Do guests actually get the welcome message??

[Terri38]

Yes, we all know that some guests don't bother reading the listing !

Subtle as a brick hint to AirBnB: increase the character limit in the welcome message or at least let us ask more than three questions!!

Most of my recent guests (all from different parts of the globe) have said "What message?" or only answer part of it.

Chasing up the answers is creating a lot of extra work for me - and probably annoys the guests.

How do you get around this?

Like many of you, I want to identify those who have read the listing and therefore are less likely to:
Have 4 people arrive instead of 2,

Get surprised by a very affectionate cat,

Use 20GB of data in 2 days,

Were intending to arrive well outside of check in time.

I have a welcome message that asks:
Full names of everyone in the group,

A clear profile photo of themselves (I mean not their dog, not something taken from 100m away etc but don't have enough room to say that),

Arrival time or flight number,

Assistance required to leave the house in the event of an emergency (to clarify, one of my listings is wheelchair accessible and I do get guests who have mobility or sensory difficulties)

The gusts are also required to acknowledge the following:

We have a cat in the house,

Unlimited WIFI is not an option

I had to include those last 2 items as there were far too many guests getting (for them) an unpleasant surprise.

FYI, Pets are mentioned in the listing title, the cat is mentioned in the listing, there is a photo of her included, she is mentioned in the house rules (a copy is included in the House Manual) and she usually greets the guests in person, then we get "Oh, you have a cat?  But I'm allergic to cats!"  < eye roll >

And regarding the WIFI data cap.  That is stated under Amenity Restrictions (yes, we know how easy that is to find!), also mentioned in the house rules and house manual and again ("We share 4GB/day - not 4GB each") when the guests arrive.

I have been paying extra for wireless internet but it has a data cap of 120GB/month.  I would like unlimited WIFI but in our street, it is not going to be an option (unless we went back to the extremely unreliable copper lines - we lose connection for 30min -2 days after a lot of rain as the lines have to dry out!) until December.  I realise that would be a deal-breaker for some people, but when they slam me for the WIFI issues instead of reading the listing...

[Helen427]

hello @Terri38 from across the suburbs in Remuera.

When you have a different guest, if you don't already, use their booking or phone number for their Wifi access code - that way it keeps it under control.

I think we all have challenges with Guests not reading our listings from time to time.

I just had a guest who ABB Customers services and myself had to do all the work for as he simply didn't care to read.

I've reviewed him accordingly for communication -I don't expect him to review me but one can never tell.

Be upfront in your reviews to help with expectations of future guests as it will help nip the issues you raise in the bud.

All the best

[Terri38]

@Helen427  Thanks for the reply.  Unfortunately, my router is a bog-standard one and cannot be set up for individual access.  I have not updated it as I would need to do it all over again in December.  Fingers crossed that the problem will go away in December once the internet upgrade is complete in the area.

And yes, I do mention in a review if they have used excessive data.  I am aware that for much of the country, unlimited data is the norm so it wouldn't be an issue for many hosts.  But for the rest of us...

[Helen427]

@Terri38 

You will be hopeful if upgrades will be finished anywhere where there's the internet or Radio Transmission stations!

Spark have been working on a project installing equipment on /from them to have camera recognition of number plates where vehicles travel - then there's 5G next 6 G and so it goes on.

It's like trying to listen to certain radio stations we now have sun strike & rain fade which we didn't have with analogue!!

I personally don't have Wifi at home which is neither here nor there, most guests cope fine without it short term or have their own or tend to carry a Paper book to read in peace and quiet before bed or when they have downtime.

[Kath9]

@Terri38, I don't know about the welcome message but I have a number of saved messages that I send to guests when they book, asking them to acknowledge that they've read the listing and house rules. I will also mention specific things, such as my dog or that they can't cook, for guests from certain cultures who I know may well conveniently 'overlook' this.  I cannot believe how many guests I have who are TERRIFIED of dogs, even though I have a photo of my dog and mention her several times in my listing. Sometimes it takes me 10 minutes to convince them to come through the gate (even though my dog is literally the friendliest dog ever). Re the WiFi: depending on your server, you may be able to set up a separate guest login and restrict their download?