Rodent on my child’s bed, how can I stop happening again?

[Halima19]

We didn’t get to stay one night.

My daughters laid in their bed and shortly after a mouse appeared darting across the mattress and room. We left in a panic and messaged the host. This was at 12 at night. The host did nothing and instead the next day asked if we took pictures. She didn’t offer a solution, an apology, nothing. Now we are out 850 dollars and the host gets to scam others. 

its a beautiful property with amazing views but the host has no problem taking advantage of guests and not taking responsibility. 

how do I make sure that this doesn’t happen to anyone else? 

it’s a house on the Ogden River and the host refers to herself as a helpfultrumpet. She’s a realtor who has no problem taking advantage and absolutely takes NO responsibility. 

[Sarah977]

@Halima19  Without knowing where this rental is, nor you posting a link to the listing, it's hard to give an on-point answer. Did the host mention anything about local wildlife in the listing info?

If you rent a place in the countryside, there is usually wildlife like field mice, racoons, ants, etc. around. If you leave doors open, even momentarily, those critters can scurry in unseen. While I understand it was freaky for the mouse to run across your daughters' bed, I'm sorry, but if you find that cause for "panic" and immediately packing up and leaving, then I suggest you only rent sterile city homes in the future. 

How has this host "scammed " you, just because you are freaked out about a little mouse? What did you expect the host to do about it? You have now taught your daughters that a mouse is something to have a total meltdown about. My daughters would have been excited and tried to capture it.

[Jennifer1773]

@Sarah977 , " My daughters would have been excited and tried to capture it."

Mine too! Once we had a slumber party for my youngest child with her 8 closest friends (my rule was always that the # of guests = age of child--boy did I not think that one all the way through...). We lived in a large cabin in the woods at the time. I went to bed around 1am and slept well, but woke up around 6am to find the living room full of sleeping children and a scoop of peanut butter in the middle of the kitchen floor. I was very curious about the events of the evening... later my eldest child revealed all.  Apparently a flying squirrel had entered the cabin through the chimney. The girls had spent the wee hours trying to capture the creature that they dubbed a "squouse" as it was a squirrel that looked like a mouse. They were in the end unsuccessful, thankfully. As you might imagine (if you live in a small town), it was the talk of the town for a bit. Then miraculously all eight children (plus one more per my previously established birthday hosting rules) arrived for the birthday slumber party the following year. It had been the best party ever... and my daughter became a biologist.

[Halima19]

The policy is as such: 

Canceling during your stay
If anything unexpected comes up during your stay, generally it’s a good idea to try talking to your host first – most hosts prefer to quickly resolve any issue by fixing it, offering a partial refund, or both. You can message your host from your inbox.

If you come to an agreement with your host that includes reimbursement, you can send a refund request to your host. You can request a partial refund if you want to continue with your stay, or you can ask your host for a full refund if you'd rather cancel your reservation.

The host refused to offer any solutions or anything. So in my opinion I don’t care if it was a raccoon or a mouse the host is supposed to work with you directly.  Instead she told me to go through Airbnb and did not respond, apologize, nothing. It was almost as if she knew that this was going to be an issue and looked forward to making $850. In my opinion it was unethical. In business we take responsibility and if you are in the hospitality industry it is even more important to ensure that your guests are taken care of and if there are any issues then you address them, not ignore them and walk away with their money. 

I am not interested in smearing them. I just want to make sure that no one else pays for this rental without knowing the possibility of dealing with an irresponsible host. 

[Sarah977 · Accepted solution]

@Halima19  It was responsible of you to follow Airbnb protocol, which is indeed to first notify the host to give them an opportunity to address the issue.

But I'm not sure what you expected her to do or say at that point- you had already left and didn't want to return. I suppose she could have said she was sorry that you got freaked out by the mouse, but it isn't her fault that there are mice in the area. It's not like she forgot to clean or purposely put a mouse in the house.

If you had just called her when the mouse appeared, maybe she would have offered to bring over a trap or something. But you had already vacated, so what more could she do than say to deal with Airbnb for a refund? What sort of solution did you expect her to offer?

FYI hosts do not get paid until at least 24 hours after a guest checks in. Until then, Airbnb has your money, not the host.

When the host doesn't offer an acceptable solution, then the next step is for you to cancel, and let Airbnb know what the issue was and in most cases you'll be refunded.

Some hosts just consider it easier not to engage with the guest about complaints, if it's a complaint about something that nothing can be done about and it's obvious that all the guest wants at that point is a refund.

I happen to live in the tropics, where insect life is prolific. First of all, I think guests should do a bit of research into what to expect, in general, when booking in an unfamiliar area. If my guests demanded a refund because they saw some ants, a beetle, a cockroach, a spider, or any one of a thousand other bugs, I wouldn't be able to host. But I do let my guests know to expect these things- of course I clean their room thoroughly, but any insect can come in again. It's just a fact of life here, whether you rent a $500/night beachfront place or my countryside $30/ night private room. (I do have a mosquito net so guests won't get bothered by anything while they're in bed)

[Halima19]

@Sarah977 thank you!
I really appreciate you sharing the experience of the host. Just for the record I did not demand anything.

It was close to midnight and we reached out to her immediately. We did not want to leave but we didn’t have any other solution. She did not respond until the next day after 10:30. The response was, “ do you have pictures?” I patiently explained that we did not b/c we vacated the premise. She then said to deal with Airbnb. There was no other communication. No apologies, no recommendations, solutions, nothing. I was still patient and did not say anything. I cancelled through Airbnb and maintained a respectful dialogue. 

It was a very frustrating experience and my ONLY reason why I am posting is to get information about how to protect others from this host and her irresponsible approach to addressing an issue. 

Thank you again and the best of luck in your hosting journey. 

[Sarah977]

@Halima19  The host had what you consider to be an irresponsible response to this particular issue.

It doesn't mean she objectively has an irresponsible approach to all guest issues, that requires warning other guests. Had you called to say the hot water didn't seem to be working, or the porch light was burnt out, she may have been quite responsive and sent someone over to check things out. 

[Anonymous]

@Halima19  "It was close to midnight and we reached out to her immediately. We did not want to leave but we didn’t have any other solution. She did not respond until the next day after 10:30."

Had you been staying in a large hotel, a normal expectation would have been round-the-clock desk service. Airbnb doesn't work this way. Hosts are allowed to be asleep or off-duty at midnight, and are not required to attend to messages 24 hours per day. Your late night message was answered in the morning, which is the most one can reasonably expect. 

[Colleen253]

@Halima19 “It was close to midnight and we reached out to her immediately. She did not respond until the next day…..”

No surprise you didn’t hear back from her, as she was probably sleeping. 

You had already vacated the premises, so of course the host is going to tell you to deal with Airbnb. There’s nothing left for her to do at that point and she is not the one to refund you, Airbnb is. By the way, hosts don’t get paid for a booking until at least 24 hours post check in. 

It is rather unfair, and unreasonable, to slam the host for being irresponsible, and calling her a scammer.

Keep in mind, your review of this host will potentially make you unattractive to your prospective future hosts and may simply make you look silly, to future guests of this host. Not too many people freak out over a mouse in the house, unless they are the one scamming …for a refund.

I’m curious to know what would have been a perfect response from the host, in your opinion.

[Kia272]

@Halima19  I host a log cabin on AirBnB. It's in a rural area. I have a 5* cleanliness rating. There's no food in the house unless there are guests there. It's entirely within the realm of possibility that a guest could encounter a mouse while there. 

I'm not scamming anybody, but I'm not the supreme ruler of the natural world. Nature happens. Little woodlands creatures come into people's houses. It's a fact of life. It's not a reason to pack up and leave and then accuse your host of scamming people. It may have been upsetting for your daughters, but they are picking up on your cues. 

Yes, the host could and should have been more responsive, but her reaction (or lack thereof) may have something to do with how you approached her. Nobody plants a mouse in their AirBnB rental just to take money from guests. Jeez....

[Halima19]

@Kia272 Thank you for taking the time to post. I appreciate your respectful explanation.

I grew up on a ranch and trust me it was never okay to have rodents in or around us.  My children are around wildlife and the outdoors all of the time. This is not excusable. Rodents carry numerous diseases.   

I promise I was very cordial and even patient but the host was, as you reiterated, unresponsive and clearly aware of the procedures around this. I feel that we were taken advantage of and that is the reason why I am posting. I want to find out a way to ensure that this host takes some level of responsibility. Also to send out a warning to others that don’t have $850 to throw away. 

[Lisa723]

@Halima19 in a rural location the only way to ensure that nobody might ever see a mouse is to flood the place with poison. Personally, I'd much prefer my children to see a mouse than to stay in a place rife with rodenticide. It's not at all clear what you expect(ed) this host to do for you.

Coincidentally, last week I stayed as a guest in a very clean and well-maintained place, where I happened to see a mouse one night. I informed the host, and told her that it was not an emergency as I am not scared of mice. The next day she put out a trap. I did not panic or leave, or ask her for any kind of compensation, and I left her a five-star review without mentioning it. I know that in a rural location, mice happen.

[Lisa723]

(@Halima19 @Sarah977 and in the host's review of me, she said I was "quiet as a mouse" which I thought was pretty funny.)

[Sarah977]

@Halima19  I really don't understand what you mean by a rodent in the house not being exusable.

As both Kia and I pointed out, wild rodents are present in countryside environments. That doesn't mean that we just let the place be infested with mice and shrug our shoulders. I'll occasionally see a mouse run in, and lock my cat in whatever room it's in, who makes quick work of that mouse.

A mouse appearing in the house isn't a matter of excusable or inexcusable. It's just a fact of living in the country. You deal with it in one way or another- traps, a cat. As Lisa said, I wouldn't use poison, because I have pets who would also be poisoned if they messed with that dead mouse.

But panicking and packing up and leaving, and then accusing the host of scamming you, isn't a reasonable reaction.

[Inna22]

My houses are downtown Chicago and I get field mice every once in a while. There was a horse stable nearby and once it was torn down, field mice dispersed all over the neighborhood. I have tried absolutely everything. They got so out of control, I think they stopped to pose for my guests pictures and even waived! Everyone was very understanding (only one set of guests got really upset I think) and I charge a lot a night. No one packed and left. They are out at this point- no sightings for a year now. We also have a giant spider season. They have been spotted as high as top floors of Sears tower. I actually got more complaints about those than about the mice. And of course there is the ant season. Plus every season is a rat season in Chicago. I might as well throw the homeless guys in the alley into the mix. For the record, the last two groups are never inside the hose. Although I would not be surprised if rats take over the whole city eventually. I know they have already gotten a few of their own in the city government. 

The only solution to this would be for me to stay with my guests and constantly walk around to remove the wild life. That might be a good solution for all my problems- there will definitely no attempts to party either!

How do you think your host should have handled it (other than the apology in the response)?