Is this reasonable?

[Christyn0]

Hi. I have a guest in my unit right now. They're a family of 4 (2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant). They checked in last Wednesday and I had asked them how's everything.

The guy replied this to me:

Hi,
Thanks
We are ok, we do miss having some more pots and pans, the rice cooker and the pan are teflon coated but scratched a lot, which makes cooking in them poisonous, so we do not use them. Also there are 6 small bowls, but no big ones.
I like the taste of Filipino food, but too much sugar for me, so we have to cook most meals.
If you have any spare ones, we love to borrow them�.
We put a couch in front of the stairs so the baby cannot climb otherwise this is very dangerous for toddlers.
The water machine we unplugged and removed the water bottle from it, as it is not toddler friendly.
The aircon in room two is very noisy and directly facing the bed, I have put a bedside table with a pillow on it 2feet away, to shield the wind from being directly on me.
I noticed the curtains are transparent so in the evening with the lights on, we have no privacy.
Apart from that I think most other things are serving the purpose.
I love the induction cooktop and also the little electric oven.

--I have been hosting for 2 years and this is the first time that I got this kind of feedback. Is this even reasonable? I understand that this is their first time to use Airbnb..

[Christian65]

The only thing I can see would be acceptable is the teflon on the pans and rise cooker and maybe the noisy AC?

All his other remarks are bit off as one can see all that in your listing - either in the photos or in the listing.

Its always a judgement call on what to do in cases like this.  The one thing you could do as of now is to give him pots and pans that are new and maybe bring a new bowl. That might make him grateful and happy.

But it does sound like he might be setting you up for a bad review OR perhaps he's just honest now that you ask? Its hard to know exactly.

Can he not turn down the AC? And turn the blinders/shutters and stear the wind away from the bed? If the AC is old and noisy - wouldn't you like to fix them?

Best of luck

[Christyn0]

Hi Christian, 

Thank you so much for our feedback. 

I do agree that I'd have to change 1 teflon pan. The others are already stainless. I have enough plates and bowls (with different sizes too) for 6 people inside the unit. That's why I do not understand why he'll ask for more. 

The A/C is brand new. I just bought it 2 months ago. I do think that he can just turn down the A/C or have the fan blades in a different direction. 

All his other remarks are bit off as one can see all that in your listing - either in the photos or in the listing. -- I certainly agree with you on this. I did not check on the family friendly amenities the stuff that I do not offer like the stair gates, etc. 

[Christian65]

Yeah maybe he's unfamiliar with AC's and needs guidance.

Have you considered saying it's not kid friendly or at least make it clear about the stairs and the sharp corners for the future - just as @Alice-and-Jeff0 points out?

I wouldn't worry much. You get nice reviews and this might just be a fella who booked the place a tad too fast before reading everything and seeing the pictures properly. I mean everything he says, is clear from those photos.

Thank him for his feedback and tell him you'll bring a new pan as it is important for them to be able to cook and then you could help him with the AC and give him some love and attention. That might soften the blow a bit.

[Christyn0]

Hi, this was my reply to the guest:

Hi Louis,

Good morning.

Thank you for your comments, we want all of our guests to feel at home and are pleased you are making yourselves comfortable.

We'll replace the teflon pan and rice cooker tomorrow when we drop off the new linens. We'll also bring a big bowl.

With regards with the A/C, it is brand new. When you turn it on, please try to put it first at a higher temp (around 24-25) and wait for a few minutes before lowering it. The noise can be caused by the motor overworking when you turn it on and it is already at a low temperature. Also, please try to adjust the direction of the fan blades of the A/C so that the wind does not go directly on the bed.

With the water dispenser, all dispensers available in the Philippines are like that.

Thank you for the feedback on the blinds, we will look into making a change but the change will not be done during your stay.

Please be aware that although we allow children and toddlers, we have indicated in the listing that we do not have the amenities. We did not tick on any family friendly amenities that we do not have.

Given the situation, should you decide to leave and pre-terminate your booking, we can understand you. Please advise us and Airbnb. Should you wish to leave now, refund on the remaining days from the first booking will take 5 business days or more. Refund (less Airbnb fees) on the second booking will be given by Airbnb since your second payment is still with Airbnb. Please contact them if you wish to do so.

We appreciate this is your first home stay and recognize it is different from staying at hotels/motels in that we are sharing our home.

Regards,

Christyn

[Christyn0]

and this was his reply: 

Hi Christyn

Thanks for your replay

Do not worry about most things we are flexible on many,

Most people will not care about the scratched teflon and when the owner is not the one using it, it can be scratched again very quickly.

We are happy with another stainless steel pan or pot and perhaps a couple of bigger bowls.

As for the rest we understand.

P.S. please inform us of the time you arriving tomorrow

Regards

Louis

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Christyn0- They are telling you what they need and want to make their stay more comfortable.  It seems reasonable to me - the extra pots and bowls as well as telling you about the things they did to make it safer for them and the baby.  Reading your profile that you are a chef, I would expect that the kitchen would have absolutely everything that a chef would require in a kitchen including several large bowls, several pots and pans, cutting boards and full cache of utensils and plates.  

After reviewing your listing, it took me a long time to find the stairs they were talking about and there is no picture of the water cooler.  Perhaps mentioning the stairs in the listing - say that the bedrooms are on the second floor or have them agree in your house rules that stairs are in the apartment - there's a new feature for that.  And perhaps providing a picture with the water dispenser will help.  People don't read the entire listing and the first full half of your profile is about a discount and instant booking.  I almost didn't read anymore myself. Perhaps this is not the most important thing to list first? It's just a thought to make sure folks read the important details. 

With the sharp corners, stairs, and definitely adult feel of the apartment, perhaps you might say in your house rules that it is not suitable for children under 2.  Parents can choose for themselves of course, but you would be setting an expectation.  

Not sure what to tell you about the A/C and his blocking mechanism - perhaps the fan blades can be adjusted away from the bed?  In your listing it says that it's new so maybe this is possible?  It's a little nit-picky on his part, but it's probably keeping him awake so he's tired.  

You can always add new curtains, but if no one else has said anything in 2 years, that's just about the guests and what they need for "privacy".  Just take it for what it is - they would prefer more - frankly, I can't even tell from your pictures what windows they think people are peeping in on them through.  Looks to me like they are the type of blind that allows light but blurs everything inside and provides plenty of privacy.  You might simply respond with: Thank you for the feedback on the blinds, we will look into making a change.  That way the guest feels like his words are heard, even if you never do anything about it.  

Hopefully a big deep breath will help.  They had expectations, the expectations are not being met, it happens to all of us from time to time.  All you can do is solve the things you can solve and hope it's enough.  

[Christyn0]

Hi Alice & Jeff, 

Thank you for that feedback! 

I've provided them with plates, and bowls in 2 sizes that are enough for 6 people. That's why it was confusing on my part why they will ask for more. I do agree that I'll have to change 1 teflon pan that was ruined by the previous guests but other than that, all pots and pans are stainless already. The kitchen is complete honestly for a simple cooking. We do not put mixers, etc inside as a lesson from other guests that have ruined most of the appliances. 

Regarding mentioning that the rooms are in the second floor, I did input them in the description. => LOFT The living room, dining area, kitchen and T&B area is located at the 1st flr. 1 room and 1 Masters bedroom with T&B is located at the 2nd flr.

This is certainly new to me. 50% of my previous guests have brought their babies and kids with them and never had any problems in my unit. I think I'll add in the house rules that children are welcome but it will be the discretion of the parents. Will that be good enough? 

You are right on the blinds. From the outside, shadows and silhouettes can be seen at night especially if you have the light on inside the room but that's it. I think as parents, they're being ultra protective of their children and I get that part. 

[Wayne9]

I've had guests provide feedback about things that they would like and I just think of it as an opinion.  Some of what they say will make sense and some will not.  If you've been hosting for two years, give this answer the same as you would any of the others.  There are probably some things that you want to change, but you're the Host.  So you get to ultimately decide.

[David126]

What is uneasonable? You did ask.

[Jerry-and-Lynne0]

We've had guests provide feedback on what they felt would have made their stay a little better. We consider at that time if it's reasonable and if so ensure future guests don't have same issue. There are also guests that have complained about something and we certainly ensured it was resolved immediately.