Stressed re unhappy guests, would love support.

[Trees0]

Good morning from the UK.

im a super host with 100+ reviews.

we rent out our home over the summer (yes the UK does have one 😁) I spent two days cleaning the house top to bottom, all surfaces, had even carpet cleaned hall carpets, for a 2 night stay this weekend. Left a welcome note inc please contact me if everything not to your liking. Had SMS to say they arrived and all good.

Then last night ( they leave this morning) at 8pm had text saying that house was not up to their expectations that they had paid a lot of money (actually I had discounted from £100 per night to £85 , sleeps 6) and the house was not ok cleanliness wise.

I did not know how to respond, instead contacted Airbnb (awaiting case manager). Told guest I was seeking Airbnb help with this.

sleepless night.. am stressed that these people are kind of blackmailing me for a refund, obviously my biggest fear is bad review. I know everything was up to spec. Why not say on arrival if not happy? I just don’t know where to go with this. Apologising feels like accepting blame..

what would you guys do, or have done? Really grateful of support.Thanks Trees

[Sandra126]

As you have 4,5 stars for cleaning after over 100 reviews and 5 stars in everything else, more than one guest have marked you down on it. Is it that the house is old and they don't differentiate between old and dirty? Not sure. How about:

''Thank you for your feedback. Was there anything in particular you felt needed attention? I take my hosting very seriously and it would help me enormously if you could be more specific.''

[Trees0]

Hi Sandra yes my house is 120 years old Victorian, and as such will never appear as such will never appear as pristine as a contemporary apartment. I also looked after a 150 year old cottage which was cleaned regularly to within an inch of its life and always got marked down for ‘cleanliness’.

Thanks will try that.

[Paul1255]

@Trees0  I hope you are well!

Hang in there. You have done the right thing in letting the guest know you have contacted Airbnb, and not apologising.

The guests should have let you know when they checked-in that they weren't happy with the cleaning standard or listing, and not leave it until the evening before departing to let you know...sounds somewhat disingenuous on their part.

You could have done something about it if they had let you know earlier. How bad could it possibly have been if they were happy to stay? 🙂

Wait for Airbnb to get back to you, and chase if not!

Paul 🙂

[Trees0]

Thanks Paul, exactly my thoughts re being able to rectify if highlighted on arrival. Thanks for your support, much appreciated. Trees x

[Cormac0]

@Trees0 

After consuming a bottle of the local wine I returned the bottle 3/4 empty and complainted it was not up to my expectations, were upon  the staff quite rightly told me to 'kcuF ffO' 

Airbnb have create a tyranny in the review process that is being exploited by ner do well and on this occasion its your turn.

£85 a night for a whole cottage is peanuts have the courage of you convictions and say no and forget about the review process.

[Trees0]

Hahaha 🤣 thank you @Cormac0  that cheered me right up!! 

[Alon1]

@Trees0 

re 'I did not know how to respond, instead contacted Airbnb (awaiting case manager). Told guest I was seeking Airbnb help with this.'

There was no need to contact Airbnb. As @Paul1255  stated, 'guests should have let you know when they checked--in that they weren't happy with the cleaning standard or listing'

  Indeed, Guest should have raised their concern within 24 hours of arrival. That's why Airbnb only release funds to Host 24 hours after Guest arrival.

Since there was no complaint within 24 hours, Case Manager should effectively do nothing, other than inform the Guest it's a matter for their Review. -- The only other option is that Guest can put in a claim via Resolution Centre. You can decline the request and Guest can then put it to Resolution Centre. Airbnb are most unlikely to rule in Guest favour because there is no case to be made 24 hours after Guest arrival.

I had one similar experience 5  years ago of Guest asking for refund after departure. Airbnb did not compensate the Guest a single penny precisely for the reason cited above.

[Trees0]

@Alon1 thank you so much for this, I guess my kneejerk reaction was to first-hide! Then be adult and use 3rd party. You are both right I should have stuck with my guns. I always leave a hand written welcome letter saying I hope all is satisfactory if not contact me to rectify.

Thanks this is good learning for me. 

Trees

[Mark116]

@Trees0  I think you were right to contact airbnb first, because the MO your guests seem to be showing is that they're trying to get a refund...so you striking first, to get it on record that they didn't mention anything was as problem until after the 24 hour window is a good move on your part to hopefully prevent airbnb from giving them a refund.  Do not give them a refund!  They will probably leave a poor review no matter what you do, but they shouldn't profit from it.  Good luck and keep us posted on what happens

[Trees0]

Thanks @Mark116  for your support, I do feel between a rock and a hard place with this, none of us want our guests to be unhappy, even if they are disingenuous. I have fired one back ina gentle way quoting the two main points of the guest policy as highlighted by @Susan17 , the 24 hour time period to alert a problem, and that they must first give the host chance to rectify any problem by messaging me via the Airbnb site so it is documented. Neither of which she did, it was via SMS mid evening when they were about to watch a film and leave early next am..

ill let you know how this evolves, too much head space on it already, but good learning and great support here. Trees

[Susan17]

It's clear your guest's claim should be disqualified under the terms of the Guest Refund Policy, @Trees0. Just keep quoting the relevant clauses I posted back at them, and tell them that Airbnb has a legal responsibility to stick to the terms of their own T&Cs. You have the high ground here. 

By the way, if Airbnb does rule against the guests getting a refund, and they make any mention of it in the review (which they probably will, they'll be peeved their little scam didn't work), you'll have solid grounds for immediate removal of the review. Any mention of Airbnb involvement in a dispute between host and guest, is against the terms of the Review Content Policy, and is the one thing that Airbnb will whip a review down for, without a whimper of protest. 😉

The following content is never allowed on Airbnb. 

   • Content that provides specific details or outcomes of an Airbnb investigation.

 https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/546/what-is-airbnb-s-content-policy

[Susan17]

@Trees0 

This is a comment I just wrote in response to another host's post on a similar issue. (Just going to copy and paste here rather than typing it all out again!) I realise your circumstances are slightly different, and that your guests haven't actually tried to hit you for the refund yet, but you can bet your life, that's their next move... 😉

Firstly, by leaving without giving you any chance to remedy the situation, the guest has violated the terms of the Guest Refund Policy... 

To submit a valid claim for your reservation:

• Contact us to bring the travel issue to our attention. If you notice the issue during check-in, contact us within 24 hours. If the issue occurs during your stay, contact us right away. We'll ask you to provide photographs or other documentation that show what you're experiencing.

We will require that you:

• Are responsive to our requests for additional information and cooperation.
• Have not directly or indirectly caused the travel issue.
• Have used reasonable efforts to remedy the circumstances with the host prior to making a claim, including messaging your host on Airbnb to notify them of the issue. We'll verify this in your account.

Secondly, by demanding a refund under threat of what the review may contain, or reporting you to those you advertise your property with, the guest has also violated Airbnb's Review Extortion Policy. 

This policy applies to situations including, but not limited to:

• Guests threatening to use reviews or ratings in an attempt to force a host to provide refunds, additional compensation, or a reciprocal positive review.

[Trees0]

Brilliant thank you for this x

[Helen3]

So what happened with this @Trees0  - always helpful to hear what line Airbnb takes in these situations.