Broken Dishes

[Lupita45]

What do hosts do about broken dishes? Because I host for 4 people if I have a couple of broken dishes I have to buy a whole new set! Does anyone charge guests for this kind of thing or this is just a part of the cost of hosting?

[Pat271]

I don’t often get broken dinnerware (I think I’ve gotten 1 chip in over a year of hosting), but I consider  it a cost of hosting and do not charge the guests.  

You can make it a lot less costly by buying white, plain Corelle dinnerware, simple and elegant.  You can buy the pieces separately online, or in stores such as Home Depot or Walmart.  You don’t have to buy the whole set - you can buy packages of 6 plates, or 6 bowls, etc. and then just replace as needed.  Also, Corelle is a little tougher and harder to break than regular glass or china.

[Susan151]

@Lupita45  I can't imagine not buying open stock dishes for an AirBNB space. Or, buy a bunch of new "sets" when they are on sale and keep the boxes nearby to replenish broken dishes. No one has broken a dish so I haven't had to decide whether or not to charge. [Well, my husband chipped one of the glasses, but that isn't the same is it?]

[Pat271]

Charge him! 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Lupita45 I advise not buying "sets" of anything for an Airbnb- that goes for towels and sheets as well. Either buy open stock that is easily replaced (Ikea has plain white dishes as well that can be individually purchased) or mix and match. For instance, if you didn't want to go with white, you could have towels in various shades of green- a green "theme" rather than all a specific color you might not ever be able to find again. My dishes are mix and match solid colors- orange, yellow, red, turquoise, some which are patterned and incorporate several of those colors. (not Fiestaware, but what I call the poor girl's Fiestaware)It's easy enough to just pick another plate or bowl in many places, even dollar stores, when things get broken.

[Michael956]

It's thrift store dishware all the way for me.  I find some lovely pieces for two bucks. 

[Robin4]

@Lupita45 

It is going to happen from time to time, and I have found the best way is to say nothing and learn from it!

I had one guest who said to me......."The plate attacked me from the cupboard" .....she said it in jest but, like you, it did ruin a 4 place setting. In fact it was not just one plate that attacked her, it was two, but she felt one of them was not badly damaged enough to make mention of!

Absolutely no offer to compensate me, it was all the plate's fault for being so clumsily stacked in the cupboard.

Lupita , taking a guest like this to task and going to get you nowhere, they will just resent you, give you a poor review and it will end up costing you far more than the broken article......put it down to the rough side of hosting!

And what you learn from this is to supply generic crockery where a plate can be easily replaced at any time, or do what I have done, when K Mart have a clearance and I bought a 10 place setting for $40, (50c per plate) and I think at the rate of breakages I am striking, that will probably cover breakages till I am too old to continue hosting!

Lupita there is the other side of the coin too.....

A few months ago a guest came to me all apologetic, she had broken the bowl I keep in the fridge with eggs for each guest. I said to her ….”Roxy, don’t worry about it, it was of no value, I have plenty more here to replace it”….but she said she felt bad and wanted to replace it. I once again told her not to bother, it was fine!

A week later, out of the blue, a parcel arrived…….

A new bowl with a $50 note in it. I had a little cry when I saw it, it was so nice but so unexpected.

I could see from the parcel that the postage cost her $15, the bowl must have cost around the same. A bowl that had no value to me, I can’t even remember where it came from and I am sure I could have replaced from the local op shop for a couple of dollars, cost that guest $80.

I felt terrible, I wish the incident had never happened, the last thing I ever want to do is take advantage of someone else.

So, it does go both ways, but I think the point I want to get across to you is, if the guest owns what they did and wants to compensate you, great, accept it and thank them so much. If the guest doesn't want to accept any responsibility and feels you should just accept that as part of hosting, be very pleasant and tell them, 'never mind, accidents happen' and move on. That way you will get a good review because they will feel guilty that they broke something of yours, and in your review, if you feel suitably taken advantage of you can say "It would have been lovely if the guest had taken a bit more care of our property" and give them a 3 star!  

Cheers........Rob

[Sarah977]

I would never charge a guest for something like a broken plate. Breakable things usually eventually get broken. I've certainly broken dishes myself, and it wasn't because I was being careless, these things just happen- things slip out of your hand, or you accidentally knock it against the edge of the counter, etc. 

A few broken dishes, some stained towels, etc, are all just part and parcel of hosting. If a guest broke or damaged something pricey, like an appliance or a TV, then I would consider charging them.

[Dimitar27]

To buy and maintain "sets" of anything is very annoying hobby, when you run a STR.