Unable to stop declined/cancelled guest booking again

[Barry145]

I spoke to Airbnb about this but did not reach a satisfactory conclusion.

I received a reservation (Instant Booking) from a young chap who's only review was "left the place in a complete state" so declined him and apologised saying it was due to his poor rating.  I then received a text from him saying it was just for him and his girlfriend, that he'll be good and he then re-booked the same date again.

It then became apparent that unless I turn off Instant Booking (which I don't want to do) there's nothing I can do to stop him re-booking every time I decline him!  If I cancel him again bang goes any Superhost ambitions. I also enquired about setting a security deposit on his reservation but that cannot be done after the booking is made.  Blocking or reporting him for this type of situation was not an option either.

Does this seem like a glitch in the system to anyone?  The only viable alternative in the end was to accept his booking and stress the house rules etc and hope he doesn't trash the place.

[Jeff158]

@Barry145  Customer service should have cancelled this booking for you. Infact I think they should still cancel it, give them a ring.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Contact-Airbnb-A-Community-Help-Guide-UPDATED/m-p/413245#M5...

[Barry145]

They could do that Jeff but that still wouldn't stop him booking again.

[Jeff158]

@Barry145 I must be getting lazy, this post explains blocking a guest.

https://airhostsforum.com/t/the-interesting-road-to-block-a-guest-on-airbnb/28294

[Barry145]

Cheers Jeff.  I went down that road with the chap from Airbnb but since the guest wasn't actually scamming or being offensive etc we were getting into discrimination territory plus I still would have to cancel him a second time (which counts against me).  I concede myself that he doesn't deserve to be reported for simply having a bad review, I just though it strange that there's nothing to stop someone simply re-booking after being declined.

[Alexandra316]

@Barry145 The terms say that if you're not comfortable with an instant book reservation you can cancel it penalty free: you should not be penalized. I hardly think that not hosting someone because they have a negative review is discriminatory. What is the point of reviewing guests if we can't act on the information?

I agree that it's very silly that people can still book when they've been declined. I had the same thing happen to me last New Year's, and I had Airbnb cancel it penalty-free. They never came back and tried to rebook.

[Ange2]

@Barry145   What I find strange is that he was allowed to IB with a bad review. As I understand it 3 stars or less and/or a thumbs down means the guest is banned from IB. Can you see his stars?  Maybe that rule is not actually enforced, would be interesting to find out.

[Barry145]

That's only if I have that box checked in Guest Requirements and as Airbnb will tell you, that puts off new, unreviewed guests who are, apparently, positively reviewed 98% of the time.  I suppose that's the decision I need to make here.

[Ange2]

@Barry145     I was under the impression that 3 stars or less and/or a thumbs down automatically disqualifies anyone from booking with Instant Book regardless of whether that parameter is checked. Interesting to know that is not the case.

I take guests with no reviews and have had no problems so I do not check that box, and guests have to start somewhere anyway.  I have also taken guests with bad reviews who were great and guests with 5-star reviews who caused over  $1,000 in damage,  lied about it, and when confronted with the evidence in-person offered me 5-stars to give them a good review if I would do likewise. I declined the offer and gave them 1-star and a thumbs down.  I now take reviews with a pinch of salt. I just make sure they know the rules and that there is oversight.  Of course it's easier for me because I live here, if I didn't I would think of coming up with some means of checking up on the property while they were there and definitely before they left and I would say I live nearby.

[Barry145]

Okay, so it comes as no surprise that the place was left a mess, lights on, cigarette butts and an empty bottle of vodka at the back door, blood/make-up stains on bedsheets etc so have no option now than to only accept instant bookings from recommended guests.  Airbnb would rather I didn't tick that option but given the alternative their policy currently offers I have little choice.

[John1080]

@Barry145, I would check the boxes requiring new, unconfirmed guests to make a request rather than using IB. I don't believe the statistic that this puts off new guests, just as I don't use Airbnb's smart pricing, which has proven to be completely unrealistic. 

[Barry145]

Cheers John.  That's what I've done so it will be interesting to see how much difference it makes.  I was tempted to implement a two-night minimum stay to weed out those on a one-night fun mission but have opted instead to hike the cleaning fee to make it worth the potential grief.

[John1080]

@Barry145, I think it's wise to have a bit more control over who can instant book, as you've done. I personally do a minimum of two nights on the weekend and three during the week, but I also host remotely, so have to pay cleaners to clean, which can really eat into the profit. 

There has also been an ongoing debate in other threads about cleaning fees, and many hosts seem to have had the experience that if the cleaning fee is too high, guests won't even pick up after themselves at all. There seems to be an optimal cleaning fee which each of us has to kind of figure out on our own. I have set mine at $50, but that doesn't cover my cleaning costs, which are about $100-$120 per group. 

Good luck! 

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

@Barry145 So they ended up staying with you???

Abnb did not help???  Thats just crazy..!

I would have handled the situation like this:

"...I just recognized that after I rejected your 1st  booking,

you took a 2nd attempt to stay with us.

If this 2nd booking was NOT a mistake or system error,

I assume it was just ignorance on your part and even underlined my

previous decision to NOT take you in.

You will be not able to check in on xx/xx/2018.

I put you officially in notice:  Every attempt to get on my property will be handled as trespassing.

Please ask Airbnb to assist with your cancelation.

Thanks for understanding!..."

Also feel free to look into my "house rules".

I am a big supporter of very strict and on-point rules.

This will scare away the "crazy-ones"  BEFORE booking 😉

Prevention is the key...

[Barry145]

Thanks for your input.  You have a seriously comprehensive list of house rules that's for sure!  I'm don't think that much autocracy would work here but I might try a few of them.  I couldn't get away banning locals from staying for example but interesting that it's often those ones causing the bother!