Guest left early without cancelling, now he wants to get back again

Sophie446
Level 2
Tbilisi, Georgia

Guest left early without cancelling, now he wants to get back again

Dear hosts, i would be very grateful , if you coud give me some advice about my incident.

 

my guest booked place for 32 days, after 7days late in the evning iformed me that because of construction noise he decided to leave the apartment next day. And he didi it! 
requested refund but accourding to cancellation policy i refused. 
Now after he got the answer from Airbnb that this case is not refundable he still contacted me and now wants to use my place  as far as he hasn’t cancelled the reservation.

and said that he has the right of it  
Therfore he mentioned about the review he will write. 
i really don feel comfortable to let him in again.


what would be the best solution of this problem? Can you share your expericnce?

 

Looking forward for your help

 

14 Replies 14
Lorna170
Level 10
Swannanoa, NC

@Sophie446   If you are not comfortable allowing the guest to come back, cancel the reservation as of today and refund the remaining days of the guest reservation.  The guest is going to write a bad review even if you let him back in.  If the AirBnB policy  you have selected is no refund, I would still decide if I am going to refund nothing, all or part of the remaining nights.  

 

In this case, I think you should have immediately cancelled the remaining nights and refunded 50% of the fees for those nights, even though you have a no refund policy.   

 

Ilona137
Level 2
Cape Town, South Africa

So basically the guest is balckmailing her?

How do hosts know which guests have a bad re?

The guest is not blackmailing her/him per se. The guest had a bad experience on the host's property due to the construction in the area, the guest demanded a refund, got denied, and the guest came back to the property since the guest did pay for the stay. 

 

If I was in that situation, I would have accommodated the guest in another property with pro rated refund and if there would have been a difference, I would have absorbed it or negotiated it somehow; get creative. Furthermore, I would have gone to the city, apartment management, and the construction company and asked/demanded why there was no notification regarding the nearby construction. All permitted work requires advanced notice pre construction. Whoever failed to do their job correctly is the one that you send the bill to (except for city - they never pay). 

 

As hosts, we live off of our reviews and we have to protect our reviews at all costs. I had a gentlemen who confirmed he would arrive one day early and if I could hold the date for him. I forgot all about it and on the day of arrival, I (key word "i") searched for a nearby property, provided him the link and told him to book it. I advised that since he would have paid X amount for the night on my property, I would pay the difference. So I paid the total for one night minus what my property would have cost him. 

 

At the end of the day, the guest did not review my property BUT, the outcome would have been different if I left him out in the cold. 

 

In the OP's case, the guest has all rights to be angry given, if in fact, there was construction going on around the property. 

 

It was an unfortunate event for both parties. 

C. Brothers Property Management, llc
Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Sophie446 

 

I’m really sorry you are still being harassed by this predatory guest. 

 

I would not let him come back. He is probably planning to make another complaint in order to cause more problems for you.

 

 I’m afraid that you have to contact CS to get help with this.

 

You should lay out your case very carefully before you contact them.

 

1. He booked for 32 days, stayed a week, then complained about street noise and demanded an excessive refund.

 

2. He checked out and removed his belongings.

 

3. Both you and CS refused the refund.

 

4. Now he is demanding to come back 

 

5. He is making threats that frighten you and is clearly planning revenge.

 

6. You do not want him to come back.

 

Sadly, I’m afraid that you will probably have to agree to some kind of refund to get rid of him, but possibly you could limit it to the discounted rate for nights you can rebook.

 

He really isn’t entitled to anything so maybe that will make him feel like he won.

 

 I really don’t think it’s worth the risk to let him back in. All he has to do is claim that there are bedbugs and Airbnb will shut you down.

Really, Predatory? we do not know the other side of the story unless I'm missing another post. And, we cannot make assumptions. Furthermore, Street noise is not the same as construction noise. 

 

Saying they will provide less than desired review is an appropriate response despite given that his stay was unpleasant and not refundable and it should not be considered as a threat if in fact, it is a "fact". 

 

In my book, you're response should not be considered an advice. 

C. Brothers Property Management, llc

@Hugo633  A guest or host mentioning giving a bad review if their demands are not met is considered to be extortion, regardless of the circumstances.

 

The guest could be being quite reasonable in what they are expecting, or the host could be, but that is to be worked out in some way, without pegging it to the review they will leave in order to get what they think they are due.

 

Reviews are meant to be honest expressions of one's experience, not something to be traded for a refund or anything else.

 

 

We do not know the other side of the story or in what context they were speaking of. There are many ways to remedy this situation. Both individuals had a negative experiences. 

Construction is a valid reason to be upset.

C. Brothers Property Management, llc

@Hugo633  Of course, if a guest can't sleep or concentrate on their work, or are disturbed all day by construction noise that wasn't mentioned, that's quite a valid reason to be upset and feel you should be able to cancel the rest of the stay and be refunded. 

 

But saying "If you refund me I won't leave a bad review" is extortion and not okay.

Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

 @Sophie446 If the guest has not cancelled, the reservation is still active and they have every right to return. 

Review extortion is a violation of Airbnb review policy and is grounds to have whatever review they leave you removed, provided they made the threat on the platform. This guest would do well to remember that reviews are a two way street

 

In your previous  post on this I suggested you offer to reimburse the guest for any nights of their abandoned dates that you are able to rebook. Advise them the chances are good that that will happen, but of course is contingent on them cancelling immediately to reopen the dates. 

 

@Sophie446,

 

@Colleen253is wise and experienced host, I would listen to her. 

 

As your guest checked out and you already cleaned the apartment after he left, make sure you include one more cleaning fee if you decide to check him in again. But I wouldn't, not after his complaints and threats with a review.

Thanks for taking time and giving me advice🙏🏻

Dimitar27
Level 10
Sofia, Bulgaria

Sorry, but you can't do much in this situation. He can come back at any time, until one of you cancels the booking.

Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Sophie446 @Dimitar27 

 

He can’t come back if he doesn’t have the keys.

 

If he tries to break in perhaps alternative accommodations can be arranged in the Tbilisi jail. 

Katrina79
Level 10
Saskatchewan, Canada

@Sophie446 Like @Dimitar27  said if the reservation is not cancelled he remains able to stay. You should contact Airbnb and ask about the construction noise. State you  don’t want to refund -and DO NOT refund, ask if his complaint will override your decision. If they will not force upon you any amount of refund then just keep the guest. If he has threatened extortion in an Airbnb message they will remove the review afterwards if you bring it to their attention. Here’s the kicker, do not refund or you are also playing into the extortion. Hopefully you can talk to the guest and turn this around! Best of luck!