How to Handle Guest Email with Laundry List of Complaints?

Hopey0
Level 2
Salt Lake City, UT

How to Handle Guest Email with Laundry List of Complaints?

Hi All,

 

The short version of this is that I had a guest that didn't read the listing, didn't read/respond to my emails before their stay, was unable to operate basic household items (ie an electrical outlet), and then sent a lengthy complaint email after checkout. All of her major complaints (surveillance cameras, Uber, etc) were either disclosed or discussed in my listing and/or my emails before their stay. Neither of us has written a review for the other yet and I'm wondering the best way to handle this email and potential review. As an FYI, they left my home very clean and might be fine guests for a property with an onsite host. However, since I only rent my place when I'm out-of-town, I would like to avoid guests that need this much hand-holding in the future.

 

Background Info

I'm a newer Airbnb Host. I have 2 listings-- my personal home that I list only when I'm traveling and the condo next door which I list in-between long term rentals. Both are 2 bedroom 1 bathroom condos just East of Salt Lake City.

 

This particular guest made a booking for my personal home (Simple Condo #2) about 3 months ago. She was brand new to Airbnb with no reviews. The booking was for 3 women who were all attending an MLM convention in downtown SLC. For reference, the nightly cost for the guest after all Airbnb fees was about $200/night. By comparison, the Motel 6 in downtown SLC is also about $200/night during MLM conventions and a 3-star hotel (Hyatt, Marriott, etc) runs $400/night.

 

Immediately after booking, I sent the guest an email detailing what to expect at my house, how Airbnb is different than a hotel, parking and check-in information, transportation information, a few restaurant and sight-seeing options that are walking distance from my home, and links for transportation options. I didn't receive a response but the booking was months away at this point so I didn't worry about it. A few weeks before their reservation, I sent a follow up email with a reminder for check-in and parking information and asked how they were arriving so I could give them more specific information. No response. I sent a third email asking for confirmation that my messages were being received and asking when/how the guests would be arriving. I finally received a response telling me they would be arriving at 2pm. I replied that check-in wasn't until 4pm but I could arrange for them to drop off their luggage and go get lunch/sightsee until check-in time. No response. I sent another email a few days before their reservation asking them to confirm if they needed to drop off luggage before check-in. The guest responded saying they would be arriving about 4pm and asked for my address and phone number-- which I provided again.

 

The first woman arrived around 5pm and called me because her Uber driver was lost. I gave the Uber driver directions and then sent a text to this woman (not the one who made the reservation) with the best address to use for Uber. Cue an 11pm phone call from the woman that made the reservation screaming into my voicemail that she didn't know how to get to my house. I sent a text to this woman that I was in the desert with limited cell service but could be reached by text and included the address to use for Uber. I got a few more complaint texts throughout the week about Uber and kept responding with the address they should be using. The day of checkout, I received a text from one of the women saying she loved my home and thanking me for hosting her. I then received this lovely email from the woman that made the booking:

 

"Your cute condo was very clean and simply laid out as per your reputation. However, not what I expected at convention pricing!
- [ ] The biggest problem was that both Uber & Lyft had trouble finding the condo using the correct address* conservatively speaking 50% went to the wrong location and called us asking where we were. It did add to our stress level to get places timely.(*suggestion for that later.)
- [ ] Another issue was you had advertised “a tub”. However, even with your detailed instructions the overhead shower-head never turned completely off even though it was diverted to the spout. Plus the temperature setting was not hot enough for a hot bath.(“hot” can be a relative term). It was awkward bath with sprinkling showerhead... it was warmer!
- [ ] We had problems with the kitchen plugs. We brought a Bullet for morning shakes. We hit both the electric plugs and reset buttons for both kitchen plugs and never got Bullet to work. Brought Bullet home and it works fine.
- [ ] The biggest challenge the 3 of us dealt with was the Echo looking spy system you have set up without our knowledge. We all felt such an invasion of privacy-But hey it’s your home. Not a hotel where it is against the law to have such things. One lady felt someone was watching her. ( we never discovered cameras). Perhaps if you inform your guests in your House Rules, that may help people not feel so violated.
- [ ] Trying to find the extra blankets was like a treasure hunt. Perhaps mentioning extra blankets in House Rules.
- [ ] The foreign currency decor-looked nice but we didn’t have much room to put our things. Head of bed and the floor worked.
- [ ] * one Lyft driver recommended we use the address of a house that faced the street. Perhaps discussing on the House Rules page after they initially arrived . ( of course you would need to clear that with resident’s permission) the suggestion was [Address I provided in pre-arrival email and texts]. Though your proper address is: [My actual address].
- [ ] The “convention pricing” was what really made me feel I did not get a good value. "

18 Replies 18
Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@Hopey0 Wow.... I know what I'd LIKE to say to this guest, but that would probably lead to a REALLY bad review.

 

Dear MLM Hun,

 

I'm sorry to hear that you had some difficulties with your stay: I want every guest to have a great experience in my home, and I take all feedback seriously. I will look at making the improvements you suggest.

 

Thanks for staying, and all the best for your future travels.

 

Hopey

 

I wouldn't specifically address any of her complaints, because they're largely so stupid they don't merit a response. Guests who don't read and are so convinced of their own rightness aren't going to have their minds changed by you pointing out all the ways they're wrong - no matter how tempting it may be.

 

If you get a guest like this in future with all of these red flags, maybe consider calling Airbnb and ask them to cancel because you're uncomfortable. Whatever you do, I would review this guest honestly. Mark them down on communication, for sure, and let other hosts know about their entitled and rude attitude.

 

 

@Alexandra316 Thank you so much for your response. This is exactly the diplomatic reply I was looking for. The bad karma she's building with her rotten attitude and forcing friends and family into her MLM network will surely come back to haunt her in a few years... But I would personally like to never have anything to do with her again.

 

Would you have called Airbnb after their reservation started to have them moved? Are hosts punished for doing that?

@Hopey0If you're uncomfortable, you shouldn't be punished, no. You wouldn't be paid out for the balance of their stay, but you can cancel. 

 

Fingers crossed for no more bad guests, and to MLM huns getting the karma they so richly deserve!

@Hopey0  I doubt I would  have had them moved, because they can still review you, and moving them would have guaranteed a bad review.  However, if someone screamed at me, I would remind them they are free to find a place that better suits their needs and I will do all I can to help make it a smooth transition because I want them to be happy and it seems my listing is not to their liking.

 

This person may not leave a review at all, you never can tell these days, I would definitely not review her unless she reviews you or do her review on the 14th day.  

 

 

@Hopey0 @Mark116 I was actually kind of meaning I would have considered cancelling or getting Airbnb involved even before they arrived, based on lack of communication. I believe in listening to your gut, and if a guest is throwing up red flags before they even arrive, it may be best just to nip the whole thing in the bud. 

@Alexandra316 I'm definitely going to do this if I ever run into this again. All my best guests have been good communicators-- and that doesn't always mean they're the easiest guests.

David3267
Level 10
Torquay, United Kingdom

Hi, agree withAlexandra's response except maybe add that 'this guest might be better suited to hotel accommodation', this is a nice flag to offer to other hosts. Sadly too many people do not read or assume. "where's your garage?' on the day is one we get asked in a busy seaside resort. We don't have one, we never have said we do  but guess what, it would be our fault they didn't read properly or ask earlier. Good luck in the future

Adriana100
Level 10
Pitts, PA

Wow, I'd say that you are screwed no matter what.

She'll give you a bad review. So why not elaborate more about what happened because, honestly she's a nutcase and I wouldn't want her at my house either. Say

"Guest left the house clean but she was unresponsive to all the emails detailing essential info about the place and surroundings and how to get in, that I sent prior to her arrival. She had trouble operating electrical outlets, repeatedly complained that Uber drivers couldn't find the place, although I gave her the address to use. She complained about the shower and lack of space in the bedroom. I feel she's the type of person better suited in a hotel and therefore I would not recommend her to any of the hosts out there."

Ian-And-Anne-Marie0
Level 10
Kendal, United Kingdom

@Hopey0 

Uber, Lyft, convention pricing(?), THEIR bullet didn't work... what was the problem she complained about you could fix? Oh, the tub. House Manual update: Don't use the tub after the other guests with the water running because it will go cold and you will get sprinkled by the shower head. (a bit).

 

"Thanks for all your recommendations,  nobody has ever mentioned them before, so I'll fix them all when I return back to my condo from the dessert. Thanks for staying, I hope you manage to get back some time in the future !!"

 

Seriously, every problem a guest encounters is obviously the hosts fault. You might provide step by step directions to get to your place ahead of the next Uber and Lyft problems and send them to your guests ahead of their arrival. Give them the Long/Lat, just to make sure.

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  thanks for your response. The latitude/longitude for Uber is a great idea. I will definitely start providing that. I *do* provide details on how to use Uber in my pre-trip emails and also texted the info to their cellphones. Add to that, my guests staying in the unit next door attended the same convention and had zero issues with Uber...

 

I could put together a much more comprehensive guide on how to use Uber but I also don't want to overwhelm my guests with too much info. I have free parking at my place, I'm 1 block from the train and a major bus route, and an Uber for the airport and most tourist attractions is less than $15. My strategy so far has been to include a very brief overview of transportation options in the pre-trip email but I don't go into details on anything unless they ask or tell me how they're arriving. Is there a better way of approaching this?

 

Her specific complaint about the bathtub is actually more that the max temperature is 115 degrees. She sent me a message halfway through the trip detailing her leg and health problems, that the only reason she booked my place is because of my bathtub (pretty sure it's because I was the cheapest option in a good location but okay) and how the max temperature was fine for a "warm" shower but not sufficient for a hot bath. She then requested that I remotely raise my water heater temperature for her between 8:30-11:30pm... I could certainly add the max shower/bath temperature to my listing... but will people like her even read it??

 

I see your point that every guest problem is the host's fault. In this particular case, I should have done a better job filtering my guests to make sure they were a good fit for my home. I suspect that even if I had a private driver that provided all transportation and a bathtub filled with lava, this woman still would have complained about the pocket change on my desk and the "hidden spy cameras."

 

I've gotten some really good feedback on this thread about how to handle this situation and prevent it in the future and I'm grateful for all the awesome hosts here that help us newbies! I'm still learning a lot about hosting but count myself lucky that this is the only really bad guest I've had so far.

 

 

 

@Hopey0  I think you want to be careful assuming too much responsibility for Uber.  Alerting guests that Uber sometimes has trouble w/the address and Do XXX, is sufficient.  The more instructions, etc. you give, the more the guests will blame you.

 

I would just put a disclaimer on the listing, water heats to XX degrees, for those who want a hotter temperature, this listing may not be for you.

Emilia42
Level 10
Orono, ME

@Hopey0 

Jessum! 4 or 5 stars for cleanliness, fine, but please give this guest 1 star for communication. You can't win with her so expect a not so great review. It's important to note in the review that she did not read or respond, whether she is staying with an on-site host or not. I like @Adriana100 's suggestion.

Lisa1933
Level 2
Washington, DC

I have had just 3 difficult guests out of over 70 so and I wish you the same good luck. I found that many people really don’t read listing info and so enforce the most vital rules with large signs and reminders via messages through the app. However, with the best of efforts guests still leave our door unlocked upon check out, etc. Some guests are unhappy, picky souls who find little good in anything. I have had to do two negative reviews in 40-odd, which is not bad but I believe some guests should come with such warnings. If you get a bad review you can publicly respond to unfair accusations (as it states in my listing), etc. I always ask guests upon check in and say 2 if they need anything, etc. which helps. It’s hard when you offer that and still get complaints but you know you’ve done all you could. Generally, the guests are great.

Thank you for responding with some actual numbers of your bad experiences. The hardest part of being a newer host is figuring out what is genuine feedback and what is a nitpicky guest expressing their personal references. Literally everything in her complaint email is feedback I've never received before. So then I have to figure out whether other guests just don't mention these things or this woman has unrealistic expectations. It seems like a good rule of thumb is that 1:20 guests will be meh... Hopefully that number goes down with more hosting experience.