Guest Cancelation Unreasonable

[Michael5997]

Hello, I had a guest reserve our place for a month. They showed up yesterday and looked at the condo building and decided it wasn't secluded enough. They are demanding full refund. Our policy is Flexible, so they should pay for at least a night. They did not enter the condo, which is good, but they've locked up my calendar for a month. Seems fair to apply the Flexible policy but they are requesting payment from me. I know not to cancel this myself as a host, but what to do? What is appropriate in this situation? Our place is a condo in a restored mountain lodge. They are saying it feels like a hotel and is not remote enough. They also said it's too close to the highway. How do you handle people who don't know what a condo is? Also, how do you handle people who don't look at a map of the residence before coming. Very odd situation. Never seen this one. 

[Susan990]

Forgot to mention that ABB keeps all their fees! So factor that into how much you voluntarily refund to them. Remember you are out just the one day you are out a whole month which is now vacant and will take time to refill the calendar again. And consider that their asking you to send money to them directly is a violation of ABB guest guidelines in the rental agreement which you should report to ABB and get a ticket to document the event. In addition, their  description of your property does not match what it actually is and also suggests that you have misrepresented your property in the Listing which is a serious charge to be countered in your report to ABB, if you do these things and inform them that you are reporting them they will not call ABB and complain about you because you did the advance end run  and ABB will not mess with you. You can even message them through ABB thread to document their illegal demands and false charges about your property. ABB reads that and then cannot turn against you should these folks try to make trouble.

[Michael5997]

Thank you Susan. I'm learning a lot through this terrible ordeal. Still my calendar is showing that I'm hosting this guest and now I have officially received their monthly payment. I should clarify that the refund request came through ABB, and not personally. The request for this refund had a description which gives me a picture of how they might review me. The "false advertising" claim was the one that isn't fair at all. But, that wasn't a review yet. Reporting them seems strong, but I will consider this today. We are now in day 3 into their month reservation. I want to thank all of you who have commented. You have been very helpful. Will keep reporting on this thread as the situation evolves so we can all learn together. 

[Hal3292]

@Michael5997We recently agreed to a refund of unused days when ABB contacted us saying that a guest didn't like our neighborhood and wanted to leave. This was approximately two weeks into her month-long stay. We agreed immediately to the refund -- but ABB nevertheless published her review. We weren't given any choice about that.

[Michael5997]

They send a request to modify the reservation but the ticket asks for a full refund. I declined that. They are pressing with the narrative of false advertising. How do they substantiate this? I've reported them now and declined their ticket for full refund. How do I execute the plan to hold the $$ until I can see if I fill the calendar? Do they need to modify and request $0?

[Laura2592]

@Michael5997 just wondering what the modification said as far as their dates? I would have accepted the request and refunded any unused nights. Have you reached out to ABB?

[Michael5997]

I didn't say anything. I just had a ticket with the full amount of a refund. I've notified that I've reported them, which I did. Then I said I'd take 3 nights at the nightly rate and refund the rest. I know I can take the whole amount based on the full month policy, but I want to be as fair as I can. I really was upset with the accusation of false advertising. 

[Michael5997]

correction. the modification showed 9.7-9.9 but the ticket showed an amount for full refund.  At this stage, I'm pretty sure I'm getting a bad review from this guest whatever the outcome.

[Laura2592]

@Michael5997 I would call ABB and just keep trying until you get someone who can help. 

I would reach out one final time to the guest and say something like:

"Hi guest-

I am sorry that you were unhappy with the location of my space. I am happy to refund  you any nights after X date if you send an alteration request with that information. I will be on the lookout for the request. I wish you the best in finding a place to stay that is a better fit. Thank you."

You don't truly have a lot of info in your listing, which sometimes happens when you are new. It happened to us. Guests will fill in details from their imagination instead of doing research or asking questions. If reality doesn't match, its the host's fault. So in order to guard against this happening in the future, give a lot of pictures of where your space is located (the building, what is around the building etc.)

[Michael5997]

Thank you. I'll call them. Good insight.

[Susan990]

No you do nothing at this point.  Your calendar cannot be cleared to book by you or anyone.  ABB is keeping its fees and you keep yours. You can go to guest profile page, see the little black flag, click it and report what this guest has done  to you and your property. Make is short and direct simple language. That pre-emptive posting will serve you in good stead when they leave a bad review on you.

It will give you some  ammo to press back with ABB  against the  bad review and be basis to ask for a removal of their review because you pre-emptively notified ABB and the public of the issue to protect your business.

[Sarah977]

@Michael5997  I would definitely expand your photo gallery and redo some of the pics. It says there is a queen bed and a single in the bedroom, but all you show is a photo of the queen. Take a few photos of the bedroom from different angles, so people can get a sense of the space. Same for the living room.

The bathroom photo should be replaced- all it is, is a close up of the shower curtain. 

I'm not sure why you mention sleeping spaces for 6 (Queen, single, futon for 2, ottoman for 1) when your max guest is 3.

If you are trying accommodate 3 single guests who may not wish to share the bedroom, you could say something like "The maximum guest count for this listing is 3, however if you are a group that doesn't wish to share the bedroom, the futon couch in the living room folds down into a double bed, and the ottoman into a single."

[Colleen253]

@Michael5997 I don't know, I think your listing and the area around it is pretty well described, and the map view literally shows it as being right on a highway. And it's a condo. How many condos are located in the great wilderness? Guests often just don't read and look thorougly at a listing, nor do they always ask questions. 

It wouldn't hurt to add more photos of the outside areas and captions on photos are a great opportunity to describe a space more thoroughly.

[Michael5997]

This is very great input! I so much appreciate you all giving me insights. I added a few more pictures today. Thank you all. Once settled I'll let you know how this shakes out.

[Michael5997]

Today ABB sided with me. I decided to just withhold 3 lost days and refund the rest. Waiting for the blowback terrible review now. Also waiting for the calendar to get freed up. ABB support said the guest had no basis in her complaint. I want to thank all of you for your input. It helped me learn the policy better and also make some amendments and additions to my listing. 

[Colleen253]

@Michael5997 The review may mention how the listing wasn’t what they expected, so you can respond to it and perhaps use the opportunity to gently remind future guests to look thoroughly at all the listing details and photos and to be sure and ask questions if anything isn’t clear to them. With responses to difficult reviews, always keep in mind that your audience is future guests, and your aim is to reassure them that booking with you is a great idea.

Also, depending on how the review is written, if it violates the review policy, you can try to have it removed. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up doing that somehow. 

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/2673/airbnbs-review-policy