Guest leaving because i did not have ethernet - whihc i do not advertise

Mandy375
Level 2
Scotland, United Kingdom

Guest leaving because i did not have ethernet - whihc i do not advertise

Hiya, I had a guest arrive yesterday - and leave ten minutes later!!

 

The booking came 2 days befire she was due to arrive so i got it all ready and the cleaner booked.

 

It was sposed to be almost a month booking but I wasnt 100% ready when she arrived (I wasnt back from town with her milk etc) 

I had left the cleaner in the flat and when i got back about an hour after check in time i realised there were a few pieces cutlery missing (still in my dishwasher), the modem hadnt been switched on and my smelly wet dogs were lying near her door where they should not be!

 

I sorted it all out sure it was ready for her but at 7.30 she cancelled the reservation then at 8.20 i got a message saying she wanted a refund cos she had been there - cutlery missing, the ethernet wasnt there ad the outer door was smelly of wet dog.

 

I admit all my mistakes and would very happily give her over £200 refund for the place not being 100% ready - but she said in her message the real reason she decided the flat was no good cos there was no ethernet cable. I dont offer ethernet, its never been on my listing.

 

She topped off this message with a threat about her getting her refund or she will leave a bad review - Im not fussed by that if she wants to do it, I can mitigate it with a good reply, (altthough i actually think she has waived her right to review by cancelling on check in day) - but I want to be fair above all else.

 

I know I made some mistakes, I am but humam, but they were all very rectifiable and she could have had a great stay - but she had not read my listing and made a mistake in HER booking.

 

What would you do?

11 Replies 11
Lorna170
Level 10
Swannanoa, NC

@Mandy375  I think that you have dodged a discontented guest.  These days, anyone who is travelling and expecting the host to provide an RJ45 cable to attach to a modem is in need of upgrading their laptop to accept Wifi, or needs to learn how to attach to Wifi.  I am old school, and when at home, I attach to my modem using an RJ45 ethernet cable, and most modems have an ethernet port. I carry the cable with me when I travel, as I can get better service when cabled up versus Wifi, and it is more secure (IMO).    BUT, a host not providing an ethernet cable is NOT a valid reason for a guest to cancel your accommodation.    

Michelle53
Level 10
Chicago, IL

@Mandy375  Guests should ask in advance if you allow ethernet connectivity to your router. I have a separate space for guest use, and a separate wifi guest network, with its own login, for security reasons, since I work from home.

 

I would not allow someone to connect directly to my router via an ethernet cable, bypassing my Wifi security. 

 

I agree with @Lorna170  that it is not a valid reason for cancelling. 

@Michelle53   In reviewing your further posts about ethernet connections, I should have stated that my properties are whole house, are not shared with me or my network, and have modems that I can replace and/or reconfigure, so allowing guests to have ethernet access is fine. 

 

If I were home sharing, I would install a secondary IP address limited router for the guest wanting ethernet access in their space that does not have the capability of seeing the rest of the network.

@Lorna170 That would make sense, yes. 

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Michelle53 For the technically challenged among us could you explain why it is risking to connect direct to the router? I know there is no password needed but is some other security system bypassed?

@Mike-And-Jane0    Connecting via ethernet can make other devices on the network visible, depending on how they are configured.   Would you want someone printing hundreds of pages of documents to your personal printer, for example ?  

 

On my personal network, I want to be able to see all the devices. But I would not want a guest to be able to do that. 

 

Also, malware can be introduced into the network that could potentially bypass  anti-virus programs installed on one's computers.    That's mainly how corporations get hacked - an employee unwittingly clicks a link and hacking malware is downloaded.

 

My guest wifi security will warn me if someone accesses a spam  link, and automatically blocks it.   I'm not going to have any idea what kind of protection is on the guest's device. 

There's another thing that makes the whole "Digital Nomad" idea one giant security risk. Employees logging into corporate networks are generally not allowed to use those networks for personal purposes. 

 

Guests in hosts' homes may be there to "work remotely" but they aren't going to limit themselves to purely "work purposes" on a host's home network.  

 

Maybe they'll be working for a number of hours - the rest of the time they could be doing almost anything online. Surfing, shopping,  chatting with friends and family, gaming, whatever.   It's a huge risk not to have those activities segregated onto their own network with its own login. 

Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

@Mandy375 “… i actually think she has waived her right to review by cancelling on check in day”

 

Both parties are given the opportunity to review from 24 hours before check in, and cancelling makes no difference. Though her review extortion threat  means you can have her review removed, as long as the communications were all kept on platform. The reason for cancelling is not valid for a refund. 

Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Mandy375 

 

Unfortunately, it appears that they can always get a full refund if they show up and leave immediately, if they are clever enough to invent an excuse.

 

The easiest one is, “I felt unsafe.”  (Meaning: I was planning to break the rules but now I see that there are nosy neighbors nearby who will tattle on me.”

 

”The house stank so bad I couldn’t stand it.” (Meaning: I found something cheaper.)

 

”Host was rude and abusive.” (Meaning: Host denied entry to 4 extra guests, a horde of screaming children, and six pit bulls.)

 

I would guess that this guest was confused about ethernet being offered as an amenity. It may have been on another property she browsed, but anyway, I would guess that the real reason was “I found something cheaper on the supermarket bulletin board.”

Jenny349
Level 10
Bordeaux, France

I wasnt 100% ready when she arrived (I wasnt back from town with her milk etc) 

I had left the cleaner in the flat and when i got back about an hour after check in time i realised there were a few pieces cutlery missing (still in my dishwasher), the modem hadnt been switched on and my smelly wet dogs were lying near her door where they should not be! 

 

 @Mandy375  we’re all human, for sure, but that’s not a great look for an arriving guest, even more so someone planning on staying nearly a month! Maybe she lost confidence at this point and simply decided to get out sharpishly instead  of getting in any deeper? 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Mandy375  The biggest mistake you made was not failing to have the place 100% ready, but in accepting a month-long booking requested 2 days before check-in. People who are such poor planners  are a giant red flag.

 

A lot of bad scenarios can be avoided by being aware of what is indicative of a potentially bad guest and not accepting the booking in the first place.