Help with Guest Situation

[Daniel-and-Heather0]

Need some guidance with a current guest I have (30 day stay). For the record I've never had any issues the 1.5 years of hosting but this guest just seems off to me.

I host in Phoenix and the guest sent me a message on the second day of the stay saying the home got "so cold he got sick and had to go to the hospital". I use a smart thermostat Nest and looked at the schedule and there were no temperatures scheduled. The history shows the coldest the house got was 69 degrees, which is where the typical guest keeps it at.

I don't know what else to do besides say sorry you got so cold and go over there to show him how to use the thermostat to get the temperaturse he prefers (which in my opinion is pretty self-explanatory with the smart thermostats). Never had any previous issues.

I just have a feeling this guest is going to try and ask for a refund or try and get money out of me somehow. He is a 2.5 star rated guest prior to this booking which I was shocked he could "instabook". 

Any suggestions would be very helpful.

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Daniel-and-Heather0 - Definitely express empathy for the situation.  Then ASK how you can make his stay more comfortable going forward. 

If he says he wants a discount or for you to pay for his hospital stay, contact Airbnb immediately.  I'd be inclined to tell them you are no longer comfortable with this guest and prepare to have him removed and lose the remainder of his 30-day payment.  If he asks for an extra blanket or to have the temps changed, then move forward with this reasonable request.  If he comes back with he needs to leave, let him go through the process of cancelling and getting his Extenuating Circumstance refund if he's entitled to one.      

Personally I wouldn't offer to do anything that he doesn't request because I suspect that he will use that against you.  A 2.5-star guest is not someone I'd want to give an inch.  There is really an issue there.  

[Alice595]

@Daniel-and-Heather0A guest like this is a hot potato. It is summer. Most of guests want to be cool in the room. If he had the issue on the first day, he would probably pick on you for the rest of his stay. I suggest that you ask Airbnb to cancel his stay and refund the rest of dates he has not stayed. And Airbnb will relocate him.

I had accepted a guest like this who had 2 bad reviews out of 4. I thought he would have changed after receiving two bad reviews. But he did not. At first week, he was fine. But after I refused his unreasonable request for a long-term rent outside of Airbnb, his behavior totally changed. After that he started to pick on me, I had to ask Airbnb to cancel his reservation and relocate him. Three weeks after he left I saw that his profile no longer existed on Airbnb. Airbnb deactivated his account. But he still was able to leave a retaliatory review (1 star). But Airbnb did not want to remove his review even if he got kicked out of Airbnb.

[Rosemarie9]

Trust your gut. Call airbnb, I wouldn't let a 2.5 star rated guest get one over on you. He sounds like he is fishing for a refund or discount. Any guest with a rating under 4 stars would worry me.

[Helen3]

I would say you are sorry that he has become so ill that he had to go to hospital and a little confused about his mention of your listing temperature which  your records show were at  69c throughout his stay and which he has the ability to increase @Daniel-and-Heather0 .

Ask if he would like you to come over and show him in person how to adjust it, if he finds the instructions aren't working for him.

[Sarah977]

@Daniel-and-Heather0  Definitely sounds like he's scamming. And if he isn't- is it really going to be worth letting him stay if he cranks the heat to 90 degrees 24/7 for a month?

[Julie143]

I just checked the weather in Phoenix. Temperatures are ranging from 101 to 111 degrees! If he wants to be hot, just go outside!

[Julie143]

No one gets sick and has to go to the hospital because of a 69 degree house. Did he fly to Phoenix? More likely he caught a bug on the plane.