Refund request because of yard

[TamaraAndSteve0]

We have a request for $160 for a full night because our yard wasn't as tidy as she expected.

She said she felt embarrassed and unsafe, but we have a common hallway and I work in horticulture.  We rent the inside space only.

We are very clear on our listing about our yard.  This is text taken directly from our listing:

"Outside expect a wild rustic garden and fresh flowers delivered in summertime."

"Our yard is a work in progress so just expect to use the indoor space. Shared hallway but private suite.  A warm and clean home."

I know it's not everyone's cup of tea - but many guests appreciate the green lush oasis walking to the suite.

What would you do?

Meet half way?

This is her comment: Your shared hallway was unsafe, unkept, cluttered, dangerous and difficult to enter, the shower was wet, the first impression was poor with the all the stuff on the porch and the front lawn looked very unkept. The backyard looked disastrous as well. Very unimpressed with this place as a whole. My guest and i were very unimpressed and did not even stay in the suite. This is NOT what i expected from a super host such as yourself. I am a Vancouver resident and this is unacceptable for a tourist or a local. This was a surprise getaway for my husband and i and i was embarrassed after guiding him through your property saying all the while the inside must look better.

[J-Renato0]

@TamaraAndSteve0 

The description of the property is correct, according to what you have said. So, there was not any surprise.

If the guests stayed the entire night, from my point of view it is not necessary to return any money.

If they had refused to stay, then you could consider to return some money.

[TamaraAndSteve0]

Thanks - they were on the way to the airport and could have stayed at a hotel there - for at least double the price in peak season.  I appreciate your response - this is new for me.

[Lisa723]

@TamaraAndSteve0 it's not clear from your post; did they stay or leave? If they left, and complained to Airbnb, Airbnb might be likely to grant them a 100% refund. Otherwise, whether you choose to refund or not is really up to you; different hosts have very different opinions about this kind of situation. I personally refund for any sincere dissatisfaction with the listing, even if I think it's ridiculous, but that's just me. Going forward, I would definitely add photos of the yard, home exterior, and hallway to your listing to avoid attracting this kind of guest. If other guests also mention the hallway or porch, or if you think the feedback has merit, I would do something about that.

[Cormac0]

@TamaraAndSteve0 

This is a new option given to guest by Airbnb, to reclaim money, its called "the any old excuse option" and it will ultimately be the death of short term rental.

[TamaraAndSteve0]

Yes and a week later - i even paid a neighbour (superhost airbnb as well who normally does not do favours) $45 to clean - if we knew she didn't stay i would have spared the expense and the favour.  Sigh

[Mark116]

@TamaraAndSteve0   I don't see any shots of the exterior, yard or garden, so it's hard to judge whether it would look unkempt to a reasonable person or not.  You should probably add some photos of these areas to prevent anyone having the wrong expectation.  Without seeing photos of these areas, I can't say whether any refund would be due, probably not, certainly not $160!  If I had to guess though, I would guess, given how well put together the unit looks, that the yard/garden areas probably aren't horrible looking, LOL. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@TamaraAndSteve0 

your cleanliness rating is not perfect so you should do something about it. It is clear that your yard is work in progress but maybe you could do something about the lightning and unclutter your shared hallway and porch to leave a better impression to your future guests. Your suite looks very nice and it's a pity to ruin your rating in the hallway.

[Rowena29]

Hi @TamaraAndSteve0 , Like @Lisa723 i'm not clear on whether this guest actually stayed or not?

In her comments which you posted she says "we didn't even stay in the suite" - do you know for a fact that this is right? If they really DIDN'T stay and you are certain of it - I suppose I would be inclined to give them a refund as it would imply that they were genuine in their dissatisfaction and had to fork out to stay somewhere else.   ie they're unreasonable, but they're not scamming.

If however they stayed and now just want a refund because they were visually offended on the way in, that's a different matter entirely. If the latter,   I'd' be ringing CS and getting your side of the story in first and asking for their advice. Myself - I'd probably NOT give money back if they stayed - your listing is clear.  This guest I think wanted a hotel suite for an airbnb price - ie something impersonal and vanilla and probably never read your listing. 

If you get a bad review out of it, the most important thing is to respond factually an emotionally and (probably briefly).  if it comes to this its a great idea to post what you plan to say here first and get some emotionally detached advice from other experienced hosts.

Going forward, Something that I have started to do with areas that I think might cause concern is mention it again to the guests when they have booked. (I have a wild and unkempt backyard), . so I say "hi thanks for booking blah blah etc etc. Also, just reminding you as per the listing description, the back yard is pretty wild as we are in the process of landscaping. This hasn't bothered any previous guests - everyone just wants to stay on the decks - but in case you missed reading this and it bothers you, there's still time to cancel without penalty within 48 hours. Otherwise, looking forward to seeing you on XXXX blah blah etc etc."  That gets rid of guests who ARE going to be bothered - I don' want them - alerts those who haven't bothered to read the listing  - and if they continue to stay, decreases the likelihood of a complaint.

Good luck with this.

Cheers

[TamaraAndSteve0]

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for your responses.  I haven't used the community much but this was the most stress I've had as a host.

In Vancouver, hosting airbnb is a political issue so we intentionally do not post photos of our exterior because some hosts are vandalized, bullied online and in person.   There are accurate photo check in photos AFTER someone has booked.

I decided to refund her $115.  That's $160 minus the $45 I paid a neighbour to come and clean as an extra favour.  I won't take it as a loss.

I pointed out our information but she just kept going - that we had a boat in the yard (we do not), and how to clean a shower (we use a wax product that beads water so that no soap residue or mildew can grow). 

I decided it was not worth my time to keep playing ping pong with her - cut my losses.

IF she had told me she left that evening, I would have been able to stop my neighbour from doing the flip.  For one night stays, often the place is very clean.  Wether she left or not - I can't tell as our places are quite separate and quiet - and i wasn't going to ask for a receipt from a hotel.  

She has 3 stars.  We do instant book, but i wonder if i should keep doing it after this.

Thank you again for your experience and responses.  Much appreciated.