Rude Guests

Sara228
Level 1
St. Louis, MO

Rude Guests

Hi all, I recently starting hosting on Airbnb, and certain guests have been upset by certain things not being how they expected them to be. Most recently, I was rudely spoken to because I do not offer wifi (which I do not say I offer in my listing). I am not really sure how to respond to these guests when they expect me to offer them with things I do not claim to have. This woman just expected me to have wifi and said she was "flabbergasted" when I explained that my listing does not list "wifi" on the "ammenities" section.

 

It makes me extremely stressed to be treated rudely, even when I am not at fault. How do hosts deal with these types of people?

22 Replies 22

response@airbnb.com

Its hard to change but possible with dispute resolution...I had a similar....lesson learned

Emily123
Level 1
Hartford, CT

I just think that wifi is such a big deal that I would recommend noting that you don't offer it. If you haven't done so already.

I agree. WiFi is one of those things people expect to have (unless your place is in a remote area). If you don't provide wiFi, you should state that somewhere upfront in your summary. My very first guest gave me good advice a few years ago. He said, "State all the pros and cons about your place, so there are no surprises". That way if a guests complains, you can reply that you "clearly stated" it in your ad. 

@Sara228   Unfortunately, many guests do not read the decription or amenities and some don't even look at the photos. I would put "No Wi-Fi"  right at the top in the intro to your place and in as many other places as you can as well as including it in a message to them.   For my place I say I have no elevator in a message to them, I have it 4 times in the decription, and in the things to note and I have an image but still some expect an elevator and mark me down for not having one!

As for dealing with them I just say it is written in the description, in the nicest possible way, not much more you can do. If people are rude I just respond in as diplomatic a way as possible, if they are 'beyond the pale' I call Airbnb and have them find the guest another place.  They will be gone in a few days and you will probably never see them again so not worth the energy and upset. The important thing is to not take things personally or you will have a very tough time doing Airbnb. In my experience, the nice guests far outnumber the problematic ones so I keep my focus on that.

Maybe others will suggest a more imaginative way to address this.

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

I don't offer wifi either, most of my guests come with internet on their phones, but they sometimes ask. Only once was someone incredulous. You have to have a low-tech stay at my place, no dishwasher, nothing fancy involving motors as I find I have more problem with tech than it is worth. It is an excellent opportunity for you to develop some techniques in dealing with difficult people. Be friendly and assertive, don't make it an issue. ''I am sorry if this is a problem for you, the nearest public internet is xxx. Or I might be able to help with information?'' Something like that. I find it is a good thing to be away from technology for a while, and I offer them to come and use my own internet if it is an issue but it never is. Once I looked up a timetable for someone.

Flabberghast is a good word, it is more entertaining than rude. Some guests will have withdrawals from not having the internet on, it is addictive! So imagine you are dealing with a person in withdrawals, anger, irritation, flabberghasted even.

Make it prominent and hope to never have the issue again!

@Sara228  Sorry this has happened to you.  Sometimes people just suck.  No one should be treated badly by a guest and you certainly do not need to feel forced to provide things you do not choose to offer.  

The best thing you can do is realize when someone is treating you rudely, that is about them - not you.  Answer politely with "I'm sorry you're disappointed that you expected xx.  I will definitely consider adding xx based on your suggestion" and leave it at that.  

Then make sure you review them to reflect that they were rude to you.  It is absolutely okay to say something like: "XX was seeking amenities we do not offer" or "XX was disappointed that we do not offer xx".  That would tell me as a host that the guest isn't looking at the entire listing and I might want to point out some things.  Can't tell you how many guests have gotten here are realize that we don't have a TV. 

A thick skin and letting things go really can go a long way to making you feel better about hosting.  

 

Good luck! 

hello , i just had a negative experience with  guest, i want to protect myself against his possible negative reviews. I contacted the guest the day prior to the check out, and he didnt answer messages or calls to arrange check out time. 

The day of the check out, as i have listed on my profile the check out time is at 11 am, i went to the apartment at 12 pm because he never answered back. I knocked on the door for a while, after 20 minutes no one answered i supposed he had left, so i came in  and the guest was very drunk, naked on the floor. i immediately left. I tried knocking on the door a few more times but he never woke up. After another 30 minutes i opened the door again because i got worried something was wrong; he then woke up and started saying racial slurs against me since im mexican, and he kicked me out of the apartment and was still screaming a lot of rude names. The apartment was a total wreck, towels used for cleaning food apparently, linens with blue stains that probably wont wash off.

Its been 3 hours of late check out, ruinning my cleaning time frame for the next guest, and i think he is going to rate me very low and give a negative review since he kept screaming that. How can i protect myself and my super host status? im deeply worried, thanks for your help

I would have called the cops and contacted AirBnB.  If it's after 11, he's trespassing.

@Daniel1992  Unfortunately he's in Mexico where it would be basically useless to call the police for the most part. I advised him to contact AirBnB immediately on another thread he posted on and to document it in the AirBnB messaging system in addition to photo's of everything. 

@Letti0, Ah, didn't see that.  I have to stop assuming it works the same way as it does here!

Pam16
Level 2
Orinda, CA

This seems strange that people are not reading your description and notes about your place. So what I do is in my first message to them, whether an inquiry or a reservation, is to reiterate the things that might be off-putting. Here's my informational email: 


"To be clear, the shower is outside and the water heater is only 19 gallons - a good shower or two. It reheats quickly. Going from the living/bed room is a few steps outside to the kitchenette & bathroom part.

The pool is not heated, however it’s great now from solar cover heating. By the middle of October it may start to become cooler. "

 

And there are a few more items like important to have a car and must be sure to turn off the heaters. I may add certain things because of the information they've given me about the reason they want to book my place.

 

I don't accept instant bookings for this reason.

 

I find it's so important to connect with my potential guests as honestly and friendly as possible. And so far I haven't had one issue. Some have cancelled which is great - better for us both to be happy. So by starting out with a strong connection and eagerness to host my guests it's been working great.

 

Hope this has helped.

Ron-And-Stacie0
Level 6
Idledale, CO

Hi Sara, people can be incredibly rude for sure but to shed some positive light, we have hosted over 175 listings over 2 years.  There are only about 6 people that have really been over the top.  I doubt any home out there is perfect for every guest that stays and some people are more easy going and understanding than most for sure!  

I just come right out in my description and tell them about what I would consider to be the negatives of our home....that we don't have AC, that the house sits next to the road and there will be traffic noise, etc.  It is painful to add some of those truths because I really want people to book of course.   BUT if I've put it out there and they fail to read the description, well, not my problem.

After they book, I send a long description of directions and expectations about our home, especially our hot tub which people trash on a routine basis.  WIFI may be something that you would want to consider adding as it is such a way of life for people.  It's a tax write off so you may as well look into it!  Good luck!    

Scott80
Level 10
Honolulu, HI

First of all, rudeness among the general public is common. Perhaps OP has never worked in a customer service position, but in general, it is my experience that politeness does not really happen. Second, when people are on vacation they are under stress and in a different environment and likely facing problems that they are not accustomed to dealing. They also are dealing with workers who in general are more interested in efficiency instead of politeness, eg: ticket takers, TSA, cabbies, etc. However, the norm is that a hospitality host is polite to strangers, welcoming and friendly.  It is actually the definition of hospitable. In short, you are being paid to take other people's crap and be accommodating to them. If rudeness bothers you, probably hosting or any other customer service type job is not for you.

 

How I cope with it is that is that I put in my listing that my expectation is that I will most likely not have personal contact with guests, but if they need it they have my phone number and I live three blocks away from my AirBnB unit. I also provide resources for guests to utilize if they have problems. I say pretty much that if you want personal service, the hotel located in my building costs three times my rates, but if you just want a place to sleep and hangout to live like a local, you can save a bundle by staying at my AirBnB. 

 

As for the WiFi. The problem you are going to have is unmet expectations. AirBnB does not force you to provide WiFi and you can disclose that you do not provide it. But that still does not change the fact that guests expect it. You have the same problem as the hosts that choose not to provide bedding. Perhaps the easiest solution would be to provide WiFi and include the cost in your rental rate. If you absolutely do not want to provide it. The next best thing would be to provide instructions in your house manual about how guests can get WiFi in your town, with phone numbers and addresses of providers. You could also add that many Smart Phones are capable of being a WiFi hotspot in case guests are unaware. That way guests who want WiFi at least know where to start to get it. 

 

If you wanted to help guests you could buy a WiFi Hotspot such as this one: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-Unimax-U240C-3G-WIFI-Mobile-Hotspot/30824075 Lend it to guests unactivated and make them activate it with Straight Talk over the phone and of course deactivate it when they are done. You could also see if your local Walmart carries them to refer guests (mine does not stock them)

I really like your response to this. But I'm sad that AirBnB has devolved in this way. Guests at one time were so very good, now they treat hosts and our homes badly and behave like spoilt brats. (Some, not all - still have had a few great experiences even lately.)