Booking for 1 guest and 11 arrived.

[Siobhan85]

I had a guest book for one person for 4 nights. It is self check in and they arrived with 3 adults and 8 children, 2 which were babies and the listing states not suitable for infants. It's a 2 bed small cottage and  would not fit more than 4 guests. They came with sleeping bags etc. Airbnb were not able to get them all to leave and the guest canceled her booking after 1 night when she was told she couldn't have all these people to stay. Airbnb gave her the refund and she still refused to leave until the money was in her account. As it was the weekend I assume that is why the funds did not reach her account. I then had to pay her cash to get them to vacant my home. I have a strict refund policy and lost my 4 nights payment plus had to give them a cash refund for their stay. Radio silence from airbnb. They could not get them to leave and I was left to deal with these guests totally alone. Any ideas how I can get refunded? 

[Sarah977]

@Siobhan85  You didn't have to give them cash to get them to leave- they were trespassing, for goodness sakes, I'd have called the police.

All you can do at this point is hound Airbnb to refund you the money you were due with your Strict policy. maybe you'll gt a helpful rep, but I doubt you'll get the $ back, as they have already refunded the guest.

If they haven't already banned her from the platform, they should, and I hope you leave her a suitably atrocious review so no one else gets stuck with her.

[Siobhan87]

Thank you Sarah.No airbnb really not interested so am seeing a solicitor this week. 

[Marie82]

@Siobhan85 so sorry to hear that, these guests knew what they were doing by bringing sleeping bags, my god 8 kids what a nightmare.

You are lucky to be in Dublin and u have a good ABB support centre, don't email ABB just keep ringing them till u get someone to deal with the issue, as it is bank holiday weekend in Ireland, make sure ABB can stop the payment back process to the guests so they don't get paid 2 times u and ABB. 

Never give money back to guest lesson Number 1,  how did u found out how many they were if it was self-check-in?

I offer self-check-in in all of my listings but depending on my feeling about the guest I will decide to have my staff check-them in instead/or come and wait in lobby half hour before check out time to see how many guests come out of the flats.

[Siobhan85]

Thank you for your reply. My neighbours called me. Airbnb left me high and dry. Nothing they could do. I paid them to get out of my home as 11 people would have it destroyed. It's only 2 bedrooms sleeps 4.

[Siobhan85]

Thank you. But these people were not leaving my house until they got paid and they're not the type you argue with. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

That's why we don't have self-check-in option. It attracts this kind of guests.

[Siobhan85]

 I work away a lot so don't be here to let guests in. But thank you for your helpful comment. 

[Susan17]

@Siobhan85 

Sorry to tell you, but unless you're there yourself to keep a sharp eye on who's checking in, or monitor what they're up tp - or at least have a neighbour or friend close by who can be onsite in minutes to deal with all eventualities - this is going to happen again and again. 

I've already had more instance of guests trying to pull this stunt in 2019 alone, than in the previous 9 years I've been on Airbnb combined. They know the game, they know how to play it, and they know that even if rumbled, there's a 99% chance that there'll be no consequences for them and that Airbnb will take their side anyway. Inevitability, of course, every freeloading lowlife on the planet is now doing their level best to score free or heavily host-subsidised Airbnb stays for themselves and their assorted entourages.   

You're in a very high-risk market there in Bettystown, and the only protection you have from scammers like these (and the house-wrecking party-animal brigade) is yourself. Get cameras, check ID on arrival, find a local, reliable, strapping "co-host" who is willing and able to swiftly sort any problems, and be very, very careful of who you rent to (definitely avoid anyone who lives within driving distance, and can overrun your home with degenerate hangers-on, as soon as your back is turned)

Do you have any way of proving to Airbnb that you refunded the guest in cash? Any written discussion about it on the Airbnb message thread with her, or anything like that? If not, I'd imagine she'll likely deny ever getting any cash refund from you. 

[Siobhan87]

Thank you Susan for your really informative reply. I appreciate you taking the time. Thank you for the tips re cameras etc. When the booking came in the guest was verified on airbnb but there were no reviews. I think you get a mark against you if you refuse a booking. I have amazing neighbors but they were very nervous of these people and wouldn't approach them as was I. The police won't come for this type of thing unless they hit you which I explained to airbnb. The guest  said they would leave when they got a full refund and they did., but being the weekend it probably won't go through until Tuesday now, so as far as they were concerned they had no refund from airbnb. The safest way for me to get my home back was to refund in cash the 3 nights they were not staying and in fairness the guest did sign a piece of paper stating she received the cash for vacating my home which I sent to airbnb,  Airbnb said I refunded the money and am not entitled to a refund and it was my decision.  I'll see a solicitor on Tuesday. But it is frightening to know you are totally alone with no support in this situation.

[Emilia42]

@Siobhan85 this is a bad situation. You will 99.9% never see that money again. All money goes through Airbnb. Sometimes it can take multiple days for money to reach an account depending on the bank. Next time stay on the phone with Airbnb demanding that they assist you in getting them to leave or call the police.

[Siobhan85]

Oh my God. I spent about 8 hrs on the phone to airbnb trying to explain we were heading towards a squatting situation as these people would not leave. Was told I could cancel and she would get a refund. I said I was being penalised for their guests. Really you  are on your own in these situations. I needed to get them out before they destroyed my home. 

[Linda108]

@Siobhan85  You have such a lovely cottage and your reviews are so positive.  So sorry this situation occurred and I am sure you are thinking about how to avoid in the future.  I agree you did what you had to do and it is money out of your pocket.  Better to protect your space in the long run.  Now a couple of thoughts about going on from here.

1.  Did your welcome message after you saw a single person was booking question the number of guests?  I always confirm the number of guests via message along with confirming important aspects about my listing which is not a self contained unit.

2.  Do you have a local contact that is available to represent you when you are away due to work?  In my city, local contact is a requirement.  It might be a good idea to identify a friend or family member who will make an onsite visit to confirm all is well.  

3.  Self check in is a great convenience to the guest and host, but it does not allow either to confirm all is well.  Perhaps in addition to someone local, you could have some sort of security camera that is connected to your front door.  Advertising that you have this camera is required on the platform and is also a deterrent to sneaky guests like these.

4. I agree with @Marie82  that you should continue to contact Air BNB by phone to get some sort of compensation or at least to stop a double payment.  Air BNB cannot enforce local trespassing laws but perhaps it would be a good idea to contact the local police and investigate what could be done.  It might not be possible for you to do this remotely without a local contact.  I pretty sure the police will not be keen on taking your word regarding the problem over the phone.

I am assuming you are posting a negative review along with a non recommendation.   You might also flag the profile.  Hope this bad experience does not sour you on this business as you have a very nice place for travelers.  Keep us posted as to any further developments with a refund.

[Siobhan87]

Hi Linda. Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me and offer help.

1. Yes, the welcome message I sent  mentioned the reservation was for ONE guest. 

2. I was only 45 mins away but when I realized what was happening with 11 guests was nervous of approaching them.

3. Other hosts have mentioned security cameras and yes  they allow you to know who is going into your home, but it's the getting them out is the problem.. In Ireland the police don't get involved unless there is violence or damage, evictions go through the courts.

4. Airbnb told me it was my decision to refund the guest and I explained it wasn't a decision as I had no choice in order to get my home back and they were unable to get the guests out.

I wouldn't be comfortable writing a negative review for these people as they could very easily come back and destroy the house as they threatened in a call after they left.

I am seeing a solicitor during the week and I won't use airbnb again. I was left totally on my own with this horrific situation. Thanks again.