Guests asking for Extra Discount

[Leiloni0]

Is it just me or are guests asking everyone for extra discounts? 

I just had a guest ask me for $100 off a two week reservation when I already give a discount for reservations over 7 days. 

Do les anyone acquiesce to these requests?

Please advise?  

[Mike1034]

@Leiloni0  Yes, I do get these kind of inquiries. But it is probably 5% or less in the total inquiries/requests I received.

Unless it is a long-term request, I don't provide further discount. I often write to the guests with such inquiries like

"Sorry. I don't provide more discount at this time. Please find other places which can fit your budget. Thanks".

[Leiloni0]

I did tell him that I could not offer any further discount other than the 10% I already provide.

[Emily487]

@Leiloni0 

I always say something like We try to keep our prices a bit below than the other AirBnB's in the area and in order to do this, we do not offer discounts. I'm happy to send you some links to other listings nearby that might be a good fit for you, though!

Also, and this is kind of a d*ck move of mine, but I always mention in their review that they requested a discount. Josh was a lovely guest and took great care of the apartment. I am so glad that he chose to stay with us even though we were not able to accommodate his request for a 50% discount. 

[Ann72]

@Emily487 LOL I love your d*ck move!  

@Leiloni0  You did the right thing - it's important to be firm from the outset with such a guest.  If you had agreed to the secondary discount, he/she would have found other things to haggle about.  

I have friends who have told me they ask hosts for a discount because "it doesn't hurt to ask," "you never know," etc., but I don't think they'd refuse to stay at a place that didn't give them the discount asked.

[Sarah977]

@Ann72  And there are some cultures in which haggling is quite normal- vendors always name a price much higher than what they expect to get, as it's assumed that there will some back and forth and that the price will meet somewhere in the middle. You'd be considered some kind of fool if you didn't counter with a much lower price. 

It's actually a problem for those of us who live in countries which have a heavy tourist trade- the tourists think the named price is quite reasonable and just pay it. They don't realize they're actually being ripped off, and when that happens a lot, the sellers start to expect those higher prices, or crazy big tips, which those who actually live here full time can't afford. When I first moved here, I used to go out to eat a lot, because it was quite affordable. Now the restaurants have gotten so expensive I rarely do.

But in countries where haggling over prices isn't the norm, it seems insulting to ask for a discount. People wouldn't think to haggle over prices at a grocery store, a hardware store, or a hotel, yet when it comes to Airbnb hosts, it's almost like they think they're at some garage sale. 

[Emilia42]

@Ann72 

I can't stand that! 

I wonder what would happen if I asked the guest to pay me a little extra when they arrived to help me cover my bills for the month because "it doesn't hurt to ask." You can bet that the guest would feel uncomfortable and probably think that they walked into a scam. They would come to this forum asking for advice because their host is haggling them. Commenters here would say "don't pay her another cent and get out of that situation now!" They would probably end their stay early. I would get a bad review and reported to Airbnb. But you never know.

[Ann72]

@Emilia42  LOL we should all try that!  Because as you say, you never know.

[Yadira22]

@Emilia42, @Alice595 @Branka-and-Silvia0 @Ann72 @Susan17  @Sarah977  please let’s do this for April’s fool and pretend it’s a joke 😂

[Leiloni0]

Great **bleep** move! I’m going to have to use that one. 

[John-Henry0]

I had some one that wanted a discount and I said I don’t offer discounts but that another town would be better suited for them. They ended up by booking and then gave me a bad review! 
So if it’s an inquiry I block a day in the middle time they were thinking about booking. And if they were to ask for another weekend I would decline. I work too hard to give out freebies!

[Brian686]

I have seen an increase in these lately for some reason. The most recent one just tried playing me off against another property, wanting me to justify my nightly rates compared to the other property. When I said I wasn’t going to play their game they weren’t happy. They clearly had no intention of booking and were aiming to get a lower nightly rate. 

I no longer give discounts to people who ask for a discount as experience tells me they will leave a poor review or find something else to try and haggle over. 

Brian

[Ann72]

@Brian686  I just had the same thing from a guest who wanted to take the place for 6 months.  She even said the other owners said it was better to have something than nothing over the winter in Maine.  What I didn't tell her was that the other owners are idiots.  I know that my house costs 3 times as much to run in the winter when someone is staying there than when it's empty.  So I think she's going to end up in a situation where the owner starts freaking out over the extra costs - from heating oil to more frequent snow plowing - and ask her to pay more.

[Pete69]

Every once in a while I get someone trying to make a low ball offer. I never do discounts.

Making price adjustments on the fly (when people ask) can put you in legal jeopardy. The next person (who does NOT get a discount) can sue you if they are a member of a protected class (ex- race, age, gender discrimination, etc).

[Leiloni0]

Thank you, everyone, for your comments. It turns out this young man plans on moving to San Diego with no plan/job/money/etc. I stayed firm with him and it seems he’s moved on. 

sarah977: I understand there are cultures where haggling is the norm, but this person is from Sacramento. Bring from Sac myself, I know that is not the norm at all and is considered rude.