Guests trying to avoid paying service fees

[Linda317]

I have just refused to accept a booking by someone trying to avoid paying the Airbnb service charges.  We really appreciate what Airbnb offers us and feel that the service fees are very reasonable.  However, when I told this guest that this was not the sort of behaviour we approved of she became quite unpleasant.  Do you think I have been over-judgemental?  I just worry that if guests are disputing payment so early on in the transaction what would they be like at a later date? 

[JoyandJay0]

Better to deal with an unpleasant email than an unpleasant guest inside your home. Consider yourself lucky.

[Stan6]

I have yet to learn the correct way to handle this:   Of the 2 times I've had guests to suggest circumventing AirBnb (staying on past their end date, and keep it between "us"), both have resulted in retaliatory (negative) reviews. I only wish they had shown their true colors in time for me to cancel their reservation altogether.

[Tony134]

I had a guest request a longer month long stay after staying with me for two weeks, and request a discount. The room was already as cheap as I could go, so I let the guest know anything I had was available sen discounted appropriately on the website.

He didn't like the discount offered, so knocked me in review and specifically said "listing too expensive."

Airbnb of course did nothing about this.

[Christine615]

Make sure you reply with a public rebuttal. It's important for hosts to know. You can explain the guest asked for a 30 day extension with a deep discount after staying two weeks. And that you suspect the negative review is because you declined.  As long as you are factual, Airbnb will have to allow that to stand and it will appear right under their review of you.

[Mary996]

Very skillful Christine. Thanks!

[PaulAndSusan0]

A recent repeat guest who we think was trying to circumvent airbnb but was unsuccessful, also asked after booking if she could bring a puppy(against our rules).  We said "no" and now we kind of expect her to give us less than 5 stars as she did last year after bringing in more people than she paid for. Last time she booked we changed our plans to let her come early.....she didn't show up at the scheduled time and then casually told us they got a late start.  Never aplologized.  She then gave us 3 stars for communication.  Does anyone know if these types can be blocked somehow?  She was our first guest and we gave her good reviews.....so regretting it now!!

[Marie223]

I had I repeat guest trying to book outside of  Airbnb , texted and said  that he couldn’t find my listing . I rang Airbnb and asked them to help him . 

[Mary996]

Haha! Brilliant...

[Howard42]

I had a variant of this happen to me.  A new user aske me whether I would drop my rate because did I know that Airbnb charged fees that made it more expensive for the traveler.  Than he asked me to drop my rate lower that what it would have been without the fees, and less than any comprable home around me.  Clearly someone who was (choose all applicable) cheap, not understanding of the whole Airbnb concept, or potential trouble. 

I of course responded that I would not.

[Cormac0]

@Linda317

If you go down that road you become a hostage to fortune, and there propably fully aware of this.

Stick to your guns.

[Sidney28]

This is a hot potato. Immediately Decline, Flag the message, and Block any future communication.  

[Sandra1136]

Absolutely I think we should support Airbnb and have guests reg with them . But your approach was not nice . That was hurting to them as it was hurting for me to read . I think you could have saved face and explain your agreement between Airbnb and your listing and as much as you would like to do it you are committed 

[PaulAndSusan0]

Yeah, we think a repeat guest was trying to book outside airbnb.  She contacted us repeatedly by text but not through airbnb.  She kept saying she wanted to book but couldn't find our listing.  That couldn't be true because she had stayed with us last year.  We think she was giving us the opportunity to say she could book directly with us but we wouldn't take the bait.  We gave her two links to search and she finally just booked.  This person brought in more people than she paid for last year and then gave us less than 5 stars in at least two categories.  This year she's already made requests that are against our rules.

[Letti0]

@PaulAndSusan0 Why would you send her a link? Block her. I would not want this guest back. 

[PaulAndSusan0]

How would we go about blocking her next year?  She instant books.