A'right:
I just received the following missive from a new ABBer, dropping off his daughter a UChicago, who checked out today-- failing to lock the door on exit, which I repeatedly noticed from mobile and corrected:
"Hi. I left my review. Thanks again. I should add a few things:
1. the entry not auto-locking needs to be fixed. I assume it wouldn't cost you much but your guests will have peace of mind. Not only is it so easy to leave it unlocked, but locking it from the inside takes extra effort. Unless I misread your instructions. But then if I did, that too is a security risk.
2. the doors don't shut properly. Perhaps sand the edges or something. And better locks there too. The bathroom can't lock. Tough especially for women who are sharing the place.
3. I noticed the #1 room was left open a lot. I wonder if Linh(?) or Hanna(?) felt it was too warm inside so she kept the door open to let the cold air in. Another potential security risk for these young girls coming to U Chicago trusting you with their lives.
You may be selective with your tenants but I think you really can't screen people well enough. That's what deadbolts are for."
Generally I ignore these and negative reviews from newbies, but maybe not this guy. (Maybe because in my review of him, his patients' review all said the same negative things). And of course-- new ABBers who come with the attitude that they know everything, and are going to *tell you* (generally afterwards, instead of just messaging during their stay) are a continuing issue.
I am tempted to begin with "you have a medical degree, how hard is it to figure out how to turn a simple flip switch from the inside, which you failed to do repeatedly? Or to figure out to push the bathroom door fully closed and turn, which I also provided instructions on how to do, which you obviously didn't read?
None of these are hard, and as a guest in my home, it was your duty to lock my home when leaving. Period, end of story. How entitled are you, to think you need a door that locks itself, after you enter. (P.S. auto-lock is a software setting; I turned it off the day before)."
Of course, without his little missive I would probably have overlooked him repeatedly leaving the door open, as it's easy to detect and lock using software.
Maybe:
"Linh messaged specifically that she was closing her door for privacy, and felt bad when she did that and closed other people out. Other than that-- as I mentioned-- 90F in the day and 82F overnight were absolutely unusual and perhaps the hottest single day of the year, have you considered that someone from Vietnam has different cultural expectations, or that you may not know everything about the world or other cultures? (See your practice's online reviews-- sheesh, have you learned nothing from them?) And did you fail to read my message that we'd just rehung the doors due to swelling in unusual summer humidity, etc?"
or perhaps
"I've unfortunately had to make life and death decisions for a number of young women, including on the platform at the bombing at Paris' St. Michel. I don't think a sunny and normal afternoon or a warm evening in Hyde Park, comes close to the responsibilities of such events. But if you missed the license to practice in front of the Supreme Court in our living room, you may nonetheless understand that we are capable of making our own choices about our household and its security-- and how carefully we look for potential grounds for litigation, when someone acts as you have."
"Does the fact that most of the people on the street are African-American, and you live in a largely white community, have anything to do with your comments and condescending attitude?"
I have a few more pointed things in mind, though I'll probably tone it down before dropping a note and deciding what to put in my review. Comments, of whatever nature including humourous and sarcastic, welcome as long as it is civil, folks. Or at least as civil as I intend to be in reply to this guest.
Otherwise, we also have the new guest onboarding problem here, which Airbnb needs to address.
