Fed up of being marked down for no air conditioning

[Sharon493]

For the second time this summer of excessive heat, I have been marked down for not having air conditioning. Neither do I have a swimming pool or a hot tub. I offer a tiny  house in a medieval walled village in the South of France and bend over backwards to accommodate, and sometimes surpass, my guests' expectations. I do provide 2 fans, chilled wine and bottled water and a balcony. I have kept my Superhost status for the past 2 years but it is becoming much harder to maintain when guests can penalise you for not providing something you clearly never offered in the first place. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Sharon493 

I bet they were Americans 🙂

We all know people don't read, they just assume and the assumption is a mother of all fuc*ups

Humans are so used to A/C nowadays that their poor bodies have lost the ability to adjust to the temperatures above 21C. Their lifes depends of A/C 😛 The first question my guests ask from April to November is "Where is A/C remote?"

You could mention the lack of A/C in your first message to them, or in "other things to note" or in your pre-booking message. It could help. Or maybe you could install some cheap A/C, or even a portable one to keep them happy.... and alive? 🙂

[Sharon493]

Funnily enough, neither were American. I have found "yanks" as we call them to be very upfront but quite fair in their reviews, while those closer to home can be quite two-faced. Maybe it's due to Brexit haha!

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Sharon493 or have in your listing "if you need aircon or a hot tub please book somewhere else".

I have a thing saying that if you can't reverse your car, steer it or do hill starts, please book somewhere more urban.

[Sarah977]

@Mike-And-Helen0  Isn't it astounding how many people can obtain a driver's license and still not know how to drive? 

I was heading up a fairly steep hill in my town but there was a woman's little city car blocking the road. It was stuck in the middle of the street. She was standing there, terribly distressed, trying to phone for help. I asked what the problem was. She said it wouldn't start. I looked inside- it was an automatic and she had it in drive. I told her it won't start in drive, slipped it into park and it started right up.

[Lisa723]

@Sharon493 you can add a note about no AC in your "amenities limitations" section (under house rules). Guess must acknowledge this before booking, but that still won't be enough. As others have suggested your listing should make this evident up front, e.g. in "other things to note."

FWIW, I'd suggest that your response to the last guest who complained doesn't help you. That guest will most likely never see the response but future prospective guests will. Responses should be directed at them and be brief and professional.

[Sally221]

Wise advice- do your venting in the safe space here and be brief & dry in any response (sorry about the ugly Americans- I'd love to stay in a Medieval town in France & drink chilled wine  and smell the herbs De Provence wafting on the breeze!

[Sharon493]

So.....I haven't replied to my guest (thought better of it) although Airbnb advised me to ask him to "modify it, and change the punctuation". 

I rest my case.

[Yulianna0]

@Sharon493, can perfectly understand you. Last year I had listed air con in the amenities, and got fantastic “air conditioner is missing”. Good for her that it was not public. Or I would suggest to buy glasses in my response:). The most stupid complain I ever got about missing amenities was ”missing soap”. Liquid soap, 3 shower gels, 2 shampoos, conditioner... forced them to buy their own staff! You can put in your public response something like “those, who read the description are avoiding surprises. Sorry, was not your case!” 

[Jan813]

Have you tried one of those evaporative portable coolers? They are a little pricey (around $200 here in the US) but might be worth it in the long run.

i would LOVE to stay at your rental, air conditioning or not! Sounds magical.

[Sarah977]

@Jan813  Those evaporative coolers are great but only work in dry climates. Anywhere that's humid, no.