Just a quick vent ...

[Robin129]

I've had a nice first summer with ABB so far. I've been as busy as I wanted, while being able to work on outside projects like painting, getting a driveway poured, and small indoor projects. 

I know this is the sixth time since June I've had a guest tell me they are not arriving until an hour or more past my check in time. 

I have a tight window, from 2-6 pm. I am not obligated to explain why, but I often do. We get up at 5 every morning. I am even up by 5 on weekends. That means to get 8 hours of sleep we need to be asleep by 9 pm. Few people drop off immediately so we need to be in bed by 8-830. It takes a couple hours for the house, and dogs, to settle down once a guest arrives. That means 6:00 is the best time to cut off arrivals.

I have the time clearly stated in my listing. Yet I still get people trying to check in at 10 pm.

It is maddening! 

I always contact them a day or so before arrival and ask what time they hope to arrive. I like to be watching for them and welcome them as they get out of their car. THAT is when I find out whether they read the listing. Tomorrow's guest just told me she won't be here till around 7. (sigh) 

[Robin129]

@Marzena4 I don't give guests great reviews if they aren't great guests. I try to be gentle with my language, but I also try to be honest. I don't want to read glowing reviews about a potential guest only to find out she is actually a jerk and three other hosts knew it and "forgot."

I have noted on a guest's review that they failed to observe house rules and are better suited for a hotel. 

[Robin129]

@Huma0 I do not use instant book either. I do have a standard list of reminders I send to my guests before they arrive. I always ask if they have read the full listing, but the fact is people lie. The guest that prompted this vent stated clearly she read the listing. If that were correct why was she surprized when I told her I couldn't accept her late check-in?

Depending on how far in advance the reservation is, I send a note 14, 7, and 1 day before arrival. I ask if they have questions, if their plans have changed, and what time they plan to arrive. 

We can only do so much. There will always be exceptions. 

[Huma0]

@Robin129 yes you are right. Some people will lie about having read them, or simply say they agree to follow all of them when they actually think they'll just pick and choose which ones to abide by. It still helps to have that bit of ammunition to be able to say, "As per the house rules you agreed to..." They have explicity said they have read and will follow them, so they don't have much of an argument after that. If you have guests that are still determined to ignore your rules after that, you have to decide if it's worth taking further action.

It's more useful though for the guests who aren't liars, but rather just lazy or didn't think about it or forgot. It's a good reminder to them not only to read the rules, but that you take them seriously.

I decided recenty that I would send another message a couple of days before arrival asking any guests who booked a few weeks or more ago to re-read the rules before arrival. If they read them two months ago, they're not going to remember even half of them by now. It also helps again to reinforce that you are serious about guests abiding by your rules.

Another issue I found out about on the forums recently is that guests using the app can check the box re agreeing to the rules when the full list of rules hasn't even appeared on their screen. They may not realise there are more! I might need to start mentioning also to guests that if they are using the App to make sure they are viewing the whole set of rules.

I does seem like a ridiculous amount of effort and reminders just to get guests to behave decently!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Robin129

If check-in time is that important for you, then I think it would be one of the 1st things to double check with the guest to make sure they have READ the description and are aware of the rules. 

Personally, Henry and I are very flexible with check-in time so the only reason we ask is because someone has to be waiting at the entrance of our apartment complex to greet them. Many of our first-time visitors (our Korean friends) get lost and can't find the right elevator so we ALWAYS wait for our guest outside at the main gate and bring them in. 

In our case, we emphasize the "no unregistered guest" rule so this is one of the first things I ask potential guests and make sure they specifically say they understand and agree to respect my rules. This way, I don't have a guest saying at the last minute "I didn't know!" or "I don't remember reading that!" and expect me to make an exception. 

But I totally get your frustration about guests NOT READING  the description and house rules. (big sigh~!) When I get inquiries I usually ask a few direct questions and if it seems they did not read my rules properly, I either just decline or I send them my rules, line by line and act very picky and ask a lot of intruding questions. (So that the ones who were hoping to get away with breaking a few rules don't want to book with me. HA!) 

[Dionne2]

Oh I completely understand , I just vented too on another conversation. 

It can be tiring , this lack of understanding or common courtesty.

[Lyndsey2]

Ugh, I hear you!

I just had a guest ask to arrive early, and I said I would come home on my lunch break to greet them and show them the apartment. Apparently, they caught an earlier ferry, arrived an hour early, and just let themselves in without even bothering to let me know until they were already there. Not only do I feel violated, but it robbed me of my chance to water the flowers, to double-check the room, and also probably has my dog pretty upset (I would normally have brought him to work with me if I thought a guest was arriving when I wouldn't be home). 

It's the first time anyone has ever done that to me, and it surely isn't the end of the world, but boy does it have me fuming!

[Huma0]

@Lyndsey2, how did they let themselves in? What kind of entry system do you use? Like you, I want to be there before guests arrive, but there's no way they could just let themselves in to my place. I don't believe that keyless systems etc. are suitable unless you are renting out a self-contained apartment or house rather than rooms in your own home.

[Robin129]

@Lyndsey2 did they have the code to the door lock? How did they let themselves in?

My dogs are great with people once they are properly introduced. I don't give the code to people until after they have been introduced. That is another reason I don't do instant book and I am there when they arrive.

I don't blame you for being upset. I'm glad we can vent here, in relative obscurity. I've learned a LOT by just reading posts. 

[Lyndsey2]

Our airbnb apartment is separate from the house and I don't leave much of value in it when it's unoccupied, so I often leave the door unlocked if I'm going to be away before the guest arrives - just in case I get caught in traffic or have an emergency and don't make it back in time. Certainly, I could install a key box instead, and keep them from entering early, but that wouldn't have prevented these early arrivers from upsetting my dog, or me!

No matter the set-up, it's really a lack of communication or courtesy that makes us all so mad from time to time.

[Sharion0]

Here's a good one:). I have IB, I always send a message back asking for an app. time of arrival. I had a guest last week that booked a week in advance, I send the message what time should I expect you...no answer. 48 hours prior I again message asking what time should I expect you, I have to work and do errands...again no answer. 24 hours prior I try again, no response. So, I decide I am being held hostage in my own home, I cancel my errands and work from my home. At 6:30pm he finally responds with we will be arriving at 6:45...good to know, in 15 minutes... The thing is, I don't bother to respond ( I'm pretty fed up with him:). At 6:45 he messages me and tells me they will go out for dinner  and be arriving at 9pm. I respond one word...ok. At 9pm or so they show, I'm kinda cold...they leave very early am. The following day I review ( noting to future hosts to be aware of lack of communication:) and rate 1 star for communication. A day or two later I receive an email from Airbnb...the guest had trouble checking in and rated me 3 stars for check in...Are you kidding me! I called CS to give my side of the story ( luckily my messages asking for a time of arrival and no response are all on the message board), so letting me know he will show up in 15 minutes, I get a 3 star since I didn't drop everything to respond to his message when he finally got around to letting me know. lol, really all you can do is laugh at this sense of entitlement. He did give me 5 stars for everything else but mentioned in his public review he thought I ran my listing like a hotel. Not quite, he treated my home like a hotel with 24 hour check in...jeesh:) 

[Huma0]

@Sharion0, that sucks. I also have very little patience for those kinds of guests. I started a thread a while back about guests ignoring the check in time which you might want to take a look at: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/How-can-I-stop-guests-ignoring-the-check-in-time/m-p/304...

It's not the exact same problem, but there are some useful suggestions on there from other hosts.

[Sharion0]

@Huma0 I too have very little patience with the lack of response time as well, I'll take a look at your posting. 5 out of 7 of my last guests have been very difficult in terms of arrival time. I now have on my welcome message " Please update me with your app. time of arrival 72 hours prior. If I don't hear from you I can't guarantee anyone will be here to let you in". We'll see if that works:). I have a coded lock on my front door, but really don't like coming home and having strangers greet me in my house, much prefer to check them in myself:).

[Marzena4]

@Sharion0 Did CS do anything with that 3* review? I had a similar situation twice and I was wondering whether they tackle such issues at all.

[Sharion0]

@Marzena4 Hi Marzena, CS told me not to worry about. He said the overall rating was 5 stars so it wouldn't make any difference...I hope he is correct as I had him look over the message board with me:)

[Marzena4]

@Sharion0 They say it doesn't change much, and you miss SH status...

Maths is maths, so each review counts. But thanks everyone here for ranting about the guests - it only confirms that we should be strict (in making guests respect our rules and then leaving them due reviews) because airbnb will not step in to help much with it.