Bed bug scam?

Tim546
Level 2
Honolulu, HI

Bed bug scam?

So.. just encountered a group of guests who booked 4 nights and claimed bed bugs bite them on the 3rd night. Went to Urgent Care and has a doctors note saying specifically bed bug bites. I offered to waive the last night and provide air mattresses and new bedding. declined. offered 50% of first three nights and waive last night with above accommodations. no response. After I left the new air mattresses, bedding and pillows thinking it was sufficient. These were offered around noon and guests decided to leave at 11:30pm that night without letting me know. Asked for full refund, which I obliged (after a couple days of back and forth conversation) since I knew Airbnb doesn't really care about hosts and will eliminate 1 month of future booking unless a specialist gives an all clear. After they left I did a thorough check of the place. No signs of bed bugs. NO droppings or exoskeleton or blood splatter. From day one I've had mattress and box spring encasement. Turned over every blanket, pillow, and even checked my bed frame. I was personally sleeping on one of the beds 1 week prior they arrived. 

 

Had Terminx come in ( free consultation) but I think they only wanted business since they quoted $1000 for 2 rooms. Claimed there may have been some. They couldnt find any hard evidence. Getting another opinion (paying $75) for this inspection so hopefully they are more honest. 

 

decided to not give any chances so i fogged the area myself, applied steam to pillows, blankets, and bed frame. Placed Diatomaceous earth dust as a preventative measure.

 

I know all the evidence is against me, but I personally clean the place after every stay. My last guest had no complaints.  The most suspicious thing is how perfect their story was and how they understood Airbnb is bound to give them a refund. They even know how I'll lose my superhost status if this was reported.  Either very greedy guests or super scammer con artist. The cons of hosting I guess. 

 

How would you have responded?

10 Replies 10

Let them go and just include it into cost of doing business, make note of all names so that they don't scam you twice


@Tim546 wrote:

So.. just encountered a group of guests who booked 4 nights and claimed bed bugs bite them on the 3rd night. Went to Urgent Care and has a doctors note saying specifically bed bug bites. I offered to waive the last night and provide air mattresses and new bedding. declined. offered 50% of first three nights and waive last night with above accommodations. no response. After I left the new air mattresses, bedding and pillows thinking it was sufficient. These were offered around noon and guests decided to leave at 11:30pm that night without letting me know. Asked for full refund, which I obliged (after a couple days of back and forth conversation) since I knew Airbnb doesn't really care about hosts and will eliminate 1 month of future booking unless a specialist gives an all clear. After they left I did a thorough check of the place. No signs of bed bugs. NO droppings or exoskeleton or blood splatter. From day one I've had mattress and box spring encasement. Turned over every blanket, pillow, and even checked my bed frame. I was personally sleeping on one of the beds 1 week prior they arrived. 

 

Had Terminx come in ( free consultation) but I think they only wanted business since they quoted $1000 for 2 rooms. Claimed there may have been some. They couldnt find any hard evidence. Getting another opinion (paying $75) for this inspection so hopefully they are more honest. 

 

decided to not give any chances so i fogged the area myself, applied steam to pillows, blankets, and bed frame. Placed Diatomaceous earth dust as a preventative measure.

 

I know all the evidence is against me, but I personally clean the place after every stay. My last guest had no complaints.  The most suspicious thing is how perfect their story was and how they understood Airbnb is bound to give them a refund. They even know how I'll lose my superhost status if this was reported.  Either very greedy guests or super scammer con artist. The cons of hosting I guess. 

 

How would you have responded?


Let them go and just include it into the cost of doing business, make note of all names and be vigilant, they are dumb enough to try to come back

Alice595
Level 10
Concord, CA

@Tim546  Write a review on the 14th day after they checked out. Put the warning in the review to other hosts. 

 

They will Be hard to find a host for booking in the future. 

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

How I would have responded is “oh my, I’ll meet you there right now to collect your things and leave”

 

once somebody starts on the you have bed bugs talk they need to leave immediately. 

short of holding a bed bug in hand I’m not at all sure how a doctor would determine what kind of bug bit your guests. 

they have particular biting pattern. Didn’t get a photo of the bites so I don’t know. 

Pete69
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

Lay out some bed bug glue traps and see if any actually turn up. Hire an independent guy off Craig's List maybe to do an inspection.

Seal up gaps under doors that lead outside with door sweeps and foam window sealing. Use perimeter bug spray (ex- Ortho Home Defense) so spiders and other bugs don't even think about getting close to doors.

Paul154
Level 10
Seattle, WA

I would have asked them to leave and not charge for the last two nights.

In writing.

If they don't leave, on the next day, I would again extend the offer.

I would then let Airbnb handle it.

Deny, deny, deny. 

Take pictures. 

Point out that Doctors note was due to guest claim of bedbug bite, not real proof.

Be firm.

You can't run a business afraid of Airbnb's arbitrary decisions. If Airbnb excludes you for a month, it's time to try VRBO.

 

An attack is useful too. Claim that guest brought the bed bugs and/or voluntarily got bedbug to bite them.  Ask Airbnb to charge guest for bringing the bedbugs

I actually reacted as you suggest to the second claim. As the guest started claiming, that I have bed bugs, I offered him a full refund and laundry and said, I know, I don't have any, but if I get some after your stay, you brought them here! Why else you need to stay at my place?! The same guest kept booking my place 2 times next month after this conversation. So it shows to me that all this claims are a thread and mental mins game and abuse. 

hey, 

 

I am very sorry for your experience. I am hosting for almost 6 years and in those 6 years I had 3 guests who claimed that I would have bed bugs. I thankfully still don't have any. I was the same crazy as you, cleaned, invited exterminators, even reimbursed 1 guest. I think some guests are scammers. A woman,  who I reimbursed for 10 days stay, she stayed with her daughter, never paid a second person, and after her entire stay, she checked out and started sending me pics from google, of random pics she could find on google of bad bugs. Back then I was very scared of bed bugs and a bed review, so I reimbursed her full stay. It turned out I don'd have bed bugs. A second man, 4 years later, stayed for couple nights and started texting me, on day 3 of his stay, that he thinks I have bed bugs. This time I was smarter: I offered him full refund and money for his laundry. He refused to do the laundry, kept staying at my place and even returned 2x next month. I think I reacted proper and he said, "You are a very nice person". So I still had no bed bugs. Third time it happened to me couple days ago, 6 years of hosting. The guest, checks out and 4 days later he starts sending me text messages, he thinks I have bed bugs. I responded polite and asked him to send me pics of the bites, he refused. I asked him where he was staying after me, he said, at his brother's place, but he mentioned it the bites as he was driving in his car. So, during I text with him to find out what he needs, he writes me a review and I get a notification that he just posted me a review. And he texted on top of it, "I gave you a good review!". End of convo. So now couple days past, the exterminator was here, I still don't have any bed bugs. I honestly don't know what it it and why some people use bed bugs as a threat, I definitely feel abused and would love somehow to develop a strategy to stop this mind games. I feel like some people are abusive and like it to threaten you to get their way. After couple thousands of guests I am personally  tired of frauds. Yes, I feel scammed, robbed of my deserved money and abused by this fraudsters. But what can you do?

Tim546
Level 2
Honolulu, HI

Thank you all for your help. After I stop hosting in a month, I will report their profile. At the time, losing a month of bookings was not worth the hassle of fighting and keeping their money.