Guest Scam

[Cheryl12]

I believe I have run into  "guests" who are running a scam.  They booked a room in my private home for 2/28 to 3/2 on 2/27.  Before they booked they were very insistant on getting the location information so I encouraged them to book and then they would get the information.  They showed up one hour after getting my address and stated they did not want to stay both days but only one night, not the night they booked, and did not want to follow my booking rules.  I told them they could not stay in my home and reported the situation. 

They are now asking for the refund in $ mailed to their home. I believe they are running a scam, or at least don't follow or understand the AirBNB rules,  and I would like to report them again. How can I best do this? 

[Lisa7]

@Cheryl12 Tell them you don't handle refunds, that everything goes through Airbnb. It's the truth. Never mail anyone cash. 

And go to the guest's profile page and hit the "report this user" flag 

[Cheryl12]

Thanks Lisa.  They were already reported for showing up at my door on a date not on the reservation and wanting to stay here.  

I reiterated that all refunds need to go through AirBNB and sent them the directions.  I am convinced more than ever they are running a scam.  If they reply again, I will ask them to cease and desist communication and report them again. 

[Clare0]

@Cheryl12 You are very right to consider this a scam and hopefully your reporting the guest to Airbnb will result in their being removed permanently.  Did you report by using the little flag icon on their profile?  That's the best way to report this user.

Seems like they were trying to convert credit into cash and to avoid the Airbnb service fees by not cancelling and  by asking you to mail them a refund.

Kudos to you for telling them they would have to go through Airbnb for a refund.  You should get fully compensated for this nonsense as per your cancellation policy especially since they tied up your calendar with their reservation request. 

[Cheryl12]

Exactly what I thought.  They want to convert credit into $.  

I reported twice.

1. For showing up at my doorstep on a day not in the reservation and being absolutely shocked I would not let them in.  I don't like the fact they have my address at all.

2. Asking for $.

The one thing I did not like is having to unreport to re-report so I am now keeping a log of what I am reporting. 

I don't think these folks should be part of the community since they are either 1) not understanding AirBNB rules and what the community is really about or 2) running a scam.  

[Trevor7]

Hi community I think I have just enountered someone in the UK trying this scam.

I'd just posted a new room listing and got an 8 day booking enquiry to start the next day. I sent an offer and expected them to accept but instead kept getting requests for my address or for me to contact them by phone. I kept the messages to Airbnb messaging and refused to give my address without a booking being made. They then started to say they had made another booking that they needed to cancel before they could accept my booking offer and that they needed to use my internet to do this. They insisted that they were nearby and were offering to give me cash to hold while they cancelled the other booking. It all sounded weird so I told them where there was a coffee shop with free wifi and said I was happy to wait for them to book. I didn't hear from them again.

The person had no reviews and bare minimum verification. I suggest people treat insistent and unsual requests with great care.

[Clare0]

@Trevor7 Yes, guests asking for the address is a huge red flag.  Did you remove the Special Offer?  I hope so.  This would be a bid Decline for me!

[Jaki2]

I have had a few guests make special requests, nothing scammish, just little things, like an early arrival or later checkout, add a day or two, like that.  And I have usually had some issue or another come up during the stay. The young women who added days left some unusual items behind in the trash, the pair of couples who asked for an extra parking space at no charge, left a window open and the heat pump set at 80. The people who came with "small, well behaved dogs" to my "no pet" apt, left them alone one night when they barked for an hour before the guests could get back, at my insistence, to quiet the, down, and when the snow melted I found out where they had let the dogs poop. So, now, I refuse any changes to anything.