Air BnB Bias towards Guests

[Helen44]

Hello ,

I am in negotiations at the moment with airbnb.

I am an absentee host and I  feel  I have really been taken advantage of.

I have a guest in my apartment at the moment who from day one has tried every trick in the book to get a free stay. Air bnb are now saying they are going to refund this guest about half his booking . He was due to stay almost a month  and has four days left . He arrived a day late and  immediately asked for a refund for the day he didnt turn up.

Airbnb suggested I do this as a gesture of good will .

The first day he was there he complained that the place smelt of mildew, mold and was musty he wanted his money back and wanted to cancell the reservation. 

Part of the place was painted in September and the rest painted just before Christmas, they arrived on the 19th January.

I asked my cleaning lady to check if it smelt.  She said the staircase (outside the apartment) smelt of paint and the apartment smelt of nothing.

Air bnb told them they could not cancel the reservation on that basis....so  they then said they had managed to trace the smell to a packet of tumerric in the cupboard!!!!  I leave spices and various other things for my guests to use....he threw them out.

I have since done a smell test and maybe my nose isnt very good but I can only smell my packet of tumerric when Im about five inches away from it. My place is a big old French villa , three stories high with a big staircase and thick walls. I really dont think anyone could smell tumerric or any other spice walking into the apartment, let alone walking up the stairs!

 The guests then decided, a few days later that the place "was not clean enough and did not meet his or airbnb standards"   What are air bnb standards?  They vary enormously from five star hotels to sleeping in someons bedroon complete with all their clothes , toiletries in situ.

I asked him to send photos...he said he had "destroyed the evidence" because they had spend two hours"scrubbing the kitchen" 

He did however take a photo of a light he didnt think was suitable ...it belongs to my neighbour!  Also a picture of a spider web....very faint found on top of a wardrobe. He would have needed a chair to even see it.

He then insisted I send the cleaner around and he "would direct her" to clean the bathroom and the floors. 

I sent my cleaner to see him and she explained that she had spent three and a half hours cleaning it . These are only the second people to have stayed in the apartment . It had been painted and cleaned from top to bottom.   They agreed that the cleaner had cleaned but still wanted a deep clean done before their children joined them half way through the booking.  I said they would have to pay for that....they then decided not to go ahead with it.

It goes on and on and I wont bore you with all the details but nearly every day there was a fresh complaint. 

The best one though was their complaint that the washing machine didnt work....after giving them very  precise  written details about where to find the key to the laundry and where the laundry was  and how to use the machine ...(he had to unlock two doors , turning left from the room where the keys were ) they failed to find the keys ( or so they say)  They instead found an open room in the opposite direction to where they should have gone,  which is the store room , with no light in it and two old washing machines that dont work. ........They didnt tell me he hadnt found the key instead they  complained that the machine didnt work.  All these complaints were sent to airbnb as well. 

I sent an electrician around , giving him the same instructions about where to find the key etc...and he said the machine worked ... again they complained it didnt ...this went on for four visits by the electrician until on the last visit the electrician  found  the guest and took him down to the laundry and showed him the machine was working....!  All he said was that he hadnt come into this room!!! 

Four electrician bills later . You would think he might have appologised , but instead  he sent me an email telling me that the place was not up to airbnb standards and suggested ways I could improve it ...one was to get rid of my  " personal nick nacks" !!!   these he said " added nothing in terms of comfort or character"  !! 

This is my home , it is advertised as my home It is a modern style beautiful apartment with one or to lovely things in it . The photos are very clear and show exactly what the place is like!!! 

Why did he book it if he wanted to stay in a sterile box. 

This same guest had also complained that the internet didnt work...another electricians bill  only to discover that it was working...

All through this airbnb has been involved.

I have spoken to the same person throughout,  who up until now , I had thought was very supportive and fair. He told me over the phone that he sympathised with me and understood my frustrations.

He agreed that sometimes you do get guests who try to get discounts. 

Now however five days before the end of their booking I had a message to say his wife had been scalded by a cup of tea because the bottom had fallen out of a cup..

I asked for photos of the cup and the scald...funnily enough there was no photo of the scald, only that of a broken cup. They said  the cup had been broken and glued back together. They sent a photo with the two broken bits with something on the pieces that could have been glue...could have been anything !!! 

I know there was not a broken, glued together cup in the cupboard.

Air bnb said for the second time     ( first time was when " the washing machine didnt work" ? ?  ) that they would terminate the booking... I agreed , I had had enough.  BUT   today I had an email from air bnb saying they are going to deduct aproximately half the cost of the booking.

They were giving them a refund for the days they arent going to be there..

They added in a bill for cleaning?

They charged me for the bills the guests had incured because they had taken their washing to a laundry          ( because they hadnt found the keys and the laundry and instead had been trying to use an old broken washing machine in an old store room....) 

Throught their stay these guests have had one valid complaint. The TV didnt work. I have tried to resolve this and bought a new TV  They were able to use the TV by connecting their lap top to it but it wouldnt work with the cable.

I have had the electrician arround countless times trying in vain to fix it . In the end it was a problem with Orange , they need to send me a new code..which they are doing .

In order to get the code the electrician has had to break my letterbox, becauser I am in the UK and have the key( more expense)

The code should have arrived today , so hopefully then it will now work

However my guests  also complained that they had to go to a bar to watch the rugby,  "incurring further expense"  !!!    As it turns out I think they would have had to go to a bar to watch the rugby anyway because I dont have sky TV.   I just have French TV with the odd English channels. I dont advertise that I have sky!!

I am happy to give them the  20%  discount for the TV not working fully,  airbnb say I must give this for anything that is promised but is not working.

However I dont think it is fair that I have to reimburse them for anything else....

I know this is a terribly long drawn out email but its been a terribly long drawn out afair!

I would appreciate other peoples views on this . 

Has anyone else found that airbnb support the guest over the host. 

Has anyone else had examples of guests trying to get unfair discounts?

I feel this whole thing has been very unfair.

They had the place at a hugh discount becaise I offered a discount to the first few people that booked . 

I have another apartment in the same building and have been with airbnb  and booking .com for three years. I have never come across anyone as bad as this . 

The instructions I give for the laundry are the same instructions I have given to hundreds of guests from all over the world , some who speak no English . I guess they have managed to google translate but still find the keys and the laundry and use the correct machine!!!

This man is English, and says he is a pilot!!!   I would have thought he should have been able to find the machine .

I feel it is so obvious that all he is doing is trying to get his money back and now airbnb are playing his game.

Please let me know if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Thank you 

Helen

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Helen44

you were way too patient with them, I would offer them to cancel the minute they start complaining.... or would strangle them the next day 😄

Here is the main reason for all your trouble: ",,,,They had the place at a huge discount because I offered a discount to the first few people that booked,,,,"

[Helen44]

Thanks for your reply. Yes I think I am far to patient and your soultions sound pretty good The discount was of course airbnb s idea.... I need to toughen up a bit I think .

[Mark116]

@Helen44Wow.  I would put in a claim to charge them for the electrician visits since this was 'user error' and the washing machine worked the entire time, the guest failed to follow directions.  I would also dispute that you should pay for the cost of their laundry when again, the machines worked, its not your fault they can't follow directions.

I would consider only renting out the place for a max of 2 weeks.

This is very typical of airbnb in terms of being guest friendly, according to my experience.

[Helen44]

Hi Mark , thanks for your reply. I did say to airbnb that I would send in my electricians bill and they said to me " we re not talking about the electricians bill" ... well actually I was , then they went off line.

It is good to have a bit of support and to hear that I am not being unreasonable.  . I feel there is not much I can do . They hold the cards and they can just deduct the money from my next guests payment.

There must be some way of complaining . I think you re right about max two weeks too . Thanks

[Susie111]

@Helen44

I am so sorry this happend to you!

It just proves that some people does not belong in a home sharing community. And some people are just cheapskate.

@Branka-and-Silvia0are right, if it happens again cut these type of guests loose - never try to negoitiate with

guests like these.

Just be polite and wish them a happy travels!

And make sure to write a review to alert other hosts about these guests.

[Helen44]

Hi Susie, You are so right . Airbnb just isnt for some people. These people needed a five star hotel with chambermaid service...or indeed they should just stay at home. Air bnb started off as a home sharing thing . The standards vary enormously but you can often get a good idea of what you re getting from the photos and what the host writes. I state that it is my home...therefore it is decorated as I like it . That is part of the charm of airbnb that you are experiencing so many different homes....so often very different to your own. If you want standardised accomodation go to a hotel.

I dont think I have ever written a bad review but this one is going to be very honest !

Thanks for your comments

[Mark116]

@Helen44 Yes, the guest is almost certainly going to leave a terrible review, which you will want to respond to carefully, professionally and with no emotion so future guests will get the sense of which one of you is the jerk.  But, yeah, I would give this guest the review that they deserve, but same goes there, no emotion, list the facts of their unrealistic demands and so forth.  Good luck.  We don't take guests for more than a month, but have found that people staying even three weeks is a very different dynamic, and that the longer the stay, the more time for problems to develop, people staying for a few days usually don't  have time or the inclination to complain nonstop.  

[Linda108]

@Helen44  I do not blame Air BNB in these cases.  I realize that sometimes we get a loser guest.  Recently I hosted a couple of men who did not read my listing correctly and thought they were getting 2 rooms for the price of a single room.  When I realized that, I contacted Air BNB to allow them to cancel and relocate to another listing.  I knew I was not going to meet their expectations.  Air BNB could not do anything unless they agreed.  Soooooo, I got to spend 20 days with these jerks and got a low rating and review for all my efforts.  It happens.

Lessons learned:  Limited booking duration to 7 days.  Confirm expectations in initial welcome message. Bought a white noise machine because one of the guests snored really loudly!

Not happy about their review.  Not happy about losing Super Host Status after 3 years.  Still, I do not see this as the responsibility of Air BNB to protect me from this type of guest.

Still guests who read my reviews realize that they are outliers given all the great reviews.  Still want to have the Super Host badge, but in reality, I know what I provide and apparently so do potential guests.

[Barbara814]

I have just had a unit suspended because of a complaint from a guest who spent his time complaining to the other guests about the noise of some of the other guests. They told him to speak to me but he said he didn't want to upset me. He told them he had another way to sort it out. I was at a show and came back as soon as  the guests phoned me. There was no noise and his light was out. It was only about 21h30 in the evening. He had also complained to the other guests about the noise at 03H00 in the morning. I had checked the parking and the area at midnight and all the guests were in and all the lights were out. When he left he thanked us for a lovely stay! He then wrote a bad review. Complaining about the noise and a missing plug and rusty cooking equipment. The plug was there and the only thing that he could have said was rusty were the braai tongs and they had changed colour at the ends due to the heat of the braai ing but they were certainly not rusty. Why didn't he ask me for another plug?
I have sent my hosts comments to airbnb and they have totally ignored them. Afer they suspended my unit I wrote again and have had no reply nothing. 

It seems to me that Airbnb are always on the side of the guest no matter what.

I am allowed to go back on after 6 days providing they are happy with the checks and I am up to their standards. What checks and what standards? Nobody checked anything when I joined a few years ago.

[Huma0]

@Helen44 

Sorry to hear about your experience. These guests sound like a nightmare. So, how did this work out? Did you leave a review and did the guests review you? Did Airbnb refund them half the stay? If I was you, I would be fighting this decision all the way. Maybe you should try Airbnb's social media. I have never tried it myself, but have heard some hosts have had success with the Twitter team.

If the guests felt the place smelt and was unclean, why did they stay the whole month? The fact that they then claimed the smell of mould and mildew was coming from a packet of tumeric clearly shows that the complaint was nonsense, on top of which they couldn't provide photos to prove any of their allegations. You did everything you could, including sending your cleaner back.

The most ridiculous thing about this is the washing machine saga. Yes, you should be the one charging the guests for electrician's bills encurred because they wouldn't follow the instructions provided. For you to be charged for their laundry is outrageous.

Okay, so the television not working is a valid complaint, but to refund a guest for half a month's stay for that is not fair. The mug incident might have happened too. I know you would not have glued together a broken cup and put it back in the cupboard, but a previous guest might have (some people are rather cowardly when it comes to admitting they've broken something). It does sound more likely that your guests made this up though given the rest of their nonsense.