Guest refund.

[Daniel2555]

Hello Everyone,

First time here on this chat. I've been a host for less than 5 months, everything is going great.

But a week ago a guest never checked in, she said the neighborhood frightened her and went looking for some place to stay. She requested a refund and I sent her a full refund through the resolution center. Now a week later she claims she never got the refund and is threating a bad review. I doubled checked and the refund was sent. What do I do?

[Emiel1]

@Daniel2555 

This guest should have cancelled the reservation and get refunded (if any) by the cancellation policy.

If not happy with that the guest could have contacted Airbnb. Why give somebody a refund who never checks in because "the neighborhood frightened her" ? And now even threatening you ? I suggest you Contact Airbnb and explain what you wrote here, let them sort it out.:

Contact Airbnb - Community Guide [Updated] 

[Daniel2555]

Thank you for the good advice. I'm still new and didn't want an unreasonable person harassing me.

In the end she just now sent a message stating her boyfriend got the refund and didn't tell her about it.

[Robin4]

@Daniel2555 

I am glad it got sorted out Dan, I don't routinely advocate writting bad reviews but if the review window is still open here, give this guest a negative review because she clearly had no regard for for anyone but herself.....which seems to have followed through to this refund. Don't get personal or specific, just stay........"The experience of attempting to host this guest is one best put behind me and forgotten about, not a guest I would recommend"!

Being general like that, the guest will not be able to have the review removed. It's once you start getting specific that Airbnb will see reasons to take sides with the guest.....you inflame the situation by making unsubstantiated statements.

Good luck Dan, move on to the next guest hey!

Cheers.....Rob

[Robin4]

@Daniel2555 

Very unfortunate  you got a guest like that Daniel, it's a pity but every host will strike just one 'guest' like this sooner or later.

I had my one just like that about 8 months ago. I got onto customer support immediately my problem guest left, a couple of hours after she arrived here. I had CX study the conversation stream, they agreed that the guest had some sort of severe personal issues, and from there the problem disappeared!

I have no idea how they handled it but I never had any further contact with that guest and whether she was able to leave a review or not, a review from her never appeared on my profile!

I feel you should follow this path Daniel, make sure all conversations with this guest are kept within the message stream so that CX can track them. Do not have any contact with the 'guest' apart from through Airbnb. Explain to the guest that Airbnb have released a refund but it can take a week to 10 days to show up back in her account, tell her you are sorry that things with the stay did not work out for her and leave it at that.

Post a review of her straight away giving a her a poor review and a 'Thumbs Down' then get onto customer support and explain what this guest is now trying to do to you and they will handle it from there for you Daniel. They will message the guest and stop further contact with this guest for you.

This was how I handled my 'problem' guest in the review process....

Daniel, this is the only negative review I have had to give in well over 250 in my hosting career, so try not to be too discouraged by this. You are a good host and have already accummulated some great reviews. 

Contact with Airbnb should be good and rapid because, as a Superhost you do have certain priviledges and one of those is quick response to help. Get onto support and make them aware of what is happening here and the.....put it in the past and get on with being a great host.

Good luck Daniel.

Cheers.....Rob 

[Daniel2555]

Thank you so much for the good advice I will listen to it and act differently next time . I just felt a full refund was the best way to make this person go away. There is nothing wrong with my neighborhood I just feel this person might be some sort of racist .

[Helen3]

Hi @Daniel2555 

Personally in your situation I wouldn't have refunded her anything @Daniel2555  - presuming your described your location accurately (which I am sure you did), then why did you refund?

Explain to your guest that it is Airbnb not yourself who handled refunds and she needs to speak to them. Also make it clear that you have refunded her over and above what she is entitled to. And did that as a gesture of good will.

It's appalling after you have been so generous that she is threatening you with a bad review because Airbnb didn't refund her as yet.

Please make sure all your conversations are recorded on Airbnb and that you leave her an honest review.

[Daniel2555]

Thank you for the good advice. 

[Kath9]

@Daniel2555, I agree with @Emiel1, @Robin4 and @Helen3. You got double scammed! First, you should never have issued a refund - why? You're a superhost, so your ratings must be good. If she wanted a refund, she should have gone through the process herself with Airbnb, not involved you in it. Unless there is a genuine issue with your listing, this has nothing to do with you. And now she is demanding another refund because she didn't get the first one? By the way, extortion is against Airbnb policy so report her immediately.

[Daniel2555]

Thank you, if the situation arises again I will treat it differently this time .