Airbnb needs to restrict the right to book when breaches made. Need for local host networking.

Meg12
Level 3
Eugene, OR

Airbnb needs to restrict the right to book when breaches made. Need for local host networking.

Recently I had a couple stay with me for a couple of days. On the morning of the last day she texted to ask for the check out time. I responded 11am. Eleven came and went. When I went down to check-in the husband told me his wife was cleaning up the unit and they would leave soon. (When I walked in she had been kind of manically scurrying around and walked out of the bathroom with the bedspread in her hands.) Four hours later they finally left (but first she rushed up to my cleaning woman, shoved a damp tissue in her hand and shreaked about a spider.) When I went into the unit over 20 things had been taken and  everything had been moved around with no seeming purpose. They had said that they hadn't slept in the sheets but had put their own bedding on top... when I checked there was a sharpee pen in the messed up sheets that were covered in crumbs. The place was filthy and in total disarray.

This woman was either on meth or she was emotionally disturbed. After leaving with their car stuffed with 10 rolls of toilet paper, towels, a blanket and well over a dozen other things, she wrote me a text saying how much she enjoyed meeting me and how she would love to be my housekeeper and to get together for lunch and talk about all the things we have in common.

This couple is local (Eugene, Oregon.) I have not felt comfortable to do a resolution claim because they can easily come back here and make me regret it. Not only that, but filing is a detailed arduous process and it was right before christmas. Unfortunately, when I wrote their review I didn't check my work and I used the wrong pronoun which confused the message: I said "if you don't mind someone leaving four hours late and packing a lot of your stuff in your car (I meant their car) these are the guests for you. The rule that does not allow editing after 48 hours is not helpful in a case like this!!

My primary concern is that these people be barred from airbnb. I was told to flag them, which I have done. If you look at their reviews there are repeated cases of their leaving quite late and disrespecting their hosts. I have allowed auto-booking. If they will not barr people after repeated offenses, auto book is a joke. Airbnb needs to take more responsiblity in this case! This is a mental health issue we are dealing with here. 

12 Replies 12
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

If the reviews were negative, @Meg12, I am wondering why you acccepted them as guests.  As you know, you can cancel even if they used IB without penalty if you think they would be problematic.   

 

So frustating for you to have guests in such a state of disarray to say the least.

Thank you Linda. What I had understood was that if I cancel a guest’s reservation that I could lose my super host status, so this feedback is very helpful, thank you. 

It's an assumption I had known that Linda. Now I do and am glad to have gotten that out of this posting.

Yes - Airbnb should block them but it's your place and your responsibility to look at their reviews first. I insist people who are first-timers talk to me before booking. IB allows you to cancel if you're not comfortable. That is the host responsibility. Unfortunately, you're learning the hard way that you have to  start billing your guests for theft (as well as filing a police report).

1. If you SEE your stuff in their car take pictures then send them to Airbnb. Also message the guest with those same photos so Airbnb sees the complaint and the time stamp..

2. Call the police right away while they are still on your property. Have them arrested.
3. Four hours? They needed to be gone after a half hour. Again - Airbnb can't enforce this - YOU have to do it.
4. Bad reviews are important because they warn other hosts. I think Airbnb should ban them, but they can't do that if hosts won't report them and upload the evidence.  Either way - you should document the problem, file a police report, then ask for reimbursement in the resolution center. If they won't pay - then get Airbnb to use that "host guarantee."

Welcome to hotel management.

Part of being a business person is to not be taken advantage of. We've all been there, so this is not me being harsh. But it is saying that people love the good parts of Airbnb but are unprepared for the downsides. Screening and talking to prior hosts is a start.

 I appreciate your input, though a different tone would be nice, and would be more helpful. 

Often I do look at reviews first.  This time I didn’t.  I’m not sure what IB is.

I am not new to hosting, but this is the first time I’ve had an experience like this.

I saw that their car was packed with stuff but did not realize until they were gone that a bunch of it was mine, or of course I would have taken pictures and reported it to the police.

Luckily my next guest was not arriving until the evening therefore I have the flexibility to be spacious with these people. Of course having them leave late is not optimal! I thought I was dealing with a delicate situation and did not want to be confrontive because I did not know what kind of behavior would be the response

Regarding putting in a resolution report, when you have a mental illness issue and someone’s local, it can feel dangerous. 

 

I did not post this because I feel like a victim or because I felt like I need you to tell me how to do it. I think that the issue regarding taking away the privilege of Airbnb is an important one and it would be great if it was easier to network with other local hosts.

PS I did report them and pursued it with staff. And I gave them a terrible review…

PS. Part of the reason I went into detail here is because I hope that Eugene folks might hear what I’m saying and reach out. 

Christine, I think I was incredibly diplomatic in my response to you. My feedback would actually  be that if u want to be helpful and make a contribution, think about how u communicate. Harsh would not have been the word I would choose. I’ll leave it at that. 

@Meg12

 

Tone is hard to read in a post. I wasn’t being harsh, and I’m well known for posting my own struggles with difficult guests (luckily few, but enough to have taught me the hard way).

 

im not sure how I could have worded it differently. Glad you left a bad review to warn other hosts but I wonder if they continue because no one holds them financially accountable. Airbnb needs to remove them and that won’t gapoen if hosts don’t go after them for damages.

Thanks.

Rachel0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Meg12 I do feel sorry that you had such an awful time with these guests and I do agree that we should have the facility to edit a review if we have made a simple grammatical error which changes the context of that review. It is so easily done.

However, as an experienced Superhost with good reviews yourself, you should know that you must always read any reviews of a potential guest before agreeing to the booking.  As a SH with IB (Instant Book) you have the right to ask Airbnb to cancel a reservation without penalty to you, on the basis that you would not feel comfortable hosting them, and this is common knowledge.  It has been mentioned on this forum many times.  

I don't think @Christine615 was  harsh, I think she was realistic.  Part of being a successful host is realising that this is a business we are running from our homes, not a charity.  It is up to us to enforce the rules as past experience has proved that Airbnb aren't going to do it for us.  Also, hosting a "local" is usually not a good idea unless you know exactly why they need accommodation - again, there have been many posts on this forum on this subject.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your input Rachel. 

I haven't spent alot of time on this forum. I have been running my businesses and leading a busy life. I think I've been clear about my intention. Thank you all for your input. As I said, I didn't know I could say no after someone had booked with IB. Now I do. Thanks.

Zappa0
Level 10
Key West, FL

@Meg0 I was recently contacted by semi-local host about a scam a young couple was running on airbnb hosts. They had mentioned our name to her that they were headed to us next. We were able to call Airbnb and I didnt host them. Too much detail to explain all without hijacking the thread, but a better host network, host "meet ups" etc.. Would be great.

Meg12
Level 3
Eugene, OR

Thank you Zappa. I really appreciate hearing from you!