Newbie!! Hard lesson to learn

[Irene308]

So I hosted my third set of guests last weekend. The previous two had been FAB! I let them in last Friday and I really didn't have a great feeling about the whole thing but I just said get over it. We had a family funeral at the weekend so I wasn't around when they left. They popped the keys through the letter box as requested. I called in briefly that evening to check everything was off. I was exhausted and everything seemed ok. I got home and I got the email to review and I did that, leaving them a 5 stars. My next guests weren't coming until the next day so I didn't have to deal with it that night. 

I got there the next morning, bright and early. OMG!!! not only was there chewing gum put in side tables, there was used sanitary towels stuck down the sides of the bed. My 500 euro stove was broken with FAIL coming up on it. The energy saving bulbs were taken out of all my lamps, hair straightener was missing. The door on the new integrated dishwasher was hanging off. The 3 scented candles costing 20 euro each were missing. A months wood was missing from the shed and I had 16 bottles of Chianti and 86 bottles of Heineiken to bring to the bottle bank. There was used toilet roll in the bedroom and shells of pistachio nuts EVERYWHERE! To say that they were pigs is an understatement. I think they had a pinata on Easter Sunday because there was shreds of green paper all over the house. 

That was not all, but I can't go on! Thankfully my next day check in didn't arrive until 8pm because it took me 7 hours to get the house back to the way I like to keep it, CLEAN! There was 5 black bags of garbage in 3 days. All left on the kitchen floor, opened. Not in the bins provided outside. 

But I'm an idiot. I left a review with out really inspecting and I've no way of changing it. I would NEVER EVER let this happen again. If I feel that same feeling ever again, I will tell them I'm calling the next day to check in. 

Over 1,000 euro of damage, but luckily because my appliances are brand new they are covered. I've put up my rate and up my cleaning fee by 70 percent and I'm now getting bookings from people who I know and hope will respect my property. 

I didn't let it destroy me. When my new guests arrived last night I had the fire lit, the kids beds turned down, new candles, house warm and cosy, side lights on, and fresh bread and milk waiting for them. One bad egg will not spoil the cake BUT I learnt a very, very valuable lesson!! 

[Emiel1]

Hello @Irene308 ,

That's a really bad experience....

Just good to know you can edit a review within 48 hours of posting, details:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/367/can-i-edit-a-review-i-wrote

Best regards, Emiel

[Karlijn0]

good to know, thnx! it only works if the guests havent left a review yet though.. 

[Clare0]

@Irene308 I am very sorry and sad that you have had this experience. One reason I don't like families, expecially ones where the kids run wild in the home.  

I make it a habit not to write reviews until my home has been thoroughly cleaned and ready for the next guest.  This way I've gone through everything and know exactly how the last guest treated my place.  My typical guest checks out on a Sunday and I usually don't get around to writing a review until the following Thursday.  

Too bad this guest got a good review from you...but hopefully the next host will take care of that. 

Again, I am sorry for your experience, but I see you are the wiser for it!

[Christine615]

I learned the hard way to wait before writing reviews for the same reason. My first guests were fabulous then I got the guy who was chaperoning teens for a local athletic event. One hint - the minute people start asking for favors, extra people, etc - run away and just say NO!

On the last night one teen got sick and there was projectile vomit they tried to clean up but didn't get all of it. They used my new bath towels instead of paper towels and threw them in the trash and had five large bags of trash stacked on top of my perennials. There were chicken bones under one of the beds,  and worse. It took four people five hours each to deep clean the apartment and sanitize it. I've had reasonably good luck with families, but honestly only after I raised my rates and put a note in my account that said I WILL charge them for damages. Cheap rates brings really bad tenants.

You SHOULD report them to Airbnb to get them banned from the site. I took pictures of damages one time and sent them directly to the guest (red wine spilled all over the rug, bed, and walls). Airbnb used the photos to verify the damage. Luckily the guest paid the damages I sent. But still - your guest sounds like a nightmare.

[Danny21]

I'm so sorry to hear it Irene.

I've been an AirBnB host for just over 4 years and I've had a very small number of horrible people stay. Thankfully only one-night stays.

It does put a dent in your armour but just got to pick yourself up and do what you do best.

Chin up hun. Just think of all the good guests you've had and hope they can make your smile brighter.

[Mike340]

Irene,

WOW..that is quite disgusting to have to clear up that kind of mess...but credit to you for not letting it all get you down.

I once had guests tamper with my water meter...which of course is illegal...and I had to explain to the water company that it was not me and that I was not trying to fiddle by water bill. When I wrote to the guest and asked if he knew any thing about it..he just said it wasnt him and couldnt say anything about anyone else in the group. It was then that I realised that I knew nothing about the rest of the group...not their names ..nothing...just the person who had made the reservation.

From then one I have asked all adults to provide a black and white copy of their passports and told them that I have to book all guests in..due to building fire regulations...as the hotels do...

Whilst I have had great guests for the vast majority of the time..you do get the odd bad apple...who it seems thinks Airbnb hosts are effecting the housing supply or charging too much for cleaning or whatever...and decide to "take action" in one way or another..... I had a group leave their entire evening meal on the dining table and everything unwashed in the kitchen and rubbish bags not recycled ....

Collecting passport copies has "possibly" made guests think twice before doing any criminal damage ..ie something well beyond just an accident. I of course destroy the passport copies once everything has been checked over to satisfaction.

You could also look at taking a deposit...although when you talk about 1000+ dollars of damage.... a deposit probably will not cover it..sure...

Good luck with all your future guests

[Paul154]

Thank you @Mike340 for feeding my cynical nature.

I never considered that malcontents would purposefully sabotage our places due to political views.  But it is obvious once you've pointed it out.

Our politicians have made Airbnb the scapegoat of all the housing problems. Never mind those problems would be worse if Airbnb were not in existance.

Our policitians do give license to some people to treat hosts terribly.

Now I'll never be able to sleep!

[Mike340]

Irene,

I would certainly go through the resolution center and send photos and make a complaint about the guests....as part of that I am sure that the guests will be banned or at least have your review removed or you given the chance to amend it ....follow it up. Try and follow it up as soon as you can in case these guests have other properties booked.

[Elle36]

On the review - When you answer the question " Would you host this guest again?" and your answer is "No", Airbnb does not post how many "No" responses the guest gets.

Also, the guest usually knows when they've been bad guests and dont give you a review at all, which prevents anyone from seeing your review.

I haven't been hosting long, but I've never seen anyone with a bad review.

I think hosts should be able to at least see a count of how many "No"s a guest receives.

[Michael956]

@Elle36  Your review is published after 14 days, regardless of whether or not the guest leaves a review.  

[Evita5]

I agree Elle, how do we know as hosts what type of guest are we getting?  If I write a negative review and the guest challenges it as unfair, then what happens?

I am now debating about writing a review on a recent guest who essentially broke the faucet knobs from 3 sinks and pulled down a towel rack?   If they are succesful in hiding a negative review then essentially the Air B&B website is a reflection of a happy place, and hosts have the burden to prove that we are not the villain. 

[Kirk-and-Lisa0]

Evita - The burden to prove that they are "bad guests" is definetly on you but do it anyway!  They can't hide a bad review (I don't believe).  I had a guest do lots of damage and I followed thru. I felt like it was worth my time to make sure other hosts are fully aware of what a "bad guest" he was. In four years my home had never been treated so poorly.  I don't think Airbnb will let him do that moving forward to other hosts without warning.  Take pictures and lots of them when you have damage.  Good luck out there! 

[Sandra126]

@Elle36, but we DO see how many hosts have recommended. My present guest (checks out today) has had two stays previously, but only one of the hosts recommended her. You can see it on the guest's profile, how many reviews/recommendations. Then it is up to you!

A host and guest here on the forum who was asking questions about something also didn't think we could see the recommendations, which was just as well for him as he has had a lot of stays but only about half recommended him... Trouble indeed.

Here's hoping my checkout goes well, but I think from reading the reviews that is wasn't a messy issue that caused the ''not recommend'', more of a personal issue.

[Sandra126]

@Elle36, and I just had a second thought: This is a new thing, with ''recommend'' boxes ticked by hosts. What happens to all the reviews which were written prior to those? Just took a booking from someone with 12 all rave reviews, but only 9 hosts recommend. I am assuming, from reading the reviews, that those reviews were written prior.