cancellation

Answered!
Gloria37
Level 3
Neils Harbour, Canada

cancellation

 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.

1 Best Answer
Martha51
Level 2
Chicago, IL

Yep, sounds like she goofed with poor planning and was looking for an excuse to get out of the reservation. Feeling bad for ya! You could just put in a review that says their stay was incomplete, but that they were clean, obeyed your rules, etc. Keep it neutral

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11 Replies 11
Martha51
Level 2
Chicago, IL

Yep, sounds like she goofed with poor planning and was looking for an excuse to get out of the reservation. Feeling bad for ya! You could just put in a review that says their stay was incomplete, but that they were clean, obeyed your rules, etc. Keep it neutral

Yes, that is what Im thinking as well. The purpose of the review is to help other hosts evaluate a potential guest. I believe most hosts can read between the lines of a neutral review and make a decision .

Thanks Martha 

To add a side note to Martha's comment, leave a private comment to AirBNB as well, explaining the situation. I was told by AirBNB home office that this helps them with documentation, should a particular guest complain about a host, or if the guest has a history of problems from other reservations. Hoping this helps! Sheila

good advice

 

Charlotta0
Level 1
New York, NY

When I realize a guest and I don't see eye to eye - I generally offer that we both don't leave each other a review. I caught some smokers (my place is strictly non smoking) and they were not happy about the penalty. After they paid I said - I think it's best we both don't leave a review. I think that works best - at least it does for me (some peops can't be pleased)

Yes, Im beginning to see that some cant be pleased and I try not to take it as a reflection on me or my listing. Many , many good reviews outbalance the occasional bad one for most reasonable people. Thanks. 🙂

I would fight it out. I had a couple who had everything explained to them by e-mail and phone. When they arrived, they stayed 30 minutes and the left without calling me about their imagined problems. I found out later that they had also cancelled after 1 night the place before mine. My desciption in Airbnb is very precise as it is a cabin in the jungle. They said that they had read it and I again cobfirmed all of the information by emai. When they cancelled during high season, they wanted all of their money bak. I told them that it would not happen. They went to Airbnb arbitration, which after over a month sided with me. In life there are just some people who compain about everything. Until them I only had 5 star reviews for the past two years. Keeping everythin in messages heps alot. Fight for your rights. If they give you a bad review, explain it, but get the money that they owe you. This is a business...

 

And speaking of that.....watch out for a young couple from Miami, Elina and Oscar. These people cannot be pleased. They set my overnight thermostat to 70 because they always sleep in 70 degres. What a mess. Although I was painfully polite they nailed me on a review with many lies. Fortunately, I saw the trouble coming and documented everything. Airbnb took the review down less than 24 hours after she put it up..........because I had documentation....so beware of this couple and always document if you smell trouble - this was their second stay with Airbnb and they believe one of their entitlements is to regulate the house temperature to 70 whereever they stay because (according to them) this is expected! So much knowledge for newbies. Don't host them!

Juley0
Level 3
Danville, CA

I think your instincts are probably right about why they wanted to cancel, since it doesn't sound like good enough reason, unless you have no heating there. Fireplaces are nice, but that's not a reason by itself to cancel.

 

I'm not surprised they made the assumption though, I would do the same thing if the fireplace shows in the photo. Can you take a photo of the room from other angles to avoid showing the fireplace? Otherwise, I think it would be a good idea to state on your listing that the fireplace does not function. Even though you don't list the fireplace as an amenity, most guests won't even think to compare the list once they have seen the photo because in their minds there is a fireplace so of course it works!

 

Ultimately it is up to you & how you feel, if it is worth the fight. It would definitely irk me, but you are asking for the reasons after already agreeing to the cancellation? It may be a little late to change course now, I don't know for certain as I have not had this particular experience.

Donna271
Level 2
New Jersey, United States

I think the advice to state “non working fireplace “ is good. Put a potted plant in it for pictures. Looks pretty and shows it doesnt work