First 'filthy' guests

[Tracy0]

Hi all.  I am usually an at-home host, sharing the home, but this holiday season I planned to be away and I had a prospective guest whose dates matched well.  I'd be home the day before they arrived to prepare and leave a lockbox key, and might have popped in and out but certainly back the night before they left (which is exactly how it worked out).

They were a mum and two teenagers visiting London on a European trip to see several cities.  Communication was excellent and polite and of a high standard (attention to detail etc).  Also very friendly! I was looking forward to them as guests and I was sorry I'd mainly miss them.

I had an event to go to and popped back to the flat to grab some things I had forgotten to take with me when I left after getting the flat ready for them. (They were aware they were renting a room and not a flat, that usually I share with others and live and work here, and I let them know that unusually I'd be away a bit but that I'd specifically be coming back on that day to get a few things).

I found the flat a total pigsty.  I was horrified, really.  Nobody has ever treated the room - and certainly not the flat - in this way.

Some I can understand - they had suitcases spread out in the main room as I wasn't there much and the bedroom is quite full for those size suitcases and three sleeping spaces (I needed to give an airbed as it was three people and usually only a king bed is available).  Given that I wasn't home I can deal with this 'spreading' issue no problem!

It's the dishes and food all over the kitchen (clearly there for days, stinking), the toothpaste smeared on the sink, the counter, the bathtub (???). The used tampon on the floor.  The fact that shoes aren't to be worn in the flat and they walked with shoes over my  new sheepskin run to deposit the shoes under the kitchen table. The washed white towels that were now dark grey (using the washing machine was not in the listing, and wouldn't have minded though if they hadn't wrecked my white hand towels by washing with other things).  The hole in the airbed (large, not a 'oops' hole).  I had to move the sofa to prepare my room to work and found half a can of crunched pringles falling out of the tin that had just been shoved under it. I have a basket of toiletries -a lot of stuff- that I offer to guests to use if they forget something. They used ALL of it - in the case of nail polish remover pads they opened the bag at the wrong end, ruining any that were left.  They used nearly ALL of my expensive shampoo left in the shower as well.  They were three people here for six days for crying out loud!

I have no clue how to write a polite review. Help?

[Marit-Anne0]

You can simply write that they did not follow the house rules and that you were very disappointed with the state in which they left your place. This way you put on the warning bells to other potential hosts. 

[Michael30]

It all depends on the Situation...in my case where there was Total Filth, Damaged propert and Stolen Property, I decided not to hold back, I waited until he read my Negative feed back then responed to each and every one of the Lies.

I was lucky that I took pictures and had a statement from the profesional cleaners, it took nine long days of telephone call to Airbnb but they finaly charged the $425AUD Damage to the Guest Credit card then deposited that money into my bank account.

INSTANT BOOK allowed this piece of filth to make the booking, I have now made sure that Air bnb has deactivated it.

I can now be comfortable with future guests as they can be veted.

[Tracy0]

FYI This is the review I gave to the guests and I also messaged them privately for details.  Their next two reviews are stellar.

They did not leave me a review.

"Gabrielle was friendly and communicative before her family's arrival to stay in our bedroom over the holidays. I was very excited to meet them! I was staying just outside London with my partner and not around much during the holiday. It was apparent from my drop ins that the family did not follow the simple house rule for shoes and generally I was very disappointed with the state in which they left the flat during period in which they were here. They were kind, friendly and open people which would be ideally suited to a room rental when the host is present, or to a full flat rental that is not shared with a home loving host."

[Victoria567]

Hi@Tracy

Sorry, but your guest review does not really match up with the reality you experienced as you describe on this thread.

‘Disappointed’ should read.....Horrified.

’Did not follow the simple house rule for shoes ‘ should read....walked over with shoes all over my new sheepskin rug.

‘Did not follow the house rules’ should read.....stinking food left around the kitchen 

should read......toothpaste smeared on the sink, counter, bathtub

should read......The USED TAMPON on the floor

should read.....the hole in the airbed

should read.....using the washing machine not described under the listing

should read.....white towels now dark grey.

Really?.....want to leave them a polite review?

No need to be polite just the honest facts, will speak volumes.

The wishy washy review you left them, is really far from the facts and is useless.

It allows these dreadful disgusting guests to bounce along the air bnb platform from unsuspecting host to host.

The USED TAMPON on the floor was enough to make me retch and I certainly would not give such guests house room, whereas reading your polite review would have lulled me into a false sense of security.

[Clare0]

Agree with @Marit-Anne0.  No need to describe all the infractions.  Marit's first sentence says it all.  In the review  process there's also a section to tell Airbnb more about these guests (private between you and Airbnb) as well as a thumbs up or down.  My understanding, and I might be wrong, is that a thumbs down will prevent these people from using Instant Book....a good thing if true. 

[Jessa0]

wow... is this what it looked like after check out or during the stay? Sometimes I catch a glimpse of my rooms and shiver - and yet the room is left in good order after check out. Whichever the case, seems like they caused damage which you could claim from them, honest and harsh review aside.

[Tracy0]

And today I had a complaint that they were doing laundry at 2am and woke my freeholder (who lives downstairs)  I'm an uhappy bunny!  

[Victoria567]

Disagree with the fellow hosts suggestion that there is no need to describe all the infractions.

Most of this appalling behaviour, should be described with top billing going to .....the used discarded tampon on the floor......Yuk Yuk Yuk

[Michael30]

I had the same over the Christmas Holidays, I immediatly took picturs of the filth they left behind, I rang Airbnb and made a report within hours of their sneaky early departure.

I gave them an honest feed back informing other of the filth that Denis and his girlfriend Zena left and listed the stolen items, Denis replied to my feed back leaving very dishonest feeback full of lies, I thanked him for leaving the untruthfull feedback as that then allowed me to respond to each and every negative point he made.

I was on the phone with Security and trust and after 9 days they withdrew $425.00AUD from Denis credit card and deposited that amount into my bank account in order to cover the detailed receipted cot of cleaning and replacement of damaged and stolen items, feel free to look up my listing Lakeview on the Anembo lakes Torquay Hervey Bay Queensland Australia  Dec 24 2015 to Dec 28 2015 by the way these two were Instant Book, I have now removed Instant book as it attracts the low lives and riff raff.

[Monica4]

There are two settings when you choose Instant Book. One is that anyone in the airbnb community can book, and the other is anyone who has been given the thumbs up by another host can book. Check which setting you used. I cannot imagine that a guest that has been recommended by another host would leave a mess and steal items.

I took Instant Book off for a few days and my listing did not show up on the map, even when I zoomed right in.

[Monica4]

I am glad that you left your guest a detailed review. I think he will never be able to book through airbnb again providing future potential hosts read that review.

[Michael30]

That is why I gave a full responce to his lies and took pictures of the filth and damage, I thought that I had removed "Instant Book" which should be renamed Instant Problems......I was unable to cancel his booking bit thought well it is Christmas and put myself in his position, stranger in another country during a peak holiday period, more fool me.

Thankfully I had the sence to take pictures and reported the Filth, damafed and Stolen item within a few hours of their sneaky departure.

It took 9 days of continual phone calls to Airbnb with threats of litigation before they agreed to take $425AUD from the Guests credit card then they deposited that Amount into mty Bank Account.

I will not recommend Instant book to any one, I have had it removed on the day of their departure , then a few days later it came back on.

I again rang Airbnb to have it disabled, I check every few days to make sure it has not been reactivated.

I dont need the money,but I love meeting interesting people from all over the world.

I have increased my prices in order to keep the Riff Raff Low Lives out.

[Robin4]

@Monica4  Gee Monica, that is brilliant advice and I was not aware of that....thank you so much. In any case I have disabled instant book and it has made no difference to the visibility of my listing page...it still shows up (even in an in-cognito window) in the first few listings for my area.

Thanks Monica, along with a few others, I really appreciate the advice you give....cheers....Rob

[Robin4]

@Michael30 Jesus, you sure have had a stouch with these people....but thanks for giving me a head-up on the instant book bit! I have made sure it is disabled. I am now fortunate to have a stream of guests coming through at a rate that I can handle comfortably, and I don't need any sudden 'surprises' lobbing on my doorstep.

Hell Michael, I feel sorry for you pal but, it's probably time to put it in the past and down to experience...and I tell you what, I bet this experience has made a better host out of you!....Cheers....Rob