Guest who stubbed foot wants full refund

Guest who stubbed foot wants full refund

A couple and their infant are guests in our accommodation. The man called this morning and said that he stubbed his heel on a nail. I came right over with a hammer to fix it but he couldn’t identify where it was that he did it.

 

The stairs are wooden and there are nails but they are all painted over and so are more like paint bumps. He took a picture of his foot and showed it to me (it’s a nick and it’s not shallow but also not deep). I’m not sure how he did it as we couldn’t find where the nail was. The lady was feeding her baby so I said I’d pop over when they’re out during the day, which my partner did and banged in anything he could find! 

 

They're now asking for a full refund of £145.

We just went over and offered him half price but he’s saying he may have to have time off work if it gets infected...which sounds ominous, given that he used our first aid kit with alcohol wipes to clean it. He also said that the first aid kit had a maggot in the alcohol wipes, but couldn’t  show us a picture. 

 

He has no reviews and this all feels a bit like a blag. I know we’re now in the hospitality business but I have no experience with this, we’ve never had a problem before. Has anyone had a similar experience and can offer some advice? 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Josie

7 Replies 7
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Josie86  Sounds like this guy is a total scammer, just looking for ways to get a refund. It's too bad you offered him anything, that really wasn't necessary and sets a bad precedent for him thinking he can pull this sort of thing on hosts.  Tell him that offering him half refund was incredibly generous of you considering he couldn't show you where this happened (which is quite suspect- if he hurt his foot that badly in your home, he'd be able to identify approximately where it happened, and there would be some nail area where the paint had been damaged). Then contact Airbnb and tell them the scenario and that you feel you are being scammed for a free stay. He is bound to contact them demanding a full refund, so best you get your foot in the door first.

Whatever you do, even if you gave him a full refund (don't, don't, don't, I wouldn't even give him anything) , he's the sort who will leave a bad review, so don't be thinking you can ward it off by being accommodating.

Make sure all communication with this guy stays on the Airbnb messaging, not verbal or text, so Airbnb can se a record of the interactions. If something is verbal, flllow it up with a message-" So, XX, just to clarify, in our verbal conversation yesterday, you indicated that you wouldn't leave a bad review if we gave you a full refund for the small nick on your foot that you claim happened in our home on a nail, even though you couldn't show us where that nail was?"  Or whatever the verbal exchange was. The best scenario is if he does communicate in writing that he will leave a good review if you refund him- that's extortion and totally against Airbnb TOS.

 

@Josie86 First and foremost, do NOT ever offer a guest any kind of direct compensation for a claim of injury. You're already covered by Airbnb's liability policy, so you need to inform this guest that if they are injured on your property they will have to contact Airbnb and have their case directed to the third-party claims administrator. More info here: https://www.airbnb.com/host-protection-insurance

 

Honestly though, this is clearly a con job, so you really should be angling to get these people off of your property ASAP. I would tell them in the strongest terms that if they are not happy with their stay they should cancel the remainder of the reservation. Make sure it is absolutely clear that no refund will be considered until the guests have departed the property, and get Airbnb on the phone straight away to report the incident. 

 

 

@Josie86     100% agree with @Anonymous 

Warning - this is a TOTAL SCAM. Don't fall for it. He can't show you were the nail was? He didn't know the minute he got hurt?

He's a user. He'll threaten but no lawyer would take this as a case. No blood. No infection. No proof of location but there is proof you went right over to try to make it right and he was unable to verify the location.

Wow. I thought I had heard it all. Don't refund, leave a one star review and say "better suited to a hotel." We'll all know what that means.

Emily487
Level 10
KCMO, MO

@Josie86 

Scam City.

A maggot in an alcohol wipe? Is that even possible?

 

@Emily487  That was a dead giveaway, wasn't it? Yeah, that's where flies love to lay their eggs, in alcohol wipes. Not only is this guy a con man, he's really not very good at it.

Mike-And-Helen0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

LOL at the boozy maggot.

A not-very-bright con artist.