APOLOGIES TO 'GUESTS' READING THESE FORUMS

[Dee9]

Many people come to these forums for advice or to share information and I have personally LEARNED ALOT from them.  And to those I say THANK YOU many times over.

It seems at least 50% of hosts come on here to complain tho, with no purpose other than to vent. Why they put it on a public site where potential guests also have access to is beyond me. Maybe guests are learning how to be 'good guests' from these posts, or maybe they are simply getting turned off and noting which homes (and which angry hosts) they are sure to stay clear from.

Is hosting a perfect job? Absolutely not. If i didnt need the money would i do it? No, I wouldnt. But it is still a paying JOB and I (we) need to recognize it as one. Jobs are WORK. Jobs interfere with our personal lives. Jobs are often not enjoyable. Jobs give us many reasons to want to quit.

So? Either quit or suck it up and get over it. Stop sweating the small stuff (and theres some REALLY SMALL STUFF on these forums!) Remember that guests have access to these forums too. If you need to complain (as we all do) tell your mother, your husband, your best friend then post something CONSTRUCTIVE here.

And by all means if your issue needs immediate attention CONTACT AIRBNB, as responses here are not instantaneous and should never be considered official resolutions.

If youre attracting unwanted guests, try re-wording your ad. If theyre consistently ruining your 'expensive' bedding, use cheaper bedding! If they are arriving at unwanted times, narrow your check in window. Are the cons outweighing the pros? Consider deactivating your listing.

Maybe it is better to be PR0-active rather than RE-active? You decide.

Guests are people too. Happy hosting!

[Helen3]

Lovely post @Jennifer178.

As I said it is the nature of discussion forums that people will come here when they have a problem that needs solving, or as a new host because they have problems setting up their listing. They also come here frustrated because Airbnb seem to make an art of hiding ways to contact them 🙂

I think you are right and I know Kirstie and the other mods do try and celebrate success and move discussions in another direction.

For all its faults it is a great resource for many hosts in times of need and for that I am grateful.

[Lizzie]

Thanks @Jennifer178 and @Helen3 for sharing your thoughts as well here, it is really good to hear.

Jennifer I hope you are feeling a little better. Take it easy. 🙂

[Ana309]

Hi @Lizzie, @Diane, @Helen, @Huma, @Jess21, @Jennifer178, great discussion! Please keep sharing the not-so-positive experinces too.  As a relatively new host, I've learned so much from them.  Thank you all. Ana

[James1348]

I have been a guest at many Airbnbs and am very supportive of both the company and the hosts I have interacted with. But last year I had a bad experience (the first and only) so I’m writing to get advice from the community. My wife and I booked an Airbnb in Honolulu for eight days. The host was very helpful before our arrival, even letting us add an extra day when our flight home changed, and met us after 11pm to provide access to the unit. The unit was hot and our host turned on the portable AC/ swamp cooler in the unit. But soon after the host left the AC stopped working. By phone the host instructed me how to fix it, but since that involved lifting the large unit or emptying water directly on the floor inside I declined to do anything. The next morning when the host informed me it would not be fixed, and being unwilling to spend a week in a very hot room I asked to cancel the reservation. The host said I could cancel, but it was too late to get our money back. I contacted Airbnb at the host’s suggestion and cancelled, thinking that Airbnb would not charge me eight days when we stayed only one night. But they did. Their explanation rested on two facts. 1. The hosts cancellation policy only allowed refunds if the booking was cancelled in advance. 2. The AC that was listed on the host’s Airbnb page was NOT listed under Amenities. As a consumer I believe, despite the host’s preconditions, that we should only pay for the night we stayed because the unit was not habitable.

Please give me feedback and/or advice.

Thank you

[Helen3]

@James1348 you have post in the middle of someone else's thread.

If you want responses to your query, you should start your own post, where it will be more visible.

At the end of the day, you cancelled knowing the host had already told you it was too late to get your money back.

What I don't understand is when you say 'I cancelled, thinking that Airbnb would not charge me eight days when we stayed only one night'. Why did you think that  - when the host already clearly told you it was too late for a refund.

Should the host have fixed the air con when it broke - absolutely. Should it matter if it is shown in the listing rather than as an amenity? No it shouldn't.

But the bottom line is you chose to cancel after being told you wouldn't get a refund, but then seem to be suprised you weren't refunded.  Why would you do that?

[Sandra126]

@Dee9, if all we ever had here was the pleasant side of hosting it would not be very interesting, it is the conflict and the hopeful resolution thereof which makes it. Of course we have positive stuff too, much of it driven by the moderators who think up good useful and fun topics for us. I also have nobody to talk to about my accommodation issues. We have no colleagues, we are spread across the globe. We are many but we are isolated. The CC is the staffroom where we gather with a cup in hand and the latest goss.

@Lizzie, can you please move James's post to a spot where it will get noticed as it is in here by accident I think?

[Holly323]

I would like to know your thoughts on a host who posted a vile and completely false review of me, when the entire stay he was nice and said he would love to meet me? He publicly accused me of disgusting and hateful things, I have posted a response but Airbnb won't remove it, and they've never even asked for my proof.