How to prevent Guest from taking advantage of host

[Winnie23]

Hi Guys,

Recently there was a guest who booked my accomodation for 3 weeks, My accomodation is a new townhouse with private ensuite room at $18 with full amenities. Unfortunately (A) there was 1 incident that happen at the (ground floor) to have 1 roach and guest requested a refund of her food but the roach did not even go to her food as she was at the kitchen cooking and happen to see it. we immediately rectify the issue and have the kitchen clean up. 

(B) She then make numerous complaints/request which is quite ridiculous and we try our best acommodate her. We even suggest to her we can pay her refund for the balance of the stay in cashand she can move out. She didn't take up the offer and actually stay throughout and after she submit a resoultion to Airbnb. Airbnb deduct 35% off our fee!  (C) She then check out without paying all the food/drinks/ laundry. She just left the keys and sneak out when nobody is around in the house. (D) When contacted her, she mentioned why she should pay when her clothes are damange from the laundry? Seriously???.... She just cheated her way through the whole accomodation and seems to plan it out and take advantage of the host. What can host do? and Airbnb should have some protection for host and blacklist such guest. 

[Linda108]

Sorry this happened to you, but Air BNB is only a booking platform and does not have a role in your selection of guest, @Winnie23.  However, you can flag the guest in their profile as unsuitable for Air BNB and give a thumbs down review meaning you do not recommend the guest.

That you offered to give the guest cash, which is in violation of the Air BNB terms suggests that you might not understand this platform completely.  If a guest is unsatisfied, then the guest can initiate a cancellation and request a refund.  As you might have experienced, some guests use making complaints as a way to get a refund.

[Winnie23]

Dear Linda, Thanks for the advice. Yes i am quite new to Airbnb and don't really understand some rules and terms. Probably there are always some "bad eggs" around and just unlucky to met one of them. ;(

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Winnie23 Wait? A roach? in Vietnam?

You mean I might see a roach in Vietnam? SHOCKING! (Just kidding).

One of my biggest fears is having a “bug complaint” in my reviews. I think I would shut down my listing and start over from scratch if a guest published a review saying I had roaches.

I’ve screened every air vent and I put boric acid poison out regularly. I’m committed to pest control.

There is no open food and obviously I’d never leave a spill. You will never get rid of roaches without using boric acid powder. 

In regard to food payments, always get your money first! You lose your leverage when they eat first. 

Always remember, people treat you the way you allow them to treat you. These are customers, not your ‘friends’.

%35 refund is not bad at all considering that you were willing to give her %100to get rid 

Of her.

Never offer to pay out of your pocket. If the guest wants a refund, they need to ask Airbnb for the refund. Think of Airbnb as the ‘accounting-billing department’ of a hotel and your role is in the Guest service department. You don’t work in billing or accounting, so you’re not trained in providing refunds(not saying anyone is really trained), so the guest needs to talk to billing.

If the guest calls the ‘guest service department’ asking for a refund, they’ve called the wrong department. Guest services doesn’t handle refunds. 

They need to call the accounting-billing department and that’s airbnb, they handle refunds.

Good Luck!

’You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Winnie23]

Thanks Rene for your advice.

Yes, Probably mine is a townhouse and the kitchen is on the ground floor.  But so lucky that it only happen to this guest..hmmm. Wondering whether the pest was "brought" from somewhere else. 😛

Yup, am new to Airbnb terms. ..and i agree. Hard to be a good host.  😞

[Matthew285]

@Winnie23, the guest knew exactly what she was doing and her plan all along was to take advantage of you.

I say this because if your accomodations were actually so terrible she could not stand it, she would have taken your offer of a refund and moved somewhere else.

It is like the person in a restaurant who says the food was terrible! Inedible! But yet they ate the whole thing anyway. But they still want a refund.

She did not want to take your offer of a refund and move out because her plan all along was to stay for free.

In the future, first of all ONLY offer refunds via AirBnB. Why? Because what if she had taken your cash, moved out, and then asked for MORE refund via AirBnB? You could have ended up paying her a refund twice.

And, when you offer her a refund via AirBnB, then AirBnB sees that you offered her a refund and chance to move out. If she does not accept the refund and move out, then AirBnB knows that she does NOT think the accomodations are unacceptable (because she is choosing to stay instead of getting her money back.)

If she DOES accept the refund and move out, then at least you do not have to host her for free, and you can try to rent the rooms to someone else.

The guest was a terrible person and took advantage of you.

Learn from this and know better how to handle people like this in the future.

[Winnie23]

Thanks Matthew,

Yeah! You are so right! haha... I thought these people only happen to see in resturants where they complaint but finish up everything and ask for refund or another new plate of food. Omg.....

Lesson learnt! this will be an expensive lesson of $134 refund.