Guest leaves bags and wants them mailed

Anthony608
Level 10
Silver Spring, MD

Guest leaves bags and wants them mailed

I had my first experience with this situation, where a guest left a small bag at the home containing overnight items and (yes this is true) a teddy bear.  The following morning our housekeeper discovered the bag, took a photo of it, and sent the photo to me.  I contacted the guest who had checked out a few hours before hand, asked if they were still in the local area, and would they wish to come retrieve the bag.

 

A week later the guest replied that they were back where they came from in another state and wanted me to mail the bag to them.  They also asked for my address to send me "cash to cover the postage".  After reflecting on this, a lot about that situation I didn't like.  First of all, I have a separate P.O. box where I receive mail and never give this information to guests.  Also not sure of shipping, how much it would be, or insurance.  Lastly, what would stop the guest from receiving the bag, saying they never did, and asking me to pay for the contents.

 

In the end, I advised the guest I didn't want to enter into a agreement about sending cash through the mail and also couldn't give out my address since it was my personal P.O. box.  I would keep the bag for six months as abandoned belongings and they were welcome to come and get it if they were back in the area.  The guest didn't reply at all and I have heard nothing since.

 

How have others dealt with this kind of situation?

8 Replies 8
Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

@Anthony608

I would estimate the cost to ship, and send the guest a resolution center request for the funds before I shipped the item back. 


I have a note on my checkout page that guests should check and then CHECK AGAIN to ensure they have all their belongings, as we are unable to be responsible for them, or to hold or return them. That cuts down hugely on left behind items.

 

 

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Anthony608  I don't contact guests about their forgotten items anymore. I did before and didn't get any thank-you for it.

If they contact me and want their things back I can check online for the shipping cost, take a screenshot and send them a request through the resolution center. When I receive the money I  take a photo of the item, pack it, go to the post office, take another photo of the package with all the stamps on it and a bill and send the photos to the guest along with the estimated time of arrival and the link where they can track the package.

 

Here goes at least 1 hour of my time and I usually don't get any thank you for it. I'll start charging this as well.

 

 

 

 

@Anthony608  Liability for contents doesn't generally apply when the guest has abandoned their goods on your property. The minute their booking ceases to be active, your responsibility for their personal belongings is nullified.

 

But @Colleen253 's suggestion is the most professional way to handle this situation. If you have a scale and internet access at home, it should be pretty easy to determine the postage for shipping the package  - as well as a sensible fee that's proportionate to the time and effort it takes to deliver it. The guest can decide whether the item is important enough to them to pay you through Resolutions for that. 

 

Offering to keep the item in your personal storage is really not the ideal plan, as it leaves you responsible (in the guest's mind) for whatever condition they eventually find it in. And unless you've torn the bag apart with extreme scrutiny, you don't know whether it contains anything illegal that you wouldn't want to be found in your house. Long-term storage of anything has a price, and in this case that one should be extremely expensive.

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Anthony608 I also don't contact guests about items but I have had a few contact me after they realized it was missing. These are usually items of value (for instance two separate guests left expensive shoes they desperately wanted back.) I use whatever I have on hand to package the item, get their address, and head to the post office (luckily I live close.) I get the cost of the shipping then request payment through the Airbnb resolution center. Once the guest has approved the payment request, I mail the package. I keep the tracking info for a little bit just in case but I let the guest know that I hope they receive it and it is out of my hands now. 

Kia272
Level 10
Takoma Park, MD

@Anthony608  Wow. This was so complicated that you needed to seek help in the community center? I don't get it. You've seem unduly paranoid about the whole situation. The guest is going to claim they didn't get it and ask you to pay for the contents? I'm just shaking my head. 

The part about sending cash is a bit weird and old-fashioned. Zelle, Paypal, Venmo, or the resolution center should work just fine. 

What @Emilia42 @Colleen253 and @Branka-and-Silvia0 said. 

It's a bit of a pain to pack and ship things, but it's also a kindness. Maybe the shoe will be on the other foot some day. Be kind. Stop overthinking. Breathe. 

@Kia272- I have had a lot of guests over the years, I trust my instincts, and this person I did not get a good feeling from.  She left a good review but her private feedback was a two page essay about how the house was ugly, comments about the colors of the wall, redesign the bathroom, etc, etc.  When she was here she was hyper all the time, talked a million miles an hour, and a lot to say about literally nothing.

 

I did not want to get into a situation with her where I was mailing things to her since, yes, I could easily see her later saying the wrong thing had arrived, not what we agreed upon, or any other manner of things.  Not being paranoid, just trusting my instinct as a host of over 200 guests who has seen every kind cycle through my house.

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Anthony608  Generally speaking, I don't contact guests regarding items left behind unless they appear to have at least some real sentimental or personal value.

 

I don't worry about phone chargers, single socks, or even pairs of socks, inexpensive jewelry etc.   I do reach out if I find souvenir items obviously purchased during the trip,  or very unusual things like a small card game in a special case. 

 

People have left behind umbrellas (people take them, people leave them). A pair of souvenir Chicago Blackhawks towels (they told me I could keep those). A (basically dead) tablet computer, which went to recycling (I think that was just dumped), jackets or larger clothing items. 

 

I keep a small supply of USPS standard priority mail flat-rate boxes. There's no weighing needed - if an item fits in the box, it ships for the flat rate of the box.  Since I already know the prices, it's easy to set something up through the Resolution Center if the guest wants the item back.

 

I'm running by the post office once or twice a week anyway, so I just mail the package on a regular run. 

 

One guy had me use his Fedex account to send his daughters clothing items back. Fedex has a dropoff at a building I visit regularly. 

 

It seems to be happening less since Covid - singles or couples booking my space rather than groups, who, I think, end up leaving things under bedding. 

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Anthony608 For the three or four occasions we have sent belongings on to people the cost is immaterial in the greater scheme of things and we swallow it even when guests offer to pay.