I let my first guests down real bad and I feel so much shame and embarrassment

[Jude137]

So I started hosting just about a week ago on AirBNB on behalf of the family. This was our first ever AirBNB stint to generate an additional source of income. However, as bad luck would have it, one of the doors in our 3-bedroom condo unit locked on its own (it's one of those door knobs with a lever-like handle) and the contents of the room were the guests' important things. They couldn't get in for many hours and they tried contacting us at 3AM in the morning and again at 8AM, which I so regret that I was asleep at that time and only saw their texts when I woke up at 9AM. 

I just feel so  about this whole fiasco. It has been settled peacefully already although the guest who booked on their group's behalf was adamantly and understandably very disappointed. I just feel so much shame and regret about it and the fact that it's our first ever booking makes me even more ashamed. 

Have any of you gone through this too? How did you deal with it? Kind words would be much appreciated as up to now, I still feel so down. Thank you so much.

[Sudsrung0]

Bad review incoming

[Jude137]

Yep. I've accepted it already. It's just damage control at this point.

[Huma0]

@Jude137 

Well, that is very unfortunate, but treat it as a lesson learnt and find a solution for the door so that this situation doesn't happen again.

If you receive a bad review, then it's best to delete the listing and start again. The bad review will still appear on your profile and affect your star rating as a host, but at least it won't appear on the listing or the listing's star ratings, so that's better than nothing. 

If you feel it's worthwhile, you could offer the guests some sort of partial refund for the inconvenience. Offer this with sincere apologies, but DO NOT mention the review, as this could be seen as extortion. This won't guarantee that they leave a positive review. Only you will be able to judge based on your interactions with the guest and whether you think she will appreciate the gesture.

[Jude137]

I already sent the partial refund for 1 night yesterday. They acknowledged the refund and the situation has been settled already. I just still have that lingering shame. We'll get the door fixed, too.

[Gwen386]

@Jude137 Oh my. I do understand your embarrassment and humiliation; and I hope you offered a full refund for one night. I can’t even imagine being locked out at 3am and not get any type of response for 6 hours. But things do happen and one has to put preventive measures in place. (1) Since this is a family business, please offer 2 numbers for emergencies; and (2) Either install a different kind of lock or add a lock box that holds an additional key. 

[Jude137]

I actually sent them 2 numbers (one for me and another family member) but bad luck had us both asleep when they tried to contact us. I just want to punch myself right now because it was so avoidable had I just been awake at 3AM.

[Huma0]

@Jude137 

Do not punch yourself. It's not unavoidable to be asleep at 3AM and not hear your phone. It's perfectly normal. A lot of hosts here have mentioned that they put their phone on silent or do not disturb mode overnight as they do not want guests calling or messaging in the early hours.

Personally, I prefer to leave mine on in case of emergencies. Keep the phone very close so that you will wake up if there is an emergency call and if you are a heavy sleeper, make sure the volume is turned up!

Another suggestion would be, if you have not done this also, is to 'test run' your listing. Recruit someone else, e.g. a friend or family member, who is not familiar with the places to stay overnight and feedback on how it went and if there were any problems or if they have suggestions for improvements. When you are renting out a separate unit, i.e. one you do not share with the guests, it's best to make it as foolproof as possible!

[Huma0]

@Gwen386 

I don't think the guests were locked out of the listing. From what I understood from the OP, they were locked out of one room in a 3-bed condo, but the issue was that they had belongings in that room which they needed, so not quite as much of a disaster, but I suppose it depends how urgent those belongings were (could be pyjamas, could be urgent medications).

@Jude137 confirmed that he already gave a refund for one night. That sounds pretty fair to me.