Guest angry because she is having someone stay the night & does not want to pay fee for other person

[Charlene6]

 I have a woman staying here who has been really messy, ignores house rules, managed to get blood over two white towels (no reason why, just left them on a dining room chair, I can't get the blood out despite bleach). I have said nothing for the sake of peace.

Tonight she said she was going to have her college daughter come around and hang out and watch movies on TV. By 10pm I sent a note saying, "I know you are having lovely mother/daughter time, and I realise you may have forgotten that there is a $50 fee for another guest sharing with you. Just a reminder that there is a cost if your daughter stays so there is no awkwardness tomorrow. Grateful if you could pay the $50 to Airbnb tonight or tomorrow."

She asked would that mean she and her daughter get breakfast tomorrow. (I make breakfasts) I said yes, but grateful if they could clear dishes and load dishwasher while I went to church.

A little later I went downstairs to switch off lights and she came storming down saying she would check out tomorrow if I demanded payment of the $50. I pointed out that the $50 fee is noted on the Airbnb site and I reminded her as I knew she had possibly forgotten. Lots of threats including saying she'd give me a terrible review - I am a superhost with consistent 5-star reviews. I said I regretted that and had treated her with kindness, including baking cookies for her daughter and her and leaving out snacks when she came in at night. But she was still very aggressive.

What does one do (a) in this situation and

(b) to prevent it in future?

Have others had this experience? I'd really appreciate your advice.

[Dede0]

@Charlene6 -- Two things: I would contact AirBnB pre-emptively and let them know that the guest is trying to avoid paying and is threatening retaliation. It may be too late for AirBnB to relocate her (them), but at least get it on record as soon as possible.

Secondly, your listing has Instant Book turned on. I'd turn that off so that you get the opportunity to review potential guests before accepting their request. That won't guarantee that you won't get guests like this one, but it might reduce the chance.

[Donna15]

@Charlene6, what an unpleasant situation. I agree entirely with @Dede0.

I would also flag the guest's profile to make sure AirBnB's attention is drawn to the person.

And most definitely turn off Instant Booking. If you have a few hours to spare, you might want to browse through the 'Search the community' box at the top of the page, and track down the threads where hosts have related their own Instant Book nightmare stories. 

There are of course exceptions: When I first began, I tried IB as well, and had two lovely guests. But I decided to use only the Request to Book function, as it provides a superior filter with regard to what types of people want to book, and their reasons for visiting the area. 

Be sure to use the Security Deposit to make a claim for the damaged towels.

[Charlene6]

I very much appreciate your responses. I have made a note under booking about guests not booked for, will change instant booking, where and how do I inform Airbnb and where do I flag a guest?

thanks so much for these responses

Charlene

[Donna15]

@Charlene6, next to the guest's profile picture you should be able to see a small flag.

Near the top of this General Hosting section page there's a stickied thread entitled Community Guide.

In there you'll find a number of very useful links to information, including how to contact AirBnB.

I hope you're able to resolve the situation quickly.