@Dana91 I wanted to join in on this message post to share with you about how I handle the "not communicating" with potential guests, current guests or past guests away from the Airbnb message site. This is one of the biggest problems that I see happening all the time between hosts and guests that ends up causing problems for the hosts. Many hosts reach out to me via social media asking me for help on how to move forward with an issue they are having or had with a "bad guests" only to find out they have been communicating on What's App, Skype, Face time, smart phone text messages, etc instead of doing what ABB says......ONLY COMMUNICATE USING THE WEBSITE MESSAGE PAGE.
(It says this all over the booking page too.)
I want to give you heads up that its the policy of ABB not to only accept screen shots from hosts cell phones as 100% proof because messages can be hidden, deleted, edited, etc. Its good that you sent it in, but in the future I want to encourage you to communicate on ABB going forward as I come across this quite often with my guests too.
1. Guests are given a hosts mobile number in their booking reservation for Emergencies only or perhaps they are lost getting to a host home. Kindly remind them of this if you get a text message. Here's what I write when a guests sends me a text message to my phone saying that its easier for them to communicate this way regarding their booking. (SEE BELOW)
"Dear Guests,
Its good to hear from you. Thank you for reaching out to me via my PRIVATE cell phone number. I am replying back only to let you know that all communciation regarding your stay MUST continue on the Airbnb message site to protect you as my guests and me as your hosts. However, if you do experience an emergency in or out of my home as my guests, definitely use this PRIVATE number to contact me. Anything else needs to be written in the same place as your greeting booking requests. This is to ensure that both guests and hosts have no misunderstandings before, during or after your stay. If you are having trouble sending a message using the ABB mobile app, please find a computer to send it. Please take comfort in knowing that every message you send to me will be responded to within 60 mins or less no matter what time it is. (However, keep in mind what time it is in Hawaii when contacting me for urgent issues as I do need my beauty sleep)
Thank you for understanding and complying with Airbnb's Terms and Conditions. Any questions, feel free to contact ABB customer service at 1-888-326-5753. Looking foward to hosting you soon and sharing our Aloha Spirit." - Your Airbnb Superhost, Momi
2. I do like to call some of my guests and speak with them over the phone PRIOR to their arrival but I always duly note that conversation in the ABB message site. The guests is always informed during the call that I will be doing that. Some of the reasons I may call a guests are simply because they are new to Airbnb and have expressed to me they are feeling a bit nervous or perhaps ABB message site is glitching up and my messages are splitting up making it hard to read. Hearing a smile and laugh always makes them feel better. And gives them a chance to ask me more questions and get to know each other better. But as I said, everything that is talked about during that call is ALWAYS written out in the message thread which gives the guests the opportunity to add to what was written or to simply just add: "Thank you again Momi, really happy that you called me! We are looking foward to using Airbnb now!"
3. Many of my international & domestic guests want me to help them save money. So I will SOMETIMES use What's App to converse about their needs for Hawaiian actitives, rentals cars, restaurants, etc. because I do have alot of money saving tips and they find that app easier to use. However, again, I always note what was talked about in that What's App text chat and phone call onto the ABB site to give the guests and ABB a full report to protect myself. This has worked out beautifully. But now that the ABB message site allows me to send links and photos, its made it so much easier to help the guests with all of their holiday needs.
4. I have also called ABB to say that I need their help in getting something communicated to an international guests and that is also duly noted in their account in the message area. (some use translators to communicate and getting a real person translator is always helpful)
5. If a guests has a concern during their stay, and they contact you using FT.....politely answer it, but immediately tell them that you would need to speak with them face to face and to please note their concern on the ABB message site to give you the opportunity to resolve it as their host. Because my guests live in my home with us, and I'm much more accessible to them, they usually voice their concern to me in person which is fine, but I always document it in the ABB message site on what their concern was and how I resolved it. I dont't get alot of concerns but the very few that I do, its always remedy immediately like perhaps the wind chimes bothered them the night before. I go to the ABB message site thanking them for bringing their concern about the windchime to my attention and note that I took it down as soon as the guests mentioned it.
Now what I do during my home tour is to ask the guests ahead of time if my one beautiful wind chime that another Superhost sent me would potentially bother them during sleep and its always appreciated when I do ask. 95% say, no no, please keep it up. Its wonderful. (my husband and I have a bet going that most will say Yes, keep it up and he says they won't like it....he is losing big time!) LOL
6. The next time a guests says something about writing a bad review or writes a message indicating they will do that if you don't refund them, immediately contact ABB via a phone call to report it. Do not let time pass you by on this. Its important that they "weed out" the bad apples so the rest of us don't get someone like him in our homes. I hope you wrote an honest review about him.
7. Definitely stay on top of that review getting observed by ABB to possibly remove it since it was apparently posted as a retalitory move on his part. Its unfortunate that so many of us hosts kindly open OUR HOMES, only to get scammers who think they can get their money back by threatening a host. I can assure you that no guests will ever get away with threatening this host....that's what Iphones Videos are for. And yes, I have recorded a guests threatening me back in 2015. He was caught smoking, TWICE! Police were called in after he barricaded himself in our home at midnight and I turned on the video. ABB collected it. He was permantly removed from ABB for his unlawful behavior after damaging my home and breaking my 3 toes. Police made video too.
8. As a new host, I want to encourage you to possibly think about using the Co-Host feature to request another host to help you, even if its for a short time. You can decide how long you want help from that Co-Host. If that is not an option for you, definitely go to the ABB site and read all the helpful articles on "HOSTING". I have been hosting for 2 years now and still occasionally go read them for new updates. Especially on new policies.
9. Congrats on pursuing your MBA.
10. Hope you move past this guy and find hosting to be as amazing as I do! The friends I have made are PRICELESS. As a matter of fact, we are currently planning a (SECRET) trip to NYC for my daughters Sweet Sixteen in 2019 and my June 2017 guests are insisting we stay with them. How awesome is that?!? Plus our daughters (same age) have become friends to a point that they Face Time with each other every week since they left. Both are obsessed with Broadway so it was fun to listen to them sing to us.
Hope my post has helped you.
If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.
Aloha, Momi
Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook
