I got played

[Bradley162]

We have a two-day minimum and a guest booked for Nov 25 and 26. November 25 he  (we will call him Edward M,) texts at 9:30am asking if he could check-in early. Normally we have a 4:00 check-in but I thought in the spirit of the holiday why not. So later on thanksgiving day we stop by the house to feed the chickens (we have 25 acres with 3 properties + 5 chickens) and notice there are 11 cars at the house. So the guy is having a party. We let it go and I returned  the next morning  (Nov 26) and there were  5 cars still at the house around 11:00 am.   I did not talk to the guest but sent text and used Airbnb messaging  asking him to turn on the WiFi. Next thing I know is I get a message that he checked out - a full day early. I called Airbnb asked if I would still get paid for the two days and they said of course. On the evening on Nov 26 I got an email from Airbnb noting  a resolution of -$500 so I only got paid for 1 night and did not get the cleaning fee. The guest cited a privacy concern due to a dog from the other guests.  Bottom line - this guy rented our house, had a party then left and shorted me over half the fees.  I’ve called Airbnb a couple time to complain about the rules violations and party and find out why the guest paid only 1 night.   Airbnb has done nothing to support me on this.  I feel like an idiot but hopefully other can learn from this and protect themselves. 

[Robin4]

@Bradley162 

Yeah Brad, you have been played for an idiot!

Because Airbnb is so guest centric, some guests know they can get away with this behaviour with immunity. And it is becoming worse!

1. Guests know they can book a 14 night stay for a 15% discount, cancel after 6 nights and get refunded for the remainder of the stay at the discounted rate and the host gets stiffed into providing a 6 night stay at a 15% discount!
2. The guest knows they can book a 7 night stay and on the last day introduce bedbugs from a supply they carry with them and claim a full refund for the entire stay and get the hosts listing closed down.
3. Guests know they can threaten the host with a 1 star review unless the host agrees to a substantial refund for some insignificant issue the guest might have conjured up.

Guests know how to work the system Brad because Airbnb let them, their word is gospel whereas the hosts word and house rules is of no consequence. You won't get support and Airbnb will run you around in circles saying they don't have an answer and close your case.

I am fortunate in that I have been here on the CC for 6+ years, I have seen it all and I have taken steps to make sure what has happened to you will not happen here.

You have to strengthen up your listing description and make it clear that, privacy will be respected but acreage or not you have a cigarette smoke detector which alerts your phone and sounds an alarm when cigarettes are smoked within the listing.

You have to make it clear that unauthorized visitors are not covered under Airbnb's protection scheme and property numbers are monitored before entering the listing. 

You have to make your property unappealing to guests who might want to push the boundaries and screw you over.

Learn from each experience Brad, and close off that loophole from your end and you will have a great hosting career.....but don't expect support from Airbnb, when it comes to disputes that's what guests get, not hosts!

Cheers........Rob

[Bradley162]

Thanks Rob,  this has certainly been a learning experience.  Not sure what to do now since my listings have been suspended and no one form Airbnb will call me back.  

[Colleen253]

@Bradley162 Yes, sadly you got played, but there’s plenty you could have done to prevent this. Never rely on Airbnb, and always take everything fully into your own hands. Preventing undesirable guests from gaining access to your space is far easier than dealing with fallout.

Vet your potential guests thoroughly, asking where they are coming from (locals = party red  flag, and profile info is often out of date) who will be joining them, what the purpose for their stay is etc. Address unregistered guests and occupancy limits in your house rules. Require all guests to be named on the booking. If possible, do in person check in and require ID to be shown by all guests.

When you arrived to find 11 cars, you needed to address that immediately. If you know a guest is having a party and do nothing about it, you become an accessory to it and that can get you in trouble.

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/2704/party-and-events-policy

The WIFI being turned off is another red flag you let go. Never ignore red flags. 

I can’t see your listings to offer more suggestions, have they been suspended by Airbnb over the bogus guest complaint? It happens far too often. 

[Bradley162]

Agreed -  I was naive and stupid.  To be fair it was thanksgiving and I was trying to be generous.  Thanks for the feedback.

[Mark116]

@Bradley162  That's unfortunate, but as you see when you let things go, guests continue to push the limits.  This guy never intended to stay 2 nights.  

I'm not sure how a dog is a privacy issue so maybe if you have A LOT of patience you can ultimately claw back the 1 night and cleaning fees.

We had guests over the holidays, and when we have people over Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter we try to go the extra mile.  Unfortunately these guests managed to stain expensive cotton sheets & quilt, ruined a towel,  overflowed the bathroom somehow and melted the spout on an expensive tea kettle.  Never saying a word about any of this.  So, of course, you end up feeling like a sucker.

[Colleen253]

“I'm not sure how a dog is a privacy issue so maybe if you have A LOT of patience you can ultimately claw back the 1 night and cleaning fees.”

@Mark116 Ridiculous indeed. It sounds like the ‘major player’ guest managed to reach one of the more incompetent customer circus reps (odds are always high). Perfect storm for @Bradley162 

[Mark116]

Yes, I can't see the listings either, so @Bradley162  it looks like Airbnb suspended you over the privacy complaint.

[Clara116]

@Bradley162 yes it's unfortunate you got played but you must look at every move you made to play right into all this awful guests behavior. Sorry you got shut down... hopefully you can get this resolved quickly. Please look closely at all the steps in this drama: calling for an early ck in at 9:30am...hope u didn't let them come that early....then u see 11 cars and you are there but say Nothing...that's a party and you ok'd it by saying nothing. They had the wifi off and u ignored it. They had no intention to stay...but that the cleaning fee and last night are not paid is crazy. A big thing I  see was calling and complaining to Airbnb that you didn't get paid....you were  late on being in contact with Airbnb...When u gave the early ck in....they knew you might be easy and you confirmed that a few times...and so just Incase they had/found something to file with CS so they don't have to fully pay and to overshadow them leaving a day early. They knew exactly what they were doing. And they figured since u hadn't done anything about all the stuff before u were easy. I'm sorry but may we all learn from this. It's one thing to be generous but it's another to encourage guests when you don't realize that's what you are doing.

If at the other property there was a dangerous dog....that will get you delisted as it would be a safety, security issue for sure. I would make sure that was the truth and if not....go after these awful people. Sorry this happened.