Guest keeps altering-- I would rather have her cancel

[Laura2592]

So this guest has canceled a reservation once in April then made another for October. She altered it once a few months ago. I accepted. Now she wants to alter it again. $300 difference in pay out (less for us) and I can re-book that weekend no problem. Her new dates have her arriving on a Saturday and checking out on Monday.  That's a Friday night we miss and I know I can book it. New guest, zero reviews. Lots of messages about the wifi and the fireplace. 

I would rather she cancel. I want to deny the alteration request and am concerned that if I do, she will be snippy. What would you do?

[Laura2592]

Aha! Good to know  

[Laura2592]

Thanks everyone-- I cut and pasted the suggested language from Lawrene (who I can't tag for some reason) and sent the rejection this morning. I was too tired to deal with it after cleaning last night. We will see what this guest says.

BTW, the last 3 guests with 0 feedback in a row have not been awesome. 2 of the 3 I absolutely would not have back. This is another guest with 0 feedback so I am being a bit more cautious than normal.

[Kelly149]

@Laura2592 hopefully she isn't sassy, but with cases like this I often blame it on the "software" that doesn't allow me to do something I "of course" would do on my own... like allowing multiple date changes.

"I'm sorry, our guest management software doesn't allow me to make more than one date change. We of course understand if you'll need to cancel and come another time."

Good luck

[Mike-And-Helen0]

The computer says "no".

[Wende2]

Hi all...I just had a request from a local girl.  Said she just got out of a long term abusive relationship, wanted to book me for about a week, she's planning to move to TX.  Told me she's staying here til early Nov, as she's helping to find a replacement and to train them....hummmm.  Anyway just thought since this topic was up for discussion I'd throw this one out there.  I already declined, I really don't need Mr. abusive showing up, she did ask if I had an suggestions if I wasn't able to accommodate her. 

Another thing annoying about ABnB, I sent her an answer to her request, then ABnB wants to know why I declined, and leave her a message.  HELLO, I just did that.!  I apologized to her for getting another message, that's just how I am  =^\

This site blows my mind over stupid crap sometimes. 

[Colleen253]

@Wende2 Good thing she threw that massive red flag out there right off the bat. 

Airbnb is like an awkward third wheel between host and guest. If it could actually be ‘only a booking platform’ and get out of the way, how nice that would be. 

[Wende2]

@Colleen253   You're so on point.  If they'd really listen to what's being said here, they'd have a much happier bunch of hosts.  Which in turn should create better guests.

I guess maybe this girl thought it sounding good, thinking I'd be sorry for her and jump at the chance to help her out.  Yeah I don't think so, having that boyfriend show up was the first thing went thru my mind.

[Laura2592]

@Wende2 yeah ABB is not a halfway house. I have gotten requests like that too....one of the many reasons I don't do longterm stays. If a person is a decent tenant they don't need to pay extra to bypass a credit check and landlord reference.  ABB does precious little screening. And you do not need someone's messy personal life intruding on your cute space!

[Wende2]

@Laura2592   That is true, everything that I thought was really great about this site has all disappeared over the last 3 yrs.  Which is really sad, since I listed the place the start of this month in 2018.  I had an Etsy shop til that went off the rails.  This site has reminded me of that for some time now.  I have had people say the reason they like using it over VRBO, "they don't question you, really easy to book".  Yeah and they don't live up to their end of the deal with guests profiles either, I've had 2 bookings recently with no profile photo of an kind, and one with no phone number.  My question is, how hard is it to program an algorithm that kicks the account out with a pop up asking to complete the marked fields.  Hell, I've gotten that one myself on some sites.

Thanks, I think it's pretty cute too  =^)

[Laura2592]

Just an update. 

I realized she booked for a holiday weekend which made me more resolute to reject her new dates. She responded not long ago saying "before I cancel are you SURE I can't move my nights to only 2 any time around this weekend?" I said  "I'm sorry but we don't have a lot of flexibility because of the holiday." An hour passes.

The guest says "I'm having trouble finding something else open for those days. Let me think about this for 24 hours and talk to my daughter. " of course.  No problem.  

It really does drive home that people think this must be your hobby. You can lose half the booking amount,  no problem but if they are having trouble finding a replacement? Suddenly that's a different story. 

Really hope she finds something else. 

[Wende2]

@Laura2592   Seems to me, people think we're the one that's supposed to cater to them.  It drives me crazy when I have to answer 20 questions, that had they just read the **bleep** booking info the answer is right there.  People will say, I didn't see whatever in the listing, I'd really like to say, well how about reading the entire listings info.

[Brian2036]

@Wende2 

I avoid any guest who has a sob story up front. They are likely to have worse problems that they will share with you later in an effort to make you share in their misfortune.

 I owned a house that I rented long term, usually with an annual lease. I rented to a woman with two children. I noticed that she had really nice furniture and an expensive car so I thought that I had finally found a responsible tenant.

After two months they just disappeared without notice. Everything gone and the house a mess. The kids had carved their initials into the walls and woodwork in various places.

 I was seriously annoyed and tried to track her down.

A friend who was a private detective found out that she was in the Federal Witness Protection program.

Her former husband was a mafia member who was found dismembered, hanging from a meat hook in the walk-in cooler of his fancy restaurant.

 I sold the house immediately.

[Wende2]

@Brian2036   Holy **bleep**, and I thought a few of my tenants on lease agreements were BAD.  I put this little apt on here to not deal with people long term.  I retired from working for the flower vendor to a local garden center.  A few yrs ago a guy wanted to know what he could plant for curb appeal, said he was fed up with bad tenants and wanted to sell the place.  I said I felt like that too, listed with Airbnb, figured if ignorant people booked me, at least I didn't have to deal with them for a yr.  I don't know if he thought about that or not, but it's better than a lease agreement.  Well in my case it has been, dollar wise as well.

[Laura2592]

Another update...

Yesterday she said she was going to cancel.  I said ok, thanks sorry didn't work out. Then nothing.  I emailed this afternoon asking if she needed instructions or help with doing the cancelation (she's done it once before so I figured she knew how, but who knows. )  Crickets. 

I'm getting annoyed now. She's been jerking around for 3 days. I'd like to free up my calendar.  

[Brian2036]

@Laura2592 

I guess she feels no compulsion to cancel. 

I suppose you could keep reminding her and politely noting that if you don’t have time to find another guest she will be expected to pay.

What you “expect” and what actually happens are probably going to vary, but you can always hope for the best.