Guests refusing to pay taxes as stated

Gina168
Level 2
Duluth, MN

Guests refusing to pay taxes as stated

I am about to host my 2nd stay through Airbnb. The reservation was made within a couple hours of my listing going live and the "smart pricing" setting was on. Because I was so new, I didn't realize it until after I accepted it. I was just so darn excited about getting a reservation. My normal rates to rent my entire home (6 bedrooms, 4500 sq ft) is $200 more a night than they reserved it for. I chaulked it up to a costly learning opportunity and proceeded to send them a communication that Airbnb does not calculate or collect taxes and that I would send them the total for that prior to their stay. This is also clearly stated on my listing as per the requirements of Airbnb.

 

A week later, they contact me to say they wanted to change their reservation to a different weekend but didn't understand why it was over $400 more for a different date. We communicated on a phone call where I explained that the rates when they booked were not accurate and that if they wanted to move the dates I would be happy to meet them in the middle. The new date request was sent and the pricing included the additional $102.50 a night rate, but inadvertantly I forgot to add in the cleaning fee. Costly learning opportunity #2. Moving on...

 

This last week I sent them the email stating the taxes to be collected upon their arrival. They are now saying my additional fees and effort to suddenly add taxes is "asinine" and that they won't pay them. 

 

1) They are getting one heck-of-a-deal!

2) I didn't have to give any discount for the date switch.

3) They aren't paying a cleaning fee.

4) I won't make any money after I pay the cleaning staff the cleaning fees and will lose money if I have to pay the taxes for them.

4) After her attitude and not nice email, I'm afraid her reviews are going to be more detrimental to me in the long run than a penalty I may incur to cancel the reservation a couple days before their arrival.

 

Anybody have any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Gina

6 Replies 6
Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@Gina168They sound unpleasant, and if you clearly state in your listing that taxes need to be paid, refusing to pay them sounds like reasonable grounds for cancellation. If you want to cancel their reservation, I would get in contact with Airbnb about the reservation and explain that the guest is refusing to pay the taxes. Based on the circumstances, they may cancel penalty-free for you: it's worth a try, rather than paying the cancellation fees and hit to your reputation. I agree that it sounds like you're headed for a bad review and possiby a bad guest. 

Thank you for your reply! Airbnb is willing to cancel the reservation, penalty-free based on the guests refusal to pay taxes. They are also willing to talk with the guest to explain that we, as the host, are within our right to ask for taxes. I understand that Airbnb wants us to work this out; however, based on the last communication from the guest, I'm feeling better and better about them simply not being in my home. Thank you again for your help!

Or...if a bad review is left that is not based on RELEVANCY (something that is in your control), you can ask Airbnb to REMOVE that entire review.  Thanks!  Celeste

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Gina168 Call CS immediately & ask them to tell you what THEY think you should do about a guest refusing to pay the taxes. (Hopefully you have all of this clearly listed in your message thread)

hopefully this CS person will realize that they should cancel this for you. 

IF they don’t.... remember this is your home, name calling would certainly be one of the benchmarks that I would expect to mean that this person would not be coming to visit me

Thank you! Not wanting to pay the taxes and then calling my request "asinine" are probably enough red flags to justifiably cancel the reservation. After CS read through all of the communications and verified my listing says we collect taxes, they are willing to wipe the whole slate clean on the reservation and not penalize me in any way. Whew!

 

These people will have to go out and see if they can get a better deal. I promise you... it will be a lot more than what they would have paid... even with taxes.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

@Gina168 Thanks for the update. I’m so glad you got a helpful CS. People who don’t know how to be baseline respectful but are just looking for a cheap deal are exactly the kind of guests that abb should be protecting hosts from. I’m glad it worked out. Good luck on your new hosting. 

PS reading a bunch of cc threads may save you from learning a few more lessons the hard way & prep you how to prepare for your next different loony guest. Speaking of, after CS cancels this guest make sure you look up the instructions on how to block them from your listing & further communication. Take care!!