Help us to help you….. Let’s help each other?

[Cathie19]

Here we go again… @Christine615 

Deep breath and a lot of effort that I shouldn’t have to do. This should be the PREREQUISITE for joining the site. @Airbnb  , please hear my prayer 🙏🏽………

Disclosure: 

My listing “settings” allows potential guests who don’t fit my “instant book” criteria to make contact with me. After all, communication really is part of the backbone to this platform. It assists for that good match and if the gut isn’t raising red flags of concern… then all systems generally are a go!  

But seriously…. This guest hasn’t met any of my criteria, nor most hosts.

I have just received an enquiry for some dates that have reopened due to cancellations from hotspot lock downs occurring in Victoria. 

Please understand: I have no issues with being the first person to host a newly joined guest. Quite contrary. We all have to start somewhere, so having some responsibility for me as a host, to guide a “new” to the platform guest, is expected and accepted. I have no issues accepting guests who apply and meet criteria. So why shouldn’t you be the same? This is a symbiotic relationship. 

HOWEVER:

I don’t expect to have to start off the basics by writing educational paragraphs to a newly joined guest. What they need to do, to be liked and feel there is trust or safety on the platform for hosts. “Do this, and hosts will love to have you stay more often!” It’s not my job!  You see, hosts want to feel safe as well as the guests. Yes us little hosts…. …. …

This guest was

-  New to the platform (that’s perfectly okay)

-  No profile information > non existent profile

-  No verifications: no email, no phone number, nor any other form of identification.

-  Information nil….. Seriously Airbnb HAB & @Catherine-Powell, please on behalf of all hosts, can you address this problem with the powers that be.? This has been raised in other threads. I do actually have a life outside AIrbnb and this basic stuff is not my job. It’s Airbnbs job to educate incoming. Mine is to guide along the way. Not be teacher and nana.

Please respect us as your super-hosts and those wanting to be here, rather than just your piggy bank. I respect you, but it needs to be a two way street.

As I’ve said before, we all need to make the platform better, before bigger.  Bigger comes AFTER quality assurance. That way, it also grows in the appropriate manner, in the right direction:

With quality

With safety

With trust

With knowledge

With assurance

With good quality hosts

With good quality guests

All these things will improve Airbnbs platform standing in cities and communities, for the positive word of mouth will make all lovely people, want to be part of it. 

Airbnb’s  reputation improves, demand improves, stock improves etc etc etc. See the positive and quality improved pattern? With a “rule breakers or non-compliant - aren’t welcome attitude”,  this will also drive an improved standing: as good rules and boundaries make for a great system. Compassion also grows positively, hand in hand. This perception is of “the person”. No gimmick advertising needed.

All these things will reduce complaints and poor compliance.

So please do your part in this relationship: educate and restrict until what needs to be known and done has happened.

Seriously, we know a phone number could be a burned phone, but absolutely no information????
Currently your systems joining procedure is showing itself to be Pi$$  poor and deeply flawed and lacking. 

Fond regards 

a friend. 🌻🙃

[Cathie19]

[Sarah977]

@Cathie19  Yes, it's truly absurd that total anonymity seems to be the new normal for Airbnb guest newbies. And that Airbnb lets them send inquiries and requests like this. Of course, she likely hasn't uploaded any of her payment info either, so if you were to accept the booking, it would be one of those 24 hour blocked calendar deals for you until her booking was confirmed. 

At least her message was polite, although one grammar and one spelling error in one sentence would be a turn-off for me.

When a host submits a new listing, there is a 24 hour wait until it's published. I assume that is Airbnb checking the info somehow.

That guests can open an account, with zero information about themselves, and try to book immediately is ridiculous and so disrespectful to hosts. But isn't this part of what Chesky so proudly announced recently? How guests would be able to book in 60 seconds?

I'm going to tag @Catherine-Powell for you here, as your tag didn't work and she won't get a notification.

[Cathie19]

@Sarah977 

The guest enquirer has responded to my lengthy guidance requirements and thanked me for the assistance.
Interestingly, they have signed off with a salutation/initials? that don’t match the first name…… 

? ? 

[Ann72]

That's just completely not on, @Cathie19.  I mean you're willing to give someone a chance and guide them along, but they can't even be bothered to fill out a form.  Unless they are in the witness protection program, there's simply no excuse for that level of laziness.  In your shoes I would barrage them with questions until I got them to where I wanted them - either fully identified and upfront, or running away from me and my listing as fast as they can go.

[Christine615]

@Cathie19 @Sarah977 

Yes!!! my pet peeve, people who sign up same day/week and don't have anything on file for verification beyond a phone number. I know we all start somewhere but Airbnb can either be a booking service and give us control, or they can be a partner platform that achieves its fees by sending us credible leads they've already vetted.

Not everyone should be able to book on the platform when the end result is that they are renting someone's personal space in a residential neighborhood.

This "no verification" issue needs to be the next priority. As is the ability for bad guests to simply create a new profile after getting bad reviews.

Guest training on expectations would go a long way. I was new once too, but back then Airbnb didn't hide information before booking so I was able to get to know my host and she was able to get to know me before I rented her home.

I'd like to see Airbnb get back to it's roots and core mission.

[Emiel1]

@Cathie19 

I recently have to deal with several inquiries/ booking requests all with profiles having not the information or verification i want to see on it. After some communication i noticed the main reason is:

The guest simply do not put more energy in the profile then neccessary. But after asking them to update, they did it instantly ! And i booked them, all being fine guests !

Only one person started to argue and i decllined the booking request. Also giving:the reason "i do not like your tone and your attitude". Then this person stated: "You are an  unprofessional host". Yes, i am.

[Cathie19]

Yes @Emiel1 , I’ve also had guests that have added the extra information into their profile or changed to a personal image from a pet dog, when asked. AND you are right, people will often assist, but the lazy who aren’t willing to share, shouldn’t be part of a shared rental platform. 

If they are indifferent to completing details, then all other requirements such as information and details about the listing will be overlooked… so problematic. 

As for being unprofessional, that’s rubbish! You stick to your requirements just like any well-oiled and functioning business. You bend over backwards to help the guest assist in what’s needed. You set your guidelines and maintain them. 

[Sarah977]

@Emiel1  I guess the definition of "professional" to that guy was "Hosts have no right to require anything of me".

[Cathie19]

@Ann72 , @Emiel1 , @Sarah977 , @Christine615 

FYI for yourselves or anyone else…..  

Yep Ann, I bombarded him with a joining guide to be a good guest for me. 

The “return message” sent to the enquiry.

“Hi XXXXX

Thanks for looking at our AIrbnb homestay space for consideration for your family holiday in Darwin. Gosh, it would have been a bit chilly in XXXXXX over the last few mornings! Brrrr…

As part of the safety and trust on the AIrbnb platform, as well as ensuring the best fit for guest and host, we always have a few mandatory requirements for our personal acceptance of an enquiry or booking. “Instant book” requires these prerequisites, including positive reviews from other hosts. However, we still accept “newbie” guests like yourself, who meet our compliance criteria. For we all have to start on the platform sometime, don’t we? Many of our newbie guests have been the very best guests!

It was the same for us many years ago…..   🙂

But without exception, we do insist that some sort of profile information about yourself, has been completed. I can see nothing about you on your profile page. Nothing is written and sadly, it appears empty …….

Other requirements include:

Verification with email, phone number and more importantly, an uploaded and current government ID.

The government ID also needs to coincide with an image in the AIrbnb profile photo that is uploaded. That is, as you can see what we look like, we need to be able to see your face. This stops any illegal third party bookings across the platform and makes us all feel safer when welcoming the same person who we can see booked the space, arriving and checking in to the space…….

However, I’d not expect to see that image until a booking is confirmed, but if it’s not there, the booking would be in jeopardy of cancellation.

We also insist that all house rules are agreed to, without exception. For they are there to keep everyone happy and safe. Especially your children. May I enquire their ages please?   🙂

I am writing this information to you, so you can rectify any current missing requirements. If this isn’t something you want to do, then we would obviously not be a great match up and I wish you well on your holiday venture. However, good match ups make for a better holiday or business stay, for everyone.   🙂

The initial dates of your enquiry are currently available. Arriving from 2pm on Friday 25th June with a departure on the Wednesday morning of the 30th June, at 10am.

I am afraid I could not extend to a later check out, or offer any extra days as requested, as we have an incoming booking that evening. As it is, with a thorough Covid19 enhanced clean, turn around would be tight…

So please XXXXX, let me know your thoughts and if you still wish to proceed, by completing the above actions and with the original enquiry dates. If I hear back from you then I can pre- approve your enquiry for 24 hours. However, I do not hold the dates as they remain published to all others, looking on the website.

As a host who communicates regularly with other global hosts, I know this information I’ve requested from you for this enquiry, also will assist with any other bookings for the AIrbnb platform.

Thanks again XXXXX and looking forward to hearing back from you soon….

🙂

Regards,

Cathie”

[Ann72]

Love it @Cathie19 👏👏👏 Please let us know what happens.  I’m always willing to believe people can step up, so if that happens and they become great guests, yay! If they don’t have any intention of being great guests, though, this should make them skedaddle.

[Sarah977]

@Cathie19  Very thorough and tactful. It's exactly what Airbnb should require all guests to read through before they are allowed to try to book.

[Cathie19]

Thanks @Sarah977! 💐

[Sami459]

Good god, I could not imagine spending that much time and energy on a potentially fake profile or a potentially good guest who hasn't verified their account. Just decline and move on, imo.

[Cathie19]

@Sami459 

We host to our needs, our tourist season and our own personality. I choose to try and educate along the way……

Exhausting to write such a lengthy guide? Yes. But I’ve saved it to alter as needed.

Placed it here in this thread, so others can make use of it as well if so desired, without having to reinvent the wheel. That’s what we try and do here ……

Maybe in the end, this guest will be a total wipe out - or a much better guest for the process, maybe for other hosts like yourself.

BTW: They wanted extra days which I couldn’t offer, so that was that. But I partially used the response within 24 hours for another guest query, who has stepped up: completed the requirements and booked.

As an aside: you have a great space, but the name of your furniture means nothing to me here in Oz, so I’ll have to look it up! 😁 LOL.  
Stay safe. 🌻