it wasn't removed. (If you post in the "Host Circle" section of this forum, guests can't access that section, only hosts)

@Taizz0

[Sarah977]

But if the guest left a review for you, you could still post a response to that. @Taizz0

[Taizz0]

Thanks for responding, Sarah. I don’t have a copy of my review, unfortunately. I will try to remember what I wrote!