Hello everybody, I am still in a state of shock. I need your advice.
Five hours ago I received a message from one of the roommates of my airbnb guest. They are four.
They are renting my 3 bedroom apartment since January 5. When I got in touch with the girl who rented she told me a friend of hers was arriving first and he was going to do the check in. So in fact I only interacted with him. (During this month I had some issues with him: 1) they left the air conditioning on with the windows wide open and nobody there, I asked them to kindly turn it off while they were away but they ignored me for some days later he contact me to send someone to see the air conditioning that was full of ice, luckily it did not broke. They had the remote control badly set with the fan at minimum, the temperature very low and the windows open 2) another day he sent me a message to bring him a big fan over because the one he had in his bedroom squeaked uncontrollably. I went that day to buy another fan for him, when I went to replace it I found he had the fan placed on a chair with a rounded seat. Obviously the fan was not supported correctly. I brought it home placed it on the floor and works perfect. well never mind)
Returning to his messages:
14:40 I think your cleaner stole $140 usd from me
14:40 I have cash missing and she is the only person who came into the apt
14:41 I need you to pay me that money back for the lack of security
14:43 The cleaner is here now. You can confront her or pay me, but this is terribly unacceptable
14:46 I will write a review that this happened and no one will want to stay ever again.
14:52 ??
Me: 14:53 Josefina is first time going to clean the apartment. She was in holidays in Paraguay. The other person who was cleaning the apartment is Martina. I will ask her but is very strange that she has taken the money. Where did you left the money and when?
14:53 It was in my backpack
14:54 I had $200 usd this morning and now only $60
14:54 Fix this immediately I am catching a flight and leaving at 3:45pk
Me: 14:54 This morning? Oh!!
I will call her
After that message I called Josefina who was cleaning there and explained her all the situation. I know for sure she did not took the money. I know her for ten years now, she worked all this time for me, she comes home and to my apartment to clean, I know her family, her husband and kids, we have a close relationship. I had plenty of guests during all these years and nobody ever complained about her. Nevertheless I told her to show him the bag with the sheets and towels the only thing she had with her over there. All this situation made her cried, she offered to take her clothes off. I asked her to handle him her phone so I could speak with him. He insisted in me refunding him the money. He tried to coerced me telling he was going to write a very bad review . I went immediately to the apartment and handle him the warranty deposit. Face to face he told me he could not tell Josefina took the money. When Josefina went to clean at 13:00 there were his roommates there. I told him I was not going to pay him the 140 dollars because he was responsible for taking care of his money, there were other persons in the apartment before and during Josefina went to clean so perhaps one of the other persons took away the money, or he thinks he put the money there with the rush of the flight and then he will find the money in other place or he thinks he had that money and he had spent it, who knows. I did not see his money nor he asked me to take care of it. He threatened me with the terrible review he was going to write over and over again until I told him: I do not care, I know for sure Josefina did not took your money, I am very sorry with all this. He froze and told me Ok. Then we both left, someone was waiting for him downstairs.
What do you advice me to do now?. I have 35 wonderful reviews
Thank you in advance
Best regards
PS : has he made up this story for me to pay him money? Why would someone steal part of the 200 dollars and not all? If the money was in his backpack how would Josefina could ever know where to search under the eyes of the other roommates clean the kitchen, bathrooms, change the linen, the towels, make the beds, clean the floors in two hours?
