Host a guest stained our sheet, and decline our damage request and threaten to write a bad review.

Bin0
Level 2
Ottawa, Canada

Host a guest stained our sheet, and decline our damage request and threaten to write a bad review.

Last week there was a group of guest check out our property, our cleaner came over the property found our there was stain on the sheet that we were not able to clean it, we took a photo and submit a request to claim the damage fee from the guest.

 

The very late evening, i was woke up by their call, very rude to said that we didn't have a proof that it was them did it, i told them everytime guest check out and check in, we will check the place, he said if we don't provide the picture of the sheet before they check in, they were not paying it. And they said our property was bad, the sheet were smelly and they wanted give us bad review if we asked them pay, i realised he was threaten me basically! I feel like eating a fly, so discusing, i have never seem and experienced such kind of people, they didn't amit what they did first, and they accuse our nicely maitain property secondly, and last they used the airbnb system to threaten us, they knew the review is very important. 

 

I feel angry mostly,  but In the end, i told them if they didn't want to pay, we will cover it, so they were satisfy to hand up the phone and declined our damage request, but i still feel like **bleep**, i feel airbnb is not protecting the host, our host just need to bear this type of guest?

 

 

4 Replies 4
Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

Go ahead with your claim, @Bin0 but it is difficult to blame a stain on a particular guest.  Still, you probably need to stand up for yourself, so just do it.  Threatening a negative review is not allowed by Air BNB.  So your choices are to continue with your claim, write a thumbs down review and later respond to their review in a very controlled professional way. .. or not.  Your choice

 

You probably will not collect for the damage unless you have evidence, which most of us would not be able to do.  However, it would be important for the host community to have an honest review.  Good luck! 

Kate157
Level 10
SF, CA

Hi @Bin0, I use a duvet cover and bottom sheet in my setup. I bought several bottom sheets all at the same time, and rather than get into an adversarial argument with a guest, I would just absorb the cost and use the sheet as rags. I expect such things will occasionally happen, and compared to the financial benefits I have gained from my Airbnb business, the cost of a sheet is nothing. Also, guests do not like to be accused, and I wouldn't go through that for anything but major damage.

I had this exact same scenario recently and found the guest to be more accommodating than Airbnb was. 

However, just amazed at how gross they were throughout the house altogether - I hadn't gotten guests quite this messy before!

 

The guest was ok to pay for the cleaning/replacement (I use a mattress protector as that is ultimately what it does!) and asked them to replace that instead of the sheet.

They had problems paying through the Airbnb Resolution center, so I 'Involved Airbnb' in the Resolution Center in order to get to a human being and explain that the client was having trouble using the site to pay.

 

They launched into a big canned answer about how I need to provide receipts of original purchase, more pictures, etc. 

I told them that the client is already wanting to pay, they just can't!! All in all, the guest figured it out and made the payment, no help from Airbnb.

 

Anyway - it seems like short of including in your rental agreement a clause that perhaps literally lists out ALL of your rental space inventory and the amount that it is worth in damages if it needs to be replaced, Airbnb far more seems inclined to lean toward the guest in a case like this. 

Mike446
Level 1
Nashville, TN

Seems like if you show AirBnb proof of them threatening to leave a bad review if "x" occurs than they will just remove that review for you.