I want to take back my 5 star positive review of my guests because...

[Lilia22]

... upon finishing washing the brand new bath towels, I noticed that they were bleached!!!!!  WTF!?!?!

A little background... I went to the villa, cleaned it for the new guests coming today; nothing seemed "bad", besides some spacks of black stuff (?), the size of a pin head, on the bathroom counter, walls and mirror, which were really hard to clean.  Packed up all the linens/bathtowels, covers, etc. and came home.

Saw that Airbnb sent me the email to review my guests and did so, by given them five starts because nothing was damaged or broken, etc.... UNTIL, I finished drying the bath towels, about to fold them and VOILA!!!!!!  The darn towels were bleached!  Brand new towels!!!!!  Clean towels that I personally wash at home and ALL detergent... And no!!  I did not accidently bleach them because they are dark towels... there's no clorox going close to them!  These are very good towels, 100% cottom, made in Turkey/India.  They are good size, they are perfect!

I started this adventure with white towels which were hard to keep clean because people are just dirty... and I don't have at home an industrial washer... I have a regular, every day washer at home.  So decided to go with dark, and so far so good, until today!

To say that I am mad and frustrated is an understatement!!!!

I would love to show the pictures to you, but have no idea how to insert them here.

[Ashlie4]

Hair dye. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Lilia22

I've heard from other hosts that some acne treatment products can bleach dark towels.

You can try to save those towels by bleaching them entirely. The color will be different but at least without stains.

You can change your review in 48 h period ...or until your guest leaves his review, whatever comes first. Once published the review can not be changed

[Lilia22]

@Ashlie4 @Branka-and-Silvia0 Thanks so much for taking time to read my post and respond.  Yes, I am going to bleach the towels but am waiting for my mom to come back since she is the expert in doing a GREAT job changing colors post "accidental bleaching"....  

As for my review, I did not know I could change it before they post theirs... but what do I say???  I have to think about that carefuly.

According to their picture, this was an older, looked like business attire, educated couple (because of all the certifications hanging on the wall on his picture).  One would expect the older generation to be cleaner and careful but it's not the case.  Those that I did the most for, like leaving a bottle of wine, have been the ones that did the more damage either by posting a lower rating or damaging house items.

As I got to read some of the comments here regarding hosting, it seems that the good old days are gone!  People have became demanding and nasty for what they expect.  I am pretty sure that I will do the rest of the booking for this year and than I am out!  Not worth the agravation, and the destruction!  If I was making tons of money, it's understandable, but we are not!  We are just starting so everything is a wash!  We have to invest in order to get some return which we are not there yet!

Any way, it has been an experience....

[Ian206]

i've had way worse. Chalk it up to the cost of doing business with airbnb. 

[Lisa658]

@Lilia22

We had it pretty tough in our first year too.  I think as your profile fills out and you become seen as a more "no nonsense" host from your house rules or communications, you will weed out or be less susceptible to these types of guests.

If you are sitting at around 80% good guests - do not give up!!  If you are on your last legs and really ready to quit put the price up to what you really need to make it worthwhile and you may find a whole other calibre of guest that you did not expect.

I delisted one property after a problem with an AirBnB group and when the resolution centre told me to put the price up to make my money back I did and we have since had the best guests who are so much more appreciative.  So before you call it quits entirely, at least give the clients who are willing to pay for what you offer a chance.

Lisa

[Monica4]

@Lilia22  Yes, it appears that the "good old days" are gone and guests are more demanding. That is because there are so many listings now that they can pick from. Some are discount seekers, some are great at threating bad feedback in exchange for a free night and so on. Be firm. Be professional. Above all, never give in to any demands and be quick to report bad behaviour to Airbnb and get guests relocated. After a while you will begin to instinctively feel when a guest would not be right for your listing and you will decline them. Never use instant book. Screen your guests, and don't just accept a reservation because the money looks good.

I have been hosting for over 4 years and I have become picky. I would rather see my listing empty than have bad guests.

[Lilia22]

@Monica4  Is there any chance we could talk so I know what kind of questions to ask, etc., upon taking my listing from direct booking (I think that's the term).  Can you send me a private message? 

I really would love to hear about your experience, in particular because we are about to update the villa with better furniture and a brand new bathroom. 

Thanks, Lilia

[Monica4]

@Lilia22  Try facebook to send a private message. My listing is there. Ormstown Heritage Stone Guest House

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Lilia22 - just because you gave them a 5-star review doesn't mean you cannot ask them to pay for the towels that were ruined.  Go to the Resolution Center, post the pictures of the ruined towels, and ask the guests to reimburse you.  

[Lilia22]

@Lisa0and @Alice-and-Jeff0

I definitely want to thank you properly for your time and caring to respond; unfortunately, I fractured my left index finger, cleaning my mom's villa and it takes me a long time to properly type something (since my finger has a mini cast).  So, ASAP I will respond.

Thanks so much,

Lilia 

[Mark26]

@Lilia22  There are many people who use a skin treatment containing Benzoyl Peroxide prescribed by their dematologist.  It's not obvious after they've used a towel to wipe their face, but the dye in fabrics gets bleached out when the towel goes through the wash.

It happens. Get used to it. Keep a large stock of towels available. When a towel begins to show its age, or suffers premature bleaching like this one did, toss it into a box.  When the box is full, take it to your local homeless shelter.  They never complain about bleach stains.  They're happy to have them, and always say thank you.

[Phyllis22]

My thoughts also.   Stuff happens with rental property.  I also save my misused or old towels.  Give them to an animal shelter

[Lyndsey2]

Some towels and sheets have dyes that react to things other than benzoyl peroxide too. I had a set of very expensive sheets that bleached after coming into  contact with my very mundane, dye-free, fragrance-free body lotion. It may not be something your guest could have anticipated or avoided. I'd say give them the benefit of the doubt and next time try a different brand of towels. 

[CarlandMarilyn0]

Acne meds or sunscreen. Itʻs ruined about a quarter of our linens in the past 6 months. Some of the stains donʻt show until water has been introduced, so guests think youʻre trying to blame them for something the didnʻt do!