And just like that, all was well

[Steve2743]

You know, life's funny. Last night I was dealing with my worst guest in the year that I've been hosting, who cancelled their 4 night reservation after only one night, demanding a full refund, claiming that the place was filthy, and stunk of cigarette smoke. Today I received a last minute booking, and they're my best guest to date! They love the place so much that they insisted that I join them while they BBQed me an amazing meal of steak, lamb, and corn on the cob! And the only cleaning I had to do between them and the nightmare guest was the bed sheets & towels! If you're dealing with a nightmare guest, just remember that an amazing guest is just around the corner. 

That is all,

Steve

[Charles139]

I've had only a few like that in the two years I've been doing this and I can tell you that there are a few little does and don'ts when booking to look out for. It is usually the ones who want a cheaper price up front and the first thing they do when they get there is put on the white gloves. Best think to do is **bleep** it early by not allowing cheaper prices unless you can really tell what the motive is. It is all in the language. I had folks who use Motor homes all the time for travel and then they get to my boat and everything is wrong. They can't figure anything out. They trip breakers yet their nice. I made a mistake and forgot to check the coffee pot strainer and I guess that was my fault and triggered the whole week to a bad start. Funny you mention the next guest as my next several guest enjoyed the experience emensley. 

[Steve2743]

Yep, there's Definitely usually warning signs, and there was this time. Their first message was asking if the bed was comfy. I could tell by their tone that they would be the picky type, and and tried to divert them by saying that while most guests find the bed very comfortable, comfort is very subjective. What's comfortable for one person will leave another with a sore back in the morning, and if they're unsure, they might be better in a hotel. They instant-booked anyway, and funny enough, the bed is the only thing they didn't complain about. Next time I'll just say flat out that this place isn't the right fit for them, but unfortunately there's no way to prevent someone from instant-booking. 

[Annette-and-Phil0]

That's a great ending to a tough situation!

I need some advice:  we've got a booking request, but the

"English" and grammar is so poor and the questions she is

asking are so off the wall, it makes me wonder if this person is

even of legal age....new Airbnb user, obviously, because there is

no profile or reviews to check.

Can we decline for a 'funny feeling'?  The last 'guest' that I

didn't have the warm and fuzzies for at the time of booking

wound up calling our place

a 'dump' and accused us of all sorts of horrible things - they

never even went inside!   Of course they wanted and received

an immediate refund and a polite 'good luck.'

thanks, everyone!

[Linda108]

You can decline these guests as you please, @Annette-and-Phil0.  Just don't do it often.

[Helene114]

@Annette-and-Phil0, you don't actually have to decline them. If you just respond to them within the hour to keep your response rate up, you can let the request expire. It's a nice way to decline without penalty. The warning signs are there, trust your common sense. 

[Annette-and-Phil0]

Helene, thank you so much for your response!  I wasn't aware of that.  That helps.  

I did decline, got another request from her about what dates the home was available, and

asked her to please check the website for the most up to date availability and to complete

the Verified ID information if she hadn't already done so....

Haven't heard from her since!   

[Steve2743]

Always go with your gut feeling about guests! It's usually correct (you actually develop quite the instinct about people after doing this for a while). It's not as easy for people like me who have instant booking activated. I tried to divert them through my language, but in the end, you can't prevent someone from booking instantly (though it should be an option). 

That said, some of my best guests have had very poor english skills (or none at all), especially written. I could barely read the messages from the ones who cooked me dinner, but their spoken english was actually quite good. 

[Phanpaporn0]

I know everyone on Airbnb has those guests that never read past the headlines of your place and book it without ever reading anything about. Even booking the dates and then asking if you have room. It would be nice if Airbnb made a checklist up or some form they must read and check off on to show that they have read EVERYTHING and understand what comes and what doesn't come with the listing. Then they couldn't say you lied in your advertisment of the place and you mislead them. I had one guest that gave us a bad review because we were located in a small village and not in the center of the city. She admitted she was wrong because she never read about our place and still gave us a bad review based on our location.

[Annette-and-Phil0]

I agree -- we've had people ding us for 'location' because they

didn't read the entire listing - which clearly says 3 times that we

are NOT at the Grand Canyon but are an hour's drive away...wish

we had a way to file a dispute on those types of things sometimes....

thank you for your response!

[Jessica384]

I agree. You can have that house rule or notice list but they can ignore it completely. I have had guests say my place is dated when I have clearly stated this building was built in 1909 and it's filled with old furniture. It's not a trendy city apartment. 

[Kirkland1]

I think the "location" rating should not be connected to the other ratings, which are controllable. It is where it is, right?

[Chary0]

thanks, for encouragement ya'll.  I had a guest cancel at the last minute.  He had given me little notice when he made the reservation, and cancelled a few hours before he was to arrive; he had left me positive emails x2, and i had responded, by email and text message.  My policy is no refund if less than 5 days for cancellation .. Now he's saying that he was a hurricane harvey evacuee, and shame on me for not refunding him $.  I responded to that comment, nicely reiterating the facts as above.  Now, I've received notice that my good standing as AirBnB hostess is in jeopardy.  I have only received one other negative review, that one also being from a guest who "no call no showed".. and i wouldn't give him a refund either.  If a person tried to email a hotel cancellation notice after cancellation deadline, they would loose the $ too.  Besides, as I said in my public rebuttal to his complaint, he had made no mention about being an evacuee, (i'm wondering about that status..maybe he thought it would serve his purpose to claim involvement in the hurricane) looking forward to seeing comments!

[Clara116]

@Chary0 I looked at your listing and the review and since so many people were so affected in such a horrible way I think you might wanna reconsider the refund on this one. Plus your guest that cancelled has another review that also states he was an evacuee and a really nice guy, etc...... so- yeah, he did wrong without saying what was happening - but, it might have been so crazy for him??? Plus, if you go through the Resolution Center with a refund -- perhaps they wipe out that review that reads so unfavorable. I know this whole review thing is difficult sometimes but this one is special I think. Hope you are not letting it steal your JOY........!!! Blessings, Clara

[Chary0]

Thanks, Clara for your input; i didn't even know i could check on my client's other experience ratings!

[Steve2743]

I HAVE tried to cancel a hotel reservation after the deadline (which I knew about, but lost track of time). I was out $150. I was obviously angry, but I knew it was my own fault. The problem is that it isn't Airbnb that's losing the money, it's their hosts. Perhaps they wouldn't be so lenient of the hosts still got paid, and the refund came out of Airbnbs own pocket.