New host here- Guest requesting full cleaning fee refund...

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Mandi23
Level 2
Seattle, WA

New host here- Guest requesting full cleaning fee refund...

Need some advice as I'm fearful of getting a bad review with just my 4th booking as a new host. I have a guest requesting a full refund of the $99 cleaning fee because they ran out of toilet paper and because a trash bag wasn't put in the can. The bags were readily available, just an oversight in not placing it in the can.

 

Additionally, this was just a two night stay for two people and there was a full roll of TP upon check-in. While being understanding that a spare roll should have been provided and profusely apologizing and offering to compensate them for their inconvenience of running 5 minutes down the road and purchasing a roll, I don't think a full refund of the $99 cleaning fee is appropriate. I still have to have all the linens, towels, floors, dishes, and cleaning of all of the surface, and bathroom.

 

Any and all thoughts/comments/recommendations are welcomed!

 

TIA,

Mandi

1 Best Answer
Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Mandi23  I would be as polite as possible, and tell them you are sorry for the inconvenience of having to put a liner in the trash can themselves and that no extra rolls were left in the unit for their two day stay, and but that you find a full reimbursement of the cleaning fee to be extreme, and offer them $10-$20.  But, be prepared for a bad review no matter what you do, and make sure in your response to their review that you are writing it for future guests not for those a***

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10 Replies 10
Ian-And-Anne-Marie0
Level 10
Kendal, United Kingdom

Hi @Mandi23 

 

Thank them for buying another toilet roll and refund $10 for their trouble. I'm sure that if they mentioned it that you could have supplied another toilet roll... did they ask?

 

What do people do with toilet paper? They certainly don't just use it for its intended purpose!

 

You will have to face it that , even if you gave them ALL their fees back, they will still hold you to ransom over a toilet roll. Most reasonable guests would just go get a pack and perhaps mention it. If you wanted to be awkward... ask for the receipt !! 

Thanks for your response. They let me know at 10pm last night with their check-out being this morning. At the time they had notified me of the T.P they had only been there for just 1 night. My thought is that perhaps there was more than 2 guests in order to go through an entire roll in that time-frame?! With this being said, I am reasonable and it was an oversight to not have a spare on hand, so I do believe in compensating. I just feel like the review is going to be based off this honest oversight, and not the rest of my beautiful and clean cabin.

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Mandi23   $99 for putting your own bin liner in and having to spend $1.00 to buy a roll of toilet paper is nuts.  They may give you a bad review even if you give them the whole $99, because jerks who ask for that kind of refund are mean spirited jerks.  

Mandi23
Level 2
Seattle, WA

I should also mention that they already received a 20% discount on the listing as it was part of the first 3 bookings deal to get my rating. 😕

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Mandi23  I would be as polite as possible, and tell them you are sorry for the inconvenience of having to put a liner in the trash can themselves and that no extra rolls were left in the unit for their two day stay, and but that you find a full reimbursement of the cleaning fee to be extreme, and offer them $10-$20.  But, be prepared for a bad review no matter what you do, and make sure in your response to their review that you are writing it for future guests not for those a***

Mandi23
Level 2
Seattle, WA

Follow-up: She agreed on the $25 I offered for one roll of toilet paper, but mentioned it in the review (I left them "a bit up a creek") and marked me down for cleanliness in the bathroom for not having a spare roll. Some people!

@Mandi23   I'm surprised you gave her such a great review, I mean, seriously, not having an extra roll of toilet paper is not worth $25, and complaining about it publicly makes her look bad, especially when there is a store 5 minutes away.

 

Also, FYI for future reference, prospective guests only see the overall star rating, they wouldn't know that she marked you down to 4 for cleanliness so there was no need to mention it, all anyone but you sees is the public comment in the review and the overall star rating.

I guess I'm too nice and maybe a bit naive... Given our private convo I thought we reached an agreement. Thx for the tip.... still learning Airbnb. I didn't think it was worth tarnishing her score over... but she did mine apparently. There goes my perfect rating... on just my 4th guest.

@Mandi23  discount and bargain hunters are the worst guests

I'm learning that now. They got 20% off, so -$70 and then another -$25 for a roll of paper... when they had a full roll for 2 guests for 2 nights. I stayed at a place that turned out to have cockroaches and didn't mark the host down as everything else was so nice, it was obv something new to the host. I'm beside myself. I feel like there should be retaliation mediation within Airbnb... clearly she marked me down because I wouldn't give her $99.