Cancellation - Policy not enforced due to issues beyond my control

[Alessandra193]

Dear Community,

Its pretty hard to know how to be a great host... with a moving goal post. 🙂

 I have had a few guests that try to "discount" for good (or bad reviews) then gamed the "cleanliness issue" to get a refund but this story is a new one for me. 

I have had positive reviews and never a complaint about the building, its amenities or such.. until this week.

Please keep in mind that I disagree there is a problem with the building, its stairs, lift or otherwise. I have advertised accurately and know how important it is to be straight honest and transparent with your guest. 

Recently a guest has arrived, commented on how loveley it all was then 30 hours later I receive the phone call at work....

" On our guest refund policy, it is stated that the guest should contact us 24 hrs after the check in and he did contacted us last night. He reported to us the condition of the building.  You have 30 minutes to fix the issue or the booking will be cancelled and the guest refunded."

A mad scrambel to get help and call back airbnb... although they didnt leave a phone number.

My Guest texted me and he said

" I understand this is more of an issue with building/strata management, but I am not interned in going back. I'm happy to pay for last night and possibly tonight, but I'm going to find alternative accomodation regardless of the cancellation policy
You have to agree that the building is not up to scratch for the rate you are charging - again if there is a resolution you can think of please let me know. *not interested in going back that should of read ^^ Thanks, Ben"

The end result was the guest was refunded in full as......

"It is stated in our Terms of Service that a Travel issue means that "the listing isn't generally clean, is unsafe, or there's an animal in the listing that wasn't disclosed prior to booking." You failed to disclose the situation of the amenities and the state of the building to our guest and our guest feels unsafe to stay at the listing due to the state of the building when he arrived. We understand that you have no full control with the building but the condition of the building and the amenities should be disclosed to the guest."

So my question is should I have declared the girraffe in the courtyard? or the croccodiles in the pool? (animal in the listing!)

But seriously folks...

I do my best I really do and I want to make this airbnb work.... the photos sent to airbnb were all outside the apartment, not on the same floor as the apartment, close ups of places I dont go (like the fire stairs) or outside in the garden on the street.

I am left thinking that any guest can cancel after check in if they send in some unrelated photos and tell them they feel unsafe.  Every booking I accept with AirBnB, as opposed to another platfom risks,  effectivly a guest can cancel anytime policy.

Please let me know your thoughts assuming you can agree (hypothetically at least) the building is safe and clean. (I already played out the "building dangerous and dirty argument" and its a short one. 🙂

Thanks for reading my story peoples!

[Helen3]

It's not clear from your post. On what exact grounds did your guest cancel?

And what is your response?

[Maria-Lurdes0]

Hi @Helen3 it sounds like this is @Alessandra193's guests issue:

" I understand this is more of an issue with building/strata management, but I am not interned in going back. I'm happy to pay for last night and possibly tonight, but I'm going to find alternative accomodation regardless of the cancellation policy
You have to agree that the building is not up to scratch for the rate you are charging - again if there is a resolution you can think of please let me know. *not interested in going back that should of read ^^ Thanks, Ben"

So really, it's a question of value - the guest perception is that the building, not the listing, wasn't "up to scratch for the rate".  That is really the most bizarre thing in the world and I can't believe that Airbnb would refund.    You may as well shut down 50% of apartments listed, as I'm sure not every apartment building is the Ritz.

@Alessandra193  I would really take this up again with Airbnb - go to their Facebook page and try contacting them - post a very short and clear message like to them and see what happens.

[Alessandra193]

Thank you

[Alessandra193]

Thank you Helen for you interest,

On what exact grounds did the guest cancel?

I dont know other than what airbnb said. which in in my post. The building was not clean enough, the exterior of the building.  (not my windows by the way but the outdoor stairs in the garden and grounds)

My response?

I feel the building is clean.

I didnt want to cancel as I do not agree the building has the issues presented. The photos sent to me about the building issues were not inside my apartment, nor in the accessable areas of where a guest would normally go. The guest took close ups of places outside and in fire stairs.

[Robin4]

@Alessandra193......Ok, this is going to sound a bit tough, but it's fair!!

Your listings give virtually no details as to what the guest is going to get for their $200 + per night! There are pictures of large green open areas which could be anywhere, Artists concept sketches of building developements, communal swimming pools and gyms! But there is almost no detail as to what is in it for the guest....just an out of focus bed shot, a kitchen bench, a really cramped sofa area and a cupboard washing machine/dryer! [Content hidden]. You say you advertise accurately but I can't see any of that! All it says is one bedroom apartment with lift access. 

By your star ratings cleanliness does appear to be an issue, and from what you are saying in this post from your current guest, this may be an aspect you should possibly look more closely at.

The other thing, and the major thumbs down for me...in 7 reviews, one has been bad, and 3 have been host cancellations. Coupled with a response rate of 96% Alessandra this is not great.

I think you need to better understand that being an Airbnb host is not 'like a hotel', as you say! You are essentially inviting strangers into your home and these strangers accept that they are not going to have the use of 24 hour reception desk facilities, daily apartment servicing, concierge facility like they have in a hotel! But they do like to feel that they receiving accurate information and value for their money.

This guest simply reported what his experience was and Airbnb went along with him. 

Sorry to sound so hard but I do think you need to be a bit more responsive to guests needs.

Cheers....Rob

[Alessandra193]

Cheers Rob but I think you missed the point here.  Im not here for to get schooled on my whole listing, response rate and so on as these are not issues that the guest raised. I dont claim to be perfect and I would like to improve but please keep on topic.

I have come to the community for advice on the topic posted so that I may see if other hosts may have had such experiences.

 Fyi check your facts the listing is not 200 a night everynight, in fact if you want to come visit tonight is 139 which is a bargin for Sydney, I will throw in some good manners for you to try on, 🙂

In fact the guest said "Hi Alessandra, I'm going to be straight with you - you are lovely and the room is great but the building is absolutely horrible. I understand this is more of an issue with building/strata management" Ben the guest.

I dont really think you are trying to be helpful and your tone and language is base. So in fact please dont visit.

I really felt compelled to respond to you so that the community can see my request as a  topic based technicallity.

Please dont use the oppurtunity to troll my listing, its a real turn off.

A.

[Robin4]

@Alessandra193 I am sorry you took umbridge at my post. I was only trying to tell you why this guest has taken the action they have and possibly point out what you need to do to help with your future hosting and avoid these situations in future.

I guess going from bottom to top I have absolutely no desire to 'troll' your listing!!! You made specific statements and I was just trying to find out what was behind them. I did nothing more than any prospective guest does if they look at your listing and I do find that comment quite offensive! I did not in any way try to 'glean' any personal information, just what you 'publically' offer!!

Secondly, here is a screenshot of how your listing is priced as of this moment.......

Now include the Airbnb fees onto that figure (which the guest is going to have to pay) and that comes out to $200+ per night!!!....I do not pull figures out of the air.

The thing you have to understand Alessandra is these days guest place a lot of importance on guest reviews of hosts. Many guests will not book a listing if there is a host cancellation on their review page. It frightens them, particularly if a cancellation happens within a few days of their anticipated stay.

You no doubt have a nice apartment, make the most of it...put some flowers around, some nice odd and ends, things that will really attract guests, and please don't think I am simply trying to pull you down. You seem to be blaming the guest when all the guest did was say "You have to agree that the building is not up to scratch for the rate you are charging" This is their perception.

All I am saying Alessandra is try to avoid things like this happening again and look to areas that you can improve!

Cheers.....Rob 

[Alessandra193]

Ok Rob, as you took the effort to explain I will respond in kind,

It seems that you are genuinely trying to be helpful so thank you for that,

First up, its not always 200 a night, I drop prices and discount  heavily for long stays and so on. The guest in question paid around 148 a night.  A lot of people like to request discounts and lower prices than advertised, actually most people do.  Over New year and high seasons in Sydney the price can rise as high as 400 a night.  should it be cheaper, no as the majority are happy to pay it.

The apartment is in the very centre of the entertainment district of Sydney, it may seem shocking but Sydney is now the 4th most expensive city in the world. We are all suffering the rise in the cost of living here in Sydney, I saw a mango for $7 today and many people are in serious trouble from it. A 3 * hotel in Darling harbour this weekend, like to Ibis starts at 350 a night. The Hyatt is 900 to 1400 a night for a basic room.

So its great for visitors to have the choice of holiday rentals!

I can see that if you come from Adelaide, its a great city by the way I know it well, then 200 a night may seem a lot, for a private apartment, not just a room.  And perhaps this is part of the issue, someone pays what they feel is a lot and expect the Hyatt.

i appreciate you said I have a nice apartment. and I don’t have trouble booking it  either though airBnB or elsewhere.

the problem I have is the implementation of a cancellation policy. Airbnb always favours a guest over a host and only provides the host 30 minutes to retort to claims made by guests.

When a guest leaves for "reasons beyond my control" it can be very hard to rebook it the next day, especially if I had chosen that guests request over many others. It’s a trust issue. I trust the guest to follow my rules and terms. I trust that the guest will allow me to try and fix any issue before leaving and immediately calling airbnb to start the cancellation and refund process.  And I trust that airbnb would implement my choice of cancellation policy if the guests issue is obviously beyond my control or something minor, "like a beer can in an elevator" as one host mentioned was their fear.

So all that said, once again you missed the question here,

The Guest did not cancel because of an issue with the apartment, the chocolates, flowers, champagne, drinks and so on inside did not prevent his complaint about issues outside the apartment.

The guest after 24 hours decided that the building wasn’t to his liking, took photos of the garbage area, called airbnb and left.

I cant fix that, there is nothing I can do or could have done to change it. I dont blame the guest for being who he is, But the real point is that if Airbnb refuses to impliment the cancellation policies then they should be removed.

To promise hosts guarantees that are not met is deceptive and has hosts take risks that they are not made aware of.

So Thanks rob again for your ideas to improve and I will take them on board.

A.

[Robin4]

@Alessandra193....Oh thank goodness for that...... I thought you were going to 'cane' me forever! 🙂

There are some guests who you are never going to please! They will always have an unacceptable mindset about what you are offering! And another thing you have to remember Alessandra, this hosting thing is a leap of faith for us hosts, inviting strangers into our environment! But it also a leap of faith for the guest. They have absolutely no idea of what they are coming to!! If they book a Hilton, a Four Seasons, a Hyatt, they know exactly what they are going to get....when they book with us, it's totally unknown.

Do you know I have seen posts where the guest complained the listing did not look like the photos because it had different bed linen.....for real!!!

I say all of this Alessandra because you have to be really specific in what you offer in your listing description, so that a guest cannot take it the wrong way! And that was the crux of your post......And the other thing is, from my point of view, I try to make guests feel comfortable and make them feel they have made a good decision by booking with me.

I tell them in my messages that they are going to have to fight over who gets the worlds best bed!!! I tell them to let me know when they will be arriving so I can make sure I am not off feeding the Crocodiles in the lake!! 

Alessandra this makes the guest feel comfortable from the start, humour is a universal icebreaker! Already they think they have made a good decision.

And then before a guest arrives I will sometimes throw in a response like this....

I know, it's silly banter, and I have no desire to look like the village clown, but Alessandra, it all builds a raport, and, it's a fact of life,  people do not like to fight with people they like!

As for Sydney, yeah Sydney is my second home. I have a daughter who is a school teacher in Bondi at the Bondi Beach Public school on Campbell Parade, I own an apartment in Glen Street in Milsons Point almost behind Luna park overlooking Lavender Bay....I know Ultimo well and I will vouch that it is one of the best locations in Sydney to host....D*mn it, I even have a ETag in the car for the tolls....There is not a lot you can tell me about Sydney.

Please, if some of us are critical, (well me) it is because we care, we want to make the effort to see hosts like you improve, otherwise we wouldn't even bother responding. 

You have got off to a really rocky start, and you say you want to improve, and you do have three great reviews....you are worth the effort and that is why, if I am critical about something that you have done wrong, it is to make you search out a better way of doing it next time.

This guest is a thorn in your side, if he leaves or has left you a poor review leave a gracious response along the lines of ...."I looked forward to having this guest stay with me and I do value his feedback, after all listening to others is how we can improve as hosts. Some things however are beyond our control like....the weather wasn't warm enough during our stay, the building complex needed a lick of paint, but I do hope that what I offered was a wonderful experience that guests will enjoy. I wish the guest all the best for the future and hope the next time they stay we might be able to snag that 5 star review.....because after all....I am learning all the time"!

A response like that Alessandra will see you as a nice accommodating host and the sort we would all like to stay with!

Good luck....cheers.....Rob

[Marit-Anne0]

@Alessandra193

You cannot force unhappy guests to stay no matter the reason.  

My building has many students and they like to party at week-ends and I live in constant fear that a guest would freak out at finding a half drunk beer can in the elevator on Sunday morning and demand moving out of such a hellhole.  99% of guests would just shrug, but a difficult one might want to move out immediately.  A scammer might see a reason for a refund.  

airbnb often sides with the guest when there are disputes such as these.

[Alessandra193]

Dear Marit Anne

Thank you for your response and interest.

I do agree you cant force a guest to stay and I can see that airbnb will allow any guest to leave,

But then whats the point of a cancellation policy.  It should be removed so that hosts know what they are risking by using airBnB.

I dont feel I should have to live in fear especially if something beyond my control, like a beer can in the elevator, an ambulance in the street, or something that 99% of people would ignore,  gives a reason to cause a cancellation.

I really appreciate your advice, thank you

A

[Marit-Anne0]

@Alessandra193

Every guest is different and some very few can be very petty, so these things happen sometimes when hosting.  They will simply not accept your explanation of "something the cat brought in".  Fortunately, very few guests know they can plead their case with airbnb. Just move on and let it be.  

[David126]

The cases you see on here are just a sample and there is no way of knowing how representative they are.

It does seemm that there are various ways the AirBnB system can be easily expolited by those who wish to do so.

Maybe on average it is low, probably most people are not looking to do this, but I can only expect this to be a bigger and bigger issue as those looking for free accomodation realise how easy it is to do.

All you can really do is build a cost into your listing price.