Screaming and angry customer

[Küllike0]

Hi! (and sorry for my english)

I have been managing with hosting in Airbnb and Booking.com about 4 years with 5 different apartments, so quite experienced host.

I have seen quite everything, I hope 🙂

But this week I got an Airbnb guest, who was my new different experience...

I got a reservation from an older women, about 65-70 years old,  new in Airbnb, her first trip.

Few days before her arrival day I sent her a message asking at what time she will arrive.

She answered me: I will arrive around 7 PM.

I sent her a reply that if she will be front o the house, then she can call me or send sms and then I will be there in some minutes.

On this day at almost 7PM she called me and said that she is searcing and searcing for some time already now and dont know where to go and I then answered that I will start to come. I was there front of my house, in maybe 5 minutes and when I saw her and said hello, She was starting to scream at me, saing that she had to wait so long time and she  did not know where to find me and she was walking around the house and was cold.  I apologized and explained that we agreed that if she will arrive, then she should let me know. But she was so angry that I was even little bit sceared, because she screamed and her eyes were like a demon. And she did not stopped, we went already into the apartmentand she did not stopped. She told me that she is a customer, I should be waiting for her and she is from Finland and if she says that if she is there at 7 PM then she will be, you Estonians maybe act like the other way, but she is from Finland and she wants to get a service. (repeating several times, from where she is, like it is important). And I should learn how to deal with a guest. 

I tried to explain, that we did not agreed EXACT time, this time was just for the information, then I can be ready to start towards to her.

And she answered, that yes, because she did no know how long time she will come from the harbor to the house.

When I said that I did not even know with which boat she will come, then she said that then I should look from the time table 🙂

Like I should know that she will definately come with boat and she definately come straight to the apartment first.

All she said was: I will arrive around 7PM.

Like Im a clairvoyant and know exactly when she will be here and she refused to call me if she arrives. She wants me to wait outside and definately recognise her straight away.

For exaple for the same day I had another guests to another apartment, who said that they will arrive around 16 PM. They did arrive around 22PM. It happens. I told these kind of examples for her aswell, but she did not understand.

It happenes very often that I have to wait or a customer for hours, sometimes all day... But she did not wanted to wait me 5 minutes.

This situation bothered much for a few days more after that, I was quite upset.

Any guest has never shout at me.. specially I did not expected it from Airbnb, where people usually do not expect hotel service and as host can rewiew them aswell, they are also friendly... 

Little bit more and I could told her, that that is all, you can go to the hotel and I dont host her, but still I was little bit sorry for her, because she was old...

Have you got this kind of experience and if customer behaves like this, can you refuse to host them?

[Linda108]

I would not allow such behavior from any guest especially if they did not calm down.  Your attempts to explain were not received so just offer to cancel the reservation with a full refund and call Air BNB for help relocating her or refer to hotel.

If that does not calm her down and you feel threatened by her continued anger, call the authorities.

I can understand how as a guest you can get upset that something did not go as expected, but once the host responds with an apology, I would calm down.

[Quincy]

Hello @Küllike0,

Nice to meet you. 

I was wondering if you've seen Linda's reply? How did everything go in the end? 

[Cormac0]

@Küllike

My first reaction was to throw her and her luggage out on the street, but then on mature reflection you did say that you would meet her at 7pm not five past 7 which for elderly lady (I use the term lady loosely) traveling on her own can be quite daunting and indeed frightening, her bad behaviour may be because of this.

I’m reminded of the couple with an infant that kept me waiting from 15:00 hours till 01:00 the next morning not answering any of my text until 21:00 saying they would PROBABLY arrive a 23:50 and would I put the kettle on as they would like a cup of tea, Only because they had an infant I bit my lip and did not tell them where to put their booking (up their arse), and true to form they were high maintenance and gave me a low score for location.

One comment I thought was priceless was “how could I live without a hair dryer” this was said to me while I was sporting a military style haircut, and was not listed as one of my amenities.

This is a Host experience that Airbnb never have exposure to and is another example of how Airbnb have no skin in the game.

[Kelly149]

this customer is in clear violation of ABB non-discrimination policy. She has disparaged your nationality. It is kind of you to allow her to stay but her review should be accordingly low, her profile should be reported, she should not be a future guest.

Please come back and tell us if she has seen the light and repented of her bad behavior.

Good luck

[Küllike0]

Hello all!

Thank you for your reply, Linda, Quincy, Cormac, Kelly!

This situation ended like this, that for the end she still did not understand anything what I was saying but was calm down and did not shout anymore.

I left the apartment and she stayed there.

All 3 days what she spent there I was thinking in what situation will the flat be after she leaves.

She had to leave key into the mailbox, so I did not had to meet her again.

Apartment was lightly messy, dishes were unwashed etc, but it is ok.

But what will I do, I will definately leave an adequate review for her. At the moment I will wait, maybe she wants to review me aswell.

But this dicrimination policy theme, what Kelly mentioned, should be mentioned in the review aswell.

These kind of guest should be staying in the hotel, where they have been so far. 

[Ute42]

.

Hi Küllike,

Your english ist great.

4.8* from Germany for Estonia.

🙂

[Maureen175]

There are guests that just seem to want to be angry. I just got yelled at myself. I’ve had three very bad days with Chinese speaking guests. One minute they’re all, “oh yes that’s fine”, the the next there complaining that they don’t understand. 

They took forty minute showers at 3 am. 

I just feel spent. 

I’m new to air bnb and I’ve had five guests that were a pleasure to meet and to host. These people, three women, oh my, I just couldn’t do anything right with them. In the last ten minutes of their stay one woman came downstairs to read me the list of all I did wrong. And when I explained that I was in the middle of a phone call. She screamed at me, “I’m just try to improve your business lady!” And then back up stairs where she slammed doors and yelled about me to the other guests. 

I need a sedative. 

[Jai4]

She said she'll arrive at 7PM so you should have been there at 7PM - especially if you are 5 minutes away. Why did you impose on her another burden to firstly call you on arrival and then secondly wait for you to arrive? I agree this woman was very rude but on reflection it might be worth considering what you could do better next time rather than worry about this rude  Finnish woman. Also, in Estonia the customer service is generally very poor and overtime it can wear a visitor down. She was probably overwelmed with several rude experiences only to reach boiling point when, despite telling you 19:00 - she had to search for you, call your mobile and then wait for you to arrive... I'm sure you're a nice person and of course nobody deserves to be yelled at.

[Küllike0]

Hello, Jai.

If customer says, she will arrive AROUND 19.00 and I will answer her that please notify if you have arrived, then I think this situation is agreed already. Otherwize I have to wait her then where? Outside the house, because she refuse me to call? House is big  and there are entrances around the house, If she dont want me to call then it might me a situation that we still have to search each other couple of minutes.

And I have several situations, that customer says he/she will arrive at around a certain time and they will arrive an hour later.

I deal with 6 apartments and about 5 years already and I am superhost aswell and this is my first this kind of situation and I and actually no one  does not deserve this kind of behaviour!