Unreasonable refund request

[Sarah2356]

Hi folks, would appreciate advice on the situation below. 

Last weekend, I had a guest booked in my home for two nights. We had pleasant communication leading up to the visit, and I was surprised at the time of check in to get a notification saying he had canceled the reservation. I messaged him to confirm and ask why. He said the he was “sketched out” by my neighborhood (which is very urban and predominantly African American) and didn’t want to park his convertible on the street. He left without ever entering the house. 

Now, this guest is requesting a refund. My listing states openly that our neighborhood is NOT gentrified and that parking is on the street in front of the house. My listing is honest. Our street is also safe - we live here with two little kids and I wouldn’t be hosting if I thought safety was a problem. I’m pretty sure I know what happened here, and I don’t think a refund is in order. 

I’d appreciate the advice of the community though. 

Thanks,

Sarah

[Emiel1]

@Sarah2356 

"I’m pretty sure I know what happened here"

So, what happened ?

I think the guest should contact Airbnb if wanting a refund. The cancellation policy ("moderate") does not give a refund. It seems the guest feels unsecure/uncomfortable about the neighbourhood. But it is clearly described in your listing what to expect.

Best regards,

Emiel

[Sarah2356]

Thanks so much for your response, @Emiel1 . 

In the end, I guess it doesn't matter why the guest felt uncomfortable or unsafe, the result is the same - choosing not to stay in my home. But his request for a refund stated "sketchy, unsafe area" as the reason, and this is a snap judgment made without even getting out of the car. The only thing I can imagine giving someone the impression of "sketchiness" or a lack of safety on my block in the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon is noticing that the residents are all people of color. Folks on my block just sit on their porches and relax on a weekend afternoon. There's never even anyone hanging out on the corner. Yes, there are a few empty, overgrown lots around, and some buildings that are in the process of being renovated, but it's a pretty quiet block. 

What I think happened is that someone had a reaction based on racial bias, and this upsets me. It's beside the point in figuring out whether or not I'm repsonsible for giving the refund, which is really what I'm asking, but it does make me feel sad and angry. 

Thanks again for the advice. 

[Mark116]

@Sarah2356  Not everyone feels safe in an urban, non gentrified enviroment, with empty overgrown lots around.  It seems unfair to jump to any conclusions beyond what the guest told you, he didn't feel safe in the neighborhood.  Since you state that your neighborhood is not gentrified in the listing, I would not be inclined to give a refund, it's up the guest to do his/her own research and as long as the listing is accurate, if they didn't like their choice, that's on them.

[Lisa723]

@Mark116 the problem with your "seems unfair" statement is that it's rarely possible in any individual instance to know what someone's motivation is but when there is an endemic pattern of such instances it is fair to believe that something must be going on. Obviously the guest is not going to say (or, maybe, even consciously think) "wow nobody here is white so I'm in danger." Asking people on the business end of entrenched societal bias every day of their lives to give the people of the color doling it out the benefit of the doubt is a big ask-- it is basically asking them to dismiss their own experience, IMO.

Do you think it is more unfair for @Sarah2356 to feel feel upset than for her guest to dismiss her neighborhood and run away without even getting out of the car? I don't.

[Mark116]

@Lisa723  Well, if we can't know, then why assume the worst?  Our neighborhood is racially and ethnically diverse, urban and not really gentrified.  A lot of our guests ask us if it's safe, and if it is safe to walk around at night, etc.  I never take offense or impute the absolute worst motivations to them.  I just answer them that it's safe but since it's urban you must still be watchful.

I wouldn't stay somewhere that I felt unsafe, so I'm not going to judge someone for leaving an area where they say they don't feel safe, even if my idea and their idea may be different, but everyone has their own ways of handling things.  

[Sarah2356]

I just want to be real clear about my own identity in all of this, @Lisa723 and @Mark116. As you can tell from my profile pic, I myself am white and not in any way at the receiving end of personal or systemic racial bias. 

I get that the feeling of safety and security or lack thereof is real and individual and informed by our own experiences. I don’t blame anyone for making a decision when traveling to make themselves feel safer. I can imagine doing it myself. But it’s also important to recognize when implicit bias affects our choices, take responsibility for that, and not demand instead that the world accommodate and enable our bias. 

I am jumping to conclusions, that’s true. I also decided I’m not going to profit off of making the point that another white person got things wrong. I’ll donate an equivalent amount of money to a community organization in my neighborhood. 

 Thanks again  

[Lisa723]

@Sarah2356 ugh. Usually my stance is that if the guest is unhappy for whatever ridiculous reason I refund for unused nights. In this case I don't think I would, though. That does sound incredibly upsetting, as well as sad for the guest who spurned an opportunity to widen his worldview.

[Sarah2356]

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback, @Mark116 and @Lisa723. This is really helpful. 

[Patricia2183]

Unreasonable guest and refund request.

All of our guests have been wonderful. But, I finally got one that has lied about his stay. He had six guests in a luxury town hours for four nights for around $750 plus $150 cleaning fee. He never contacted me about any problems but as soon as they left he requested $500 back. He said the place was clean and beautiful. When I refused he escalated the request and I have been corresponding with them for almost a month about why he should not get a refund. He also built up a bunch of lies after the fact. I went in and checked on everything he said. I also had another group coming in. Everything worked fine. The next guests gave a great review.

However, today I was informed that they were refunding $100 to Max Hiddlesdorf anyway.

I am seriously disturbed about this outcome because he did not adhere to any of the requirements for getting a refund which is here: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/544/what-is-airbnbs-guest-refund-policy-for-homes

Be careful Hosts! I don’t know what I could have done to prevent this. Oh, also I have a bad review.