WI-FI complaints and dog issues

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Joni94
Level 2
British Columbia, Canada

WI-FI complaints and dog issues

Hello,

 I currently have a couple staying for two months. They did not ask, or tell me ahead of time that they would be moving their 55 inch smart Sony TV into the suite.  They’ve been streaming to the point where it’s using about 65% of my bandwidth which is affecting the speed of the Internet  for my entire home .

 They are now complaining that the speed of the Internet or connection issues (which I had none until they connected their TV) is not up to their “standards”.  They insisted that I contact the local Internet company, which I did but they cannot find any reason for this issue,  other than possibility of their TV using very high bandwidth. In my ad I do say “unlimited Wi-Fi for personal devices”  though I do not mention a guarantee any reliability or speed.  My own connectivity and speed of the Internet is being affected only since they arrived. I’ve asked all of my previous guests if they’d had any issues to which they replied, not.  I told the couple that if it turns out that this issue is directly related to their TV and streaming habits that I would have to disconnect access (to only their TV) as it is not a personal device.  Their reply was “that is not an option”,  and then advised me that Airbnb told them they would be entitled to a discount if this is not resolved.  I obviously do want my guests to be comfortable, especially for longer stays away from home, but I do not think this issue should be at my expense or my cost to upgrade or buy any sort of booster... if that would even solve the problem. 

Any advise please?

 

Also these guests have brought two large female dogs with them (which I do allow) however they have been using the backyard as their primary toilet and so my grass has been extremely degraded over this last month.  Is this something that I can claim for the damage deposit?

1 Best Answer
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Joni94  Something else. I would suggest that you word your listing description differently. I know you are just trying to show that you are hospitable and attentive to guests, but it reads as if you are inviting guests to be demanding and entitled, which may be part of the problem with these guests.

 

"...and have every possible comfort available for them. Whatever you need to make your stay that much better is just a phone call/text away.
Extra towels, bedding, blankets, wok, juicer machine, and an Xbox upon request.
If I have it, you are most welcome to use it."

 

Guests should not be led to expect to be catered to. They should expect only what is offered in your amenities list and nothing more. Simply saying that you are a phone call away if they need assistance with anything is plenty good enough. Good hospitality isn't the same as giving guests carte banche to ask for whatever they want. You can always let guests know when they arrive that you have extra blankets if they are cold, just to let you know, but things like towels and sheets should be changed out on whatever schedule you feel is reasonable, not just handed out because a guest uses a towel once and throws it in the floor.

 

And if you start loaning out expensive things like your juicer, don't be surprised if it comes back broken or unclean. 

 

If you get some long term guests who you really like who prove to be respectful and appreciative, there's nothing wrong with offering them something special, but don't put those sorts of expectations in your listing ad.

 

 

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21 Replies 21

@Joni94  I hear you.  You gave me food for thought. I think i will upgrade my internet. I actually had it lower during the pandemic now Ill boost it back up.

Louise0
Level 10
New South Wales, Australia

There's no correlation between bandwidth usage and screen size.   In short, it's nothing to do with the size of the TV.  Streaming Netflix etc doesn't use masses of bandwidth so I'd be wondering what it is exactly that they're doing.

John5097
Level 10
Charleston, SC

@Joni94 

From your info its hard to narrow down what the issue is, except that its unreasonable for guest to bring their own tv and expect it to stream perfectly. Some use 4k, and even with plenty of available bandwidth they can still buffer. I would be brief and remind them that you have allowed pets, might want to mention cleaning up, parking their vehicles and trailer, but that it would be impossible for you to troubleshoot a guest's streaming issues for a TV. I wouldn't get into too many specifics just as you said a TV isn't a personal device. It could be some other issue with the app they are tying to use or its too far from the router. However there isn't enough info, and may also be a good idea to update router, modem and bandwidth, but even then a guest can't bring their own TV and expect it to stream perfectly. I would be very brief, thank them, list how how you will continue to be very accommodating as possible, allowing their pets, trailer, etc, (might want to mention cleaning up after them or include that one in your rules) but it would be impossible to trouble shoot a guest own TV, as it could be any number of issues.   

Edit: If it were me, I would find out if increasing the bandwidth would help and try that. And communicate everything you have said in a polite way, and also set a boundry for expectations for their own TV as that would be out of host control, and could be some capability of the TV itself, and you are just set up to accomidate guest with portable devices, per the listing description.  

Joni94
Level 2
British Columbia, Canada

@John5097 

@Louise0 

thank you both I did contact tell us and we’ve come up with a temporary solution to split the modem or whatever into 2.4 and 5G. So far it seems to of helped but I’ll know more over the next few days.

I was told that depending on how many devices are connected at once, and how much bandwidth they’re each using at once will affect the speed of the Internet.

Time will tell... the only issue we’ve noticed is that older devices won’t connect to the 5G. So we’ve each had to accommodate to various devices as to which network we use.

thanks again for everyone’s help I really do appreciate it 🙏

@Joni94 

Sounds like progress! Geek squad to the rescue! 🙂 Starting to sound like the router I replaced. The newer ones can handle more devices and automatically select 2.4G or 5G depending on the specific device. 2.4 has longer range but 5 is faster. 

 

 

 

 

Joni94
Level 2
British Columbia, Canada

 Yeah and as it turns out a lot of the older devices have trouble connecting to 5G or it won’t even show up in the choice of network listed,  so I think it’s because my guests TV is over five years old and it would only connect to the 2.4...

Yep, must be an old one. The newer TVs can connect to 5G. For my rental I got a pretty good one for under $300. I still used a streaming stick. Sometimes it shows up at 2.4 G and sometimes 5G. 

 

My older router and modem worked fine for the first several months of Airbnb. I only had 10mbps. About once a month or so there would be a little buffering with my TV that is older. The new router and modem is flawless. You can also specify your internet speed in the amenities.