Guest cancelled after 2 nights, wants refund - Opinions?

[Nancy1248]

I have a guest that stayed 2 of a 6 nt stay (Boxing Day to Jan 2nd..  They said it was due to an allergy from cats, were apologetic and had no other complaints.  In fact we’re quite complementary on my suite.  I do have a cat, but it never goes into the area or even the same floor as the suite.  The suite is downstairs, no air ducts connecting, separated by 2 doors between my space and the suite and my living area is upstairs, so separated by a floor too. The guest texted me this evening wanting refund for the 4 nights that they cancelled, because they say I didn’t inform them of cats.  It states on my listing there are pets on premise and that it is a cat.   I had told the guest when they first informed they were checking out, that if I could get the place rebooked I would see what I could do, and suggested that after they changed their reservations to contact Support to see if there was anything AirBnb recommended in this situation.  I was not able to rent the suite out and I have Strict cancellation policy in place, which means they get no refund, however with the guest’s allergy, what would other hosts do in this situation?

[Lori2546]

Hi Nancy,

I haven't been a host for long.  However, I've noticed sometimes guests want to leave early for whatever reason.  You stated in your listing that there is a cat on premises.  Guests seem to skim descriptions, cancellation policy, etc. However, you did your part by including it in your description.  I would not refund the guest.  I hope this helps.

[Helen3]

There's no reason for you to offer the guest a refund @Nancy1248 .

Just quote the part in your listing where you say you have a cat on your listing and say that if they have such strong cat allergies it's always a good idea to avoid listings where a host indicates there are cats on the premises. 

[Forough2]

I thought there is pre booking message to customers and if they do not agree with the pre booking message, they are not allowed to book. If air bnb accidently allowed booking happens is not your fault to refund. If your pre booking message talks about known cat allergy, issuing refund is at your discetion. I found out people do not have patience to read thoroughly, that is why I have prebooking message.

[Huma0]

@Nancy1248 

I agree with @Lori2546 and @Helen3 that no refund is due if it was already stated on your listing that you have a cat. It's the guest's fault for booking a listing that was not suitable for them.

I had a guest leave early once and ask for a refund because she was a light sleeper and due to traffic noise. I said no because this is clearly stated on the listing. 

As so many guests do not read the full listing or just skim and miss things, I now ask all guests to confirm they have read the full version, including the house rules. I have added a question in the house rules that they need to answer. I also message them to double check they have understood some key points, e.g. that I have cats, that this particular room faces the road and there is traffic noise or that that particular room is at the top of the house so there are a lot of stairs.

It's a bit of a pain to have to do this, but I think it pays off, as I rarely get guests now who complain about these things.

[Raymond290]

Very helpful 

[Sarah977]

@Nancy1248  The only place you mention the cat is in the Health and Safety section, and all it says is cat lives upstairsand doesn't go in the suite.

That isn't adequate- guests don't generally scroll down and read that section.

In the main description section, under "Other things to note", you should put "Cat lives with me upstairs. Does not enter guest suite, but if you have cat allergies, you may not wish to book here."

[Emilia42]

As a side note, it is odd that you have a separate guest suite and the guest is still sensitive to your cat. Either this guest is super allergic in which I think they should have asked about any animal presence before booking with you OR your cat is making a bigger impact then you think. 

[John5097]

I agree with @Emilia42 either this guest is super allergic or the cat is having more impact. 

I didn't see the cat mentioned but @Sarah977 found it in the health and safety. 

Like many topics here its kind of  tricky and each host has to decide what is best for them. If I think guest is being honest I would tend to be more flexible. I had one guest who had extreme alergies, had a medial diagnose, but inquired ahead of time, asking about mold, mildew explaining she had extreme allergies. She specifically asked about several things but after checking in messaged and called me in a panic asking if the mattress had latex in it. I told her not to worry we would sort it out, and I researched it and as it turned out didn't have latex. Her and the boy friend went to lowes and made a "redneck" air filter as they described it with a box fan and AC filter. I told them I had both they could use, and I"m sure did nothing to improve air quality but worked for her. But if she just couldn't stay I would have issued refund. She left a great review and said she was just so happy to have some place she could vacation. But she did ask about many of her triggers and I actually encouraged her to book the place as it seemed like it might be a good fit for her.  

[Monica2008]

I had something similar happen to me yesterday. A couple reserved for six nights and on their third day told me they wanted to check out because they felt my place was too dusty and triggered his wife's asthma (my home is in the Arizona desert, and we had a wind gust of 25mph). They insisted o looking for me at how dusty it was. As I walked, I noticed they had opened all the window blinds and windows. They said they could not stay there any longer and suggested I fire my cleaning company because it was dusty, and they wanted a full refund. The gust left but has not checked out on Airbnb yet. What can I do I'm pretty new to airbnb, but I'm a Super host and have maintained 5-star reviews so far. What can I do?

[Raymond290]

what a Time consuming performance you had to go through, All for  nothing

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Monica2008 You can do very little I am afraid. You will get a bad review, most probably, whatever you do so as the guest hasn't cancelled (which would free up your dates) I would not refund.

[Leah50]

I stick with my cancellation policy. If they cannot read the description fully or ask appropriate questions to cater to their habits or needs.

NOT MY PROBLEM.

The description, listing, and policy have to count for more than their incompetence.