Solved: Re: Problem with charging the right amount

Lucija1 · ‎10-07-2016

So, I have one listing of a house with 4 apartments which I rent on few websites, but I left it this way as most of ABB guests are booking all the apartments for family vacations and this way it's easier to find us.
The thing is that a guest booked 3 apartments for 11 people in February, and yesterday changed the reservation to 8 people and still wants to put them in 3 apartments, although each apartment is for 4 people. Even have a double bed for a couple in one room, in other 2 rooms there are single beds for group of friends.
And I already gave him the apartments well under the price and he wants to lower it even more-half the price I usually rent arguing that the before price was 13€ a person and now I want it for 19€, which isn't fair because he is paying for a bed and wants to occupy all the apartments and doesn't want to share a room even though he pays only for a bed this way and not the apartment.

So in total, 8 people are coming which are all part of his wedding party, doesn't want them to share rooms and in the end I'm left with a difference of 150€ he doesn't want to pay.

My family and I really need the money from the booking alone, mind the difference, since the apartments are on the island and we have only 3 months of bookings, in summer that is, and guests should arrive in 5 days, so a cancellation is out of the question. I don't wanz to ruin guys wedding even if he's **bleep** and the island doesn't offer enough accomodation if I leave the guests hanging. Also, there are penalties.

He doesn't want to give me their e-mails to contact them and see if I can get them to agree to share rooms, or pay the difference for the 3rd apartment.
i really want them to be satisfied, but I'm losing a lot of money if he has his way and I can't communicate with my guests directly.
Also I'm afraid he might leave a bad review because he obviously doesn"t understand the difference between paying for a bed and paying for the whole apartment, being for one person or 10 of them.

Is there anyone who had a similar problem, and can help me dealing with this?
So either tell them that their friend is idiot and booked for beds and put them in 2 apartments or I can offer them the 3rd apartment but I'll be able to talk to them when they are already here also they'll have to pay me in cash.
If I call customer's service what should I tell them, that he's an **bleep**?

This is causing me a lot of stress, I'm really dedicated to my guests and their comfort, but they are ripping me off this way and occupying the apartment for free I can rent to someone else.

Christine1 · ‎10-07-2016

@Lucija1,

@David126, is correct, the situation is made more complicated by the fact that there is only one listing for the whole property and you are not renting out the rooms separately.

I am not quite sure about the arrangement that you had originally, or the arrangement you now have. You say that you gave a big discount, was that on the original booking? and now the guest wants more for less? or was it on the adjusted booking, as you thought that his group would only occupy two rooms?

The issue I am trying to understand is did you make a mistake in what you agreed to and now you have a commitment which you don't like? or did you fail to explain or agree on the detail of what was on offer?

At this point you cannot be sure that your guest will not bring a larger group as originally requested, and it all gets very messy.

Where to from here?.....

I suggest that you back away from a position where it appears that you are negotiating.

Adopt a style of communication which is extremely polite but assertive/firm- not rude, not angry.

Set aside your worries about money and adopt a mindset which is confident, and retains the right to set boundaries and terms on your rental and the use of the property.

Begin with a formal apology for any "confusion in communication" and make it clear to the guest that any changes agreed to will need to be formalise via an alteration in the existing contracted booking. Then clearly and concisely state your expectations, and the terms of your rental.

eg. "There are x number of rooms available and in total xx number of people can be accommodated."

"The situation is ideal for groups who want to stay at the same venue as it is possible to book all rooms simultaneously."

"If you require three rooms then you may still be charged according to the number of beds in the rooms regardless of your total guest numbers, this takes into account the extra work and access to facilities provided.

"I recognise that it is important for my guests to choose accommodation in accordance with their individual budgets and I endeavour to assist through the service of my Airbnb listing"

"If guests numbers are reduced from 11 to 8 then the reduction in tariff is based on the assumption that only less rooms will be required/in use".

"Please let me know if you still wish to pay for the use of the extra room. In this case the 3rd room will still be available at a tariff of $xxx, bringing the tariff for your group to $xxx, naturally Airbnb will add a booking fee to this total."

"I will send you a special offer for this arrangement/ I will send an alteration request to reflect these changes".

"Now that your plans have changed, if these terms no longer suit you, please feel free to cancel your booking. You can do this by going into the "my trips" section of your Airbnb site. This will give you the maximum amount of time to seek alternative venue/s".

Lucija, it appears that 3 guests have pulled out of the arrangement, and are now planning on staying at another venue [maybe...?]. This change appears to have occurred after your guest confirmed the booking. They can either keep the 3 rooms which were booked and paid for at the existing pre-agreed tariff, or graciously accept your agreement to an alteration/special offer which reduces their overall tariff in return for freeing up the 3rd room so that you can let it out to another guest/s. Clearly establish which of the 3 rooms will be allocated, this too is essential.

A word on hosting with multiple rooms:

If you have multiple rooms, then many hosts find that these type of issues are better avoided by having a separate listing for each room. They will all operate under your one profile account. Each room will show up under AirBnb searches and if groups want to book, one person can book all the rooms simultaneously, or if it's a group of friends and relatives, then you can encourage separate bookings from each sub-group/couple etc. As a host you will have better control and the opportunity to communicate your expectations throughout the group, instead of only one person getting information about house rules and maybe not shared with others who will still be staying...

In your case, for a listing with 17 beds! you will need to make an honest appraisal of whether your place suits being shared by more than one group. If it doesn't, then you need to stick with one listing and work out a pricing structure, guest room access which suits you; then stick to it!

If you have made a mistake or have regrets about the contract you have arranged with a guest, as a professional you need to honour the arrangement and learn how to do things differently next time. As this is a bonus residence and Airbnb income is always a bonus, you may need to be philosophical about the current situation.

Why don't you try to encourage your guest to invite extra people from the wedding to join them and offer a big flat rate price for the whole venue. If you are not onsite, this may happen anyway so it would be better to earn from it. You might get happier guests, and more money. For certain this group are likely to have visitors pop over during such a vacation, so try to use a creative entrepreneurial approach that will maximise your earnings while keeping guests happy and your property secure.

I hope that these suggestions are of some assistance to yourself and other hosts. As I stated at the beginning, some facts were not clear initially so hopefully I have offered relevant advice to the situation.

Forge ahead with what you believe is fair treatment and do not live in fear of reviews or financial loss. Those things will turn out correctly when you back yourself as a professional, fair and good value host/listing. Research other Airbnb listings to see how other hosts manage venues such as your own.

When you have sorted some of this out with your guest, please write back so that we can all learn from your experience.

Sincere good wishes, and happy hosting to you and your family.

regards, christine.

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David126 · ‎10-07-2016

The problem goes back to the way you have listed it, as far as I can see if say 4 people wanted the place to themselves they could book it all. If you wanted to list the apartments individually each should have their own listing.

David

Christine1 · ‎10-07-2016