Broadband refund request

[Alex7916]

We have some guests who stayed and had problems with the internet connection. It turned out to be an external fault with the ISP (BT).

After initial troubleshooting with us (restarting router etc), we had engineer come and fix issue, earliest they could do this was 3 days from fault report.
Consequence was the guests had no wifi for 6 days of the 7 day stay.
The total booking value was £900.

Guest have asked for a £200 refund which I feel is excessive.

The property is in a rural location and the listing simply states 'Wifi' under Amenities. It does not say Broadband, or fast internet.

Checking with BT, the most they offer as a refund for loss of service is £8.06 per day.

Would be good to know what people think and how they have calculated refund?

Thanks.

[Z-2]

@Alex7916 if it was me, I will offer 100 when I realized it will take more than two days to fix the internet at very beginning. Since the guests already ask 200 now, I will agree and apologize for the inconvenience. Internet is really important feature right now, so I think 200 is not too off.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Alex7916 If the guest involves Airbnb I suspect they will give them more than £200 so probably best to go with the guests suggestion. If you have regular internet outages (as we used to have until we got FTTP) it might be worth saying so in the listing.

[Michelle53]

@Alex7916   For most people, "wifi", "broadband", and "internet" are considered as synonymous. 

We know that wifi is the "over the air" mechanism for connecting to the internet. They should be considered separately. Your internet went down.  In a larger town or city setting, that might mean the guest has an alternative to connect via wifi to an open, free internet connection. 

In a rural area, such alternatives may not be available.  So, in essence, "wifi" and "internet" become synonymous, because without your internet service, the guest has no alternative for connectivity at your location. 

I'd also go with their suggested refund, since an amenity you offered was not available, especially in an area with limited or no alternatives.   Most people are pretty dependent on the internet. 

[Anonymous]

@Alex7916   I agree with all the advice above. We've seen several cases where Airbnb granted guests as much as a 50% refund out of the host's payout just for not having functional WiFi when it was advertised as an amenity. That is pretty excessive, but when you're dealing with a web-based platform, there's no amenity more essential than internet for their interests.

[Elaine701]

I know this is, slightly off topic, but related... 

We recently had an inquiry that asked what speed of internet we have. It's 100 mega. So, I told her, and she replied saying she had chosen a place with 200 megas. 

Now, ok... If you need fast internet, then you need fast internet, but... 

200 megas? We have 4 smart TVs in the house, each with ultra HD Netflix and internet television, and internet radio... and with all 4 TVs streaming uhd tv signals off the broadband, the internet is still very fast. No problems at all. In fact we've also had all 4 TVs running AND 2 devices with separate zoom conference calls, with absolutely no glitches. 

So, what possible usage needs would require 200 megas instead of 100? Why would that matter?  Or is it simply a matter of "more is better"? 

[Michelle53]

@Elaine701   One might want 200 mbps if streaming 4k video content (on a 4k HD capable tv) on multiple devices.   Unless the guest is wandering about with a 4k-capable tv, I'm hard pressed to understand what would require 200 mbps. 

This is an interesting article I found :-

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/internet-speed-what-you-need,news-24289.html

Wifi, though, is another matter. Wifi speeds are dependent on the strength of the router, and its ability to reach all corners of a property, and the wifi adapter inside most modern portable devices.  You could have blastingly fast internet entering your property, but someone connecting over wifi might only get a 6mbps connection. 

[Elaine701]

@Michelle53 

Like I said, the villa has 4 uhd smart TVs, and you can simultaneously stream different 4k programmes on each one, and still have plenty left over for zoom calls or anything else. Glitch free. 

I think it's just a presumption that more is better.  I suppose in this case, if some place offered 500 gigas of internet speed, she would have chosen that one.  Because it's better. You know, for her iPhone and iPad. 

[Michelle53]

@Elaine701    It does sound like more is better, in that case.   Connecting her phone or ipad might not give her 200Mbps though. Like I said above, the internet speed might be 200 mbps but the wifi connection might not be, depending on the router and the device. 

You might test your wifi connection speed from various places in the house, and see what you get.  I'm willing to bet that most people answering the question under wifi amenity for speed are using internet speed not wifi speed. 

I use the Ookla speed test. 

https://www.speedtest.net/

Example: my incoming internet, this morning, is giving me a 136mbps speed. My tablet, in my guest suite, via wifi,  is giving me 83mbps.

[Elaine701]

@Michelle53 

I'm not the techie, but my husband is a software engineer. I know that many providers say you >can< get x-speed, but deliver half or less most of the time.

Our provider is impressive. My husband says it actually averages a little higher than 100megas. 

So, yes, maybe the guest assumed that 100megas means 10megas because that's what she's used to.

In any case it's more than enough for your iPad.  But then, I hadn't mentioned that she needn't bring a 70" 4k smart TV with her, so it was probably my fault Good job she didn't book it. 

Accuracy: 1 star

Communication: 1 star

🙄

[Michelle53]

@Elaine701     I would think 100mbps is more than enough for most purposes.  I once had someone doing live translations for work ask me for 100mbps, which I could only guarantee via ethernet connection, not wifi.

I would have had to run a 50 foot cable.   Luckily, she found something else. 

I have a guest connection separate from my own network, for security. 

I think you were probably fortunate she didn't book. 

[Lorna170]

My house rules published on the AirBnB website state that there will be no refund for the disruption of services (including internet) and that repairs will be conducted asap, but that we have no control over the service person or utilities.   Have had guests who have let me know that the internet or TV cable is down, but no one has ever asked for a refund, and the service is usually restored within hours.  Of course, the property attracts persons who go hiking or touring the area, so they are seldom "at home".

[Debra300]

@Alex7916 ,

We have posted in our listing details, "This is a small island, so responses to issues regarding utilities or other services are not available 24 hours a day, and may take more than a day to resolve."  

[Laurelle3]

@Alex7916 this is an interesting situation, which cold happen to meand  I could experience this in my local area. I do have it my listing like @Debra300 has said. We live in a community with only 600 people living here but through the holiday season and public holidays there can be up to 6,000 people in the community and I have no control of the internet and I am affected too.

Thanks for bringing up the topic as it will put me on the alert.