Guest with allergies rents my dog friendly apartment

[Laurel70]

I had the unfortunate spiral down with a guest who booked my apartment and admitted she didn't read my listing bc she " saw I had a house manual" . It went from bad to worse in about 15 minutes time and started with her arriving unannounced and parking in my neighbors driveway across the street. Actually I realized it looked like she had arrived bc I saw them walking down the street. So I headed to the door of the apartment, realized they weren't there, went out the door to look around the corner and hear my dogs go off so now I know theyve gone to the wrong door. I gave them a polite shout that they were at the wrong entrance and she asked me if she had parked in the right place. I didn't see her pull up and didn't know what she was driving so I asked where she was and she pointed to my neighbors driveway so of course I said no. I told her she was welcome to park in my driveway,  or directly in front of the house bc its easier for unloading. She gets in her car and somewhat agressively whips around the corner and parks out front, by the apartment entrance. By the time she gets to the porch I can tell she's not happy. I ignore it, walk them up the stairs, try to give them my very brief intro to the house, which I can do in less than 3 minutes. I can tell they are somewhat refusing to follow me around, I show them the wifi info, explain the door code and details of the outer door and out I go. I went back out to finish unloading my car bc normally, when I have guests I park the furthest away from the door and although shes parked legally in the street I decide to message her and let her know if she prefers to park off street, please do. She responds that her daughter is having an asthma attack, they are at the pharmacy getting an inhaler, the dog dander and odor are setting her off and they must leave and of course, expects a refund. Ive read enough on this board to realize I am not going to aruge and tell her im very sorry, of course I'll refund her ( she was only to be here one night) and the entire thing, from start to finish, her arrival to her refund is less than a half hour. I let her know I refunded her, she tells me she didn't read my listing bc she saw I had a house manual. So that's her flimsy excuse to not know exacty where to park, not know exactly what door is my guest entrance and not know that I allow pets. That is the ultimate in frustration bc if you have a kid who is so allergiic to pets, wouldnt you read the listing? I mention im pet friendly in my first or second paragraph. Ive never had anyone park in the wrong driveway. Never had anyone go to the wrong entrance. Never had anyone book with allergies or complain about pet dander or odor. Please look at my reviews,  many check " sparkling clean" as I am well aware that renting to pet owners requires exceptional diligence in vaccuming, rolling, deodorizing. My dogs are not allowed upstairs, it's a completely seperate entrance, the last person with a dog was probably 2 or 3 guests prior.

I had hoped quickly refunding, remaining polite and friendly,  even though this entire situation, every bit of it could have been completely avoided if she had just read the listing. But nope. She has reviewed me and I know shes not going to be nice. Also a former host, I might add.

So, is it nit picky that I review her mentioning all this foolishness even before she got in the door? Let me also add, I went up immediately after, noticed they had sat on the bed. I don't know what made me fluff the pillows but when I did, there were crackers under them. Not crumbs but large pieces of cracker under the pillow. Purposely planted, I dont know. It appeared to be but I don't want my reivew to sound  as nit picky as she really gives me reason to be. All this in 10 minutes time.  I don't want to come off sounding ridiculous but the entire mess was totally bc she simply didn't read.

Or do I review her stating the date she checked in and simply say she did not stay?  Please advise!  Thank you in advance.

[Sarah977]

@Laurel70   Yes, please review her honestly, other hosts need to be aware of this type of person. Keep it brief but do make it clear that she read none of the information on the listing and told you that because there was a house manual, she didn't think it neccesary - say she cancelled and left after 10 minutes because she never bothered to read that your place was pet-friendly, but that they managed to leave food remnants behind under the bed pillows in that brief period.

If you want, write a draft review and post it here for feedback from other hosts. If you only want other hosts to be able to see it, post it in Host Circle, which guests don't have access to.

Sorry you had such an unpleasant experience.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Laurel70 

oh yes, she is one of those  "arrive unhappy, stay unhappy. leave unhappy and blame the host for your mistakes and your miserable life" guest. We all get them from time to time.

Yes, review her please, something along the lines:

Guest XX arrived unannounced and in a bad mood. She didn't read my listing's description and expected something else. She canceled 10 minutes after her check-in but managed to leave food leftovers on the bed. Not recommended.

And thumb down, bad communication, bad cleanliness.

[Laurel70]

Thank you so much @Branka-and-Silvia0  and @Sarah977  ! I appreciate your solid advice. I shall compose my review and share it in Host Circle, although Im not sure where that is. I am relieved to get some guidance and ill get this done asap. 

Grateful and thankful for your help!

[Sarah977]

@Laurel70  When you go to the CC main page, you can click on various forums- Hosting, Help, and Host Circle is there as well, just under the Help forum photo.

[Wendy345]

So sorry to hear about this guest. Not that this will help now but maybe for the future. I have a listing that is pet friendLy. I took photos of my dog in the bedroom and the patio, hoping to let those non-reading guests know about pets and allergies beware. 

Surprisingly I did have a guest inquire, asking if there had been dogs on the property because of allergy issues. 

[Laurel70]

Great suggestion @Wendy345 , I will do that! Thank you.

[Ben551]

@Wendy345  this is a great suggestion and just what I was thinking.  Incorporating pictures of animals into your listing is a good idea, if you want guests to be clear about possible animal dander and allergies.

[Linda108]

@Laurel70   Glad you are getting some perspective on this issue before you act.  Sometimes a guest will rub you the wrong way in addition to being ignorant and blaming.  I don't give much credence to whether a guest is a host or not because I have seen some fairly unprofessional hosting on this forum, to be frank.  Just as new hosts think their guests will be like themselves, clean and respective, they might believe the host/guest will be sympathetic or have a sense of community with other hosts.  Good luck!

[Laurel70]

Thank you @Linda108 , I definitely needed feedback bc I don't want to over react. I've read some not so reassuring comments on here referring to hosting other hosts. My experience has been fairly equally divided. A couple have been wonderful, a couple have been not so much. I've been overly happy with my experiences thus far, still getting my feet wet, just starting last July. It's great to reach out and get support and hand holding when needed. Thanks so much for the insight.

[Sarah977]

@Laurel70  From reports I've read here about hosting other hosts,  it's not any better or worse than hosting those who have only ever been guests. Basic human nature means there will be nice, accomodating, appreciative people and fussy, complaining people- just because they are hosts themselves doesn't mean they won't fall into the latter category. You'd think they'd all be more easy going and understanding, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[Laurel70]

@Sarah977  My experience has definitely been mixed. When they are kind they write great reviews. I just posted my sample review in the host circle. Thanks for any and all input. 🙂

[Suzanne302]

@Laurel70 

She sounds like an awful guest! And not to blame you in any way, but just a question...Did you send her check-in instructions letting her know where to park?

I only ask because as a host, I always send short, but explicit instructions on how to find the house, where to park, and how to check-in. (of course some guests still get some things wrong, lol!)

As a guest, I've been confused as to where to park before when the host hasn't made it clear. I know it sounds silly to have to say, "You may park in the driveway." But I actually stayed at a shared home and it was a tiny driveway and I hadn't been given any instructions prior to arrival so I wasn't sure if they wanted me to park in the drive or on the street. Or maybe I was overthinking it! Either way, there were two cars in the drive, and to park in the driveway, I had to pull in behind one of them, hence, my hesitation.

So even if info is in your listing, and even if past guests have had no issues, maybe in the future a check-in message might be helpful if you don't do that already!

As for the review, I agree with the other hosts who have commented! Good luck!

[Ben551]

@Laurel70  well done for surviving your first Martian guest.  I say this because it appears she lacked basic Human decency.  I don't believe for a moment that the crackers under the pillow were not intentional, you're don't sound batty for suggesting it either.  I would bet my socks this was revenge sabbotage.

Call it out in the review.  I quite like @Branka & Silvia 's example review, that's a great example.  Definitely make it clear that the mistake is hers for not reading your listing. 

The thing I find strange is the allergy and asthma thing.. what person doesn't read a listing when their child has this?!?!  My wife has asthma and is also terribly illergic to dog dander.  She's at the level where she rapidly turns into a red faced, sneezing mess I practically have to carry out over my shoulder.  If any dogs are allowed in a hotel, holiday home, or even a restaurant we book (happens sometimes in the UK) then she either pre doses with antihistamine or we go elsewhere...

[Sarah977]

@Ben551  I wonder the same about these allergy sufferers. My oldest daughter and son-in-law owned and managed a big, well-established retaurant with an extensive menu. One night a woman came in to dine, advised the server that she was deathly allergic to shellfish and to make sure no shellfish touched her plate. A few minutes after starting to eat her dinner, she went into anaphalactic shock and had to be rushed to the hospital. She tried to sue them, but she lost.

Why in the world would someone who's deathly allergic to shellfish go eat in a 300 seat busy restaurant that has shellfish on the menu? Lots of it. Of course the kitchen staff, run off their feet, working at breakneck speed to get the meals out, can't be attentive to whether a utensil that might have come in contact with a piece of shrimp happened to graze someone's plate. It's not like there aren't other restaurants to choose that don't serve shellfish. I don't get why anyone would put their life or their comfort level on the line like that.