I had two guests check in to my house last evening for the first night of a 4 night reservation. Shortly after arrival the AIRBNB member ( since 2014) messaged : can you ell me about the tv? We are very disappointed that the fireplace does not work as it ws the main feature we wanted when we booked.
I replied and asked her what she needed to know about the tv and told her that the tv in front was the working set and that the lamp in the larger one had just burned out and I was waiting for a replacement. ( We live in a rural area and nearest place to replace lamp or tv would be 170 km. )
I also told her that the fireplace was not listed in my amenities.
She replied and said it took them some time to figure out that the remote did not control the power off/on for the tv. She also said, "But the fireplace was in the pictures." and she is correct because it is across one end of the living room.
I offered that she could cancel that night or next day if she wished. She replied that she would stay the night and "see" in the morning. So anyway this morning she messaged and wished to stay again tonight and cancel the last 2 nights and in course of conversation asked if I would cancel for her as "the internet was very weak" at the house. It isnt. Before i had time to message and refuse to do the cancellatio she messagd to say her daughter had been able to do it. i did message to explain for her future reference that it is not feasible for hosts to cancel a reservation because of penalties.
After agreeing to the cancellation upon her first message this morning I had asked her to elaborate more on why the `cabin`` ( its a 3 bedroom bungalow as pictures clearly show) was not what she expected as her message this morning said she wished to cancel because although the cabin was comfortable it wàsnt what they expected.
I did message to say I had accepted the cancellation request through AIRBNB and offered to pay her for firewood she may have purchased in anticipation of using the fireplace. I`ve had no reply on that and no further explanation of her expectations other than the fireplace thing.
Oh she did say she would give me a good review if I agreed on the cancellation. Actually i wouldnt have a choice because my cancellation policy is flexible. I am wondering what I should do regarding a review for this guest. I firmly believe that she made an error in planning or not planning actually her ``adventure``. They are travelling the Cabot Trail which is a loop. I expect they have booked 2 more days farther along on the other side of the Island which a little research and planning would indicate is the preferable thing to do. i believe they realize this now after the fact of booking. Anyone can make a mistake but Im a bit resentful of being asked to take the consequencs for their lack of planning. This is getting far too long i know but i need to mention too that she messaged me beforehand..about 3 days prior to arrival, and asked if there were any special directions to the house. i replied at length and asked which direction they were travelling the Trail and went on to give them instructions to approach from either directon. Her response was.. ``thanks for driving directions. We dont know which way we are going. It`s an adventure!
I have agreed to refund but I am convincd she isnt being forthright about the cancellation and she hasnt really offered me feedback on why other than the fireplace wich is NOT listed as an amenity but she assumed it was. My message on accepting a reservation always states please contact me if you have any questions regarding the house or the area and i always reply.
have I handled this correctly and what do you suggest as a reviwÉÉ Thanks for allowing me to vent.