Not sure how to write this review... Any tips?

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

Not sure how to write this review... Any tips?

21014096_10154953971683123_8411112053517477294_o.jpgThis guest finally checked out without letting me know where she left the keys until I asked her. When I entered the room to check it out, I found 1) lots of hair everywhere 2) dark stains on the pillow cases 3) furniture rearranged without being placed back. 

 

Besides, she also left the stove on for hours unattended after cooking till I got home around 9:45pm and found it. She also left her window open during the weekend when she was absent for three days. Fortunately the rain was not so heavy, and the furniture, tower fan and bedding by the window were not damaged. 

 

Did she cause any serious damage? No. Did she follow the house rules? Most of the time. Was she receptive to my reminder and warnings? Yes, but everytime she had a lot to say. Was she a great guest? No. Of the 30-40 guests I have hosted, she was the worst. Was she a nice person? I would say so, but you don't want a nice person to use your stove without turining it off after cooking. 

 

I wonder if I should just say "xxx stayed for xxx nights," or "better suited for the entire listing." She is a young university student and seems to love traveling, so she will be a frequent Airbnb user. An unfavourable review will probably bring a dead end to her Airbnb profile, but a vague review will not let other hosts to know what to expect from this potential guest. 

 

Really don't know how to write this review...

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33 Replies 33
Marzena4
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

@Huaai0 For XX's sake, please do mention what you wrote in your post in the review for her. Airbnb claims that one or a few unfair 3* reviews will not prevent a host from becoming a SH. Why should hosts show 'mercy' to such guests then? What about loyalty to other hosts? Once she reads the truth in the review, the chances are higher she will learn something. As you mentioned, she is a student (I am a teacher, btw).

And to continue with your questions: did she act like a reasonably prudent person? NO... And that's it.

// "The only person you can trust is yourself"

@Huaai0 @Marzena4 I just believe WHAT YOU PERMIT YOU PROMOTE!!! So please let other host have a clue. Probably they were too busy looking at their phone, distracted! Today is seems often, distracted driving, walking, shopping, eating, NOW I can add cooking, maybe. ??  You might write something like, Although this person was very nice, somehow very distracted with regards to alot of the house rules so I think this 2 Star ** guest might be really better suited in a hotel setting.................LOL

Best to you all!!

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

@Marzena4

 

Good point! Probably not reasonable if that is the legal term for it. On Day One, one detail I found, as my gut feeling told me, might reflect that she was not being reasonably prudent and that there was going to be more issues during her stay. I provided a pen-and-sticker-notes set for guests to lable their food before puting it into the refridgerator so no one else would touch it. 

 

The first pic shows how it usually is, and the second shows how it was after she used it. I mentioned this to her, and politely asked to "leave it as she found it" just for the sake of the next user, and she had a lot to say. Her excuse was that she didn't know how to put [the pen and sticker notes] back. 

 

My gut feeling was right--two days later, she left the stove on for hours unattended after cooking. 

 

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Bruce43
Level 10
Kfar Blum, Israel

@Huaai0  that picture ruined my plans for lunch.

I had to put a new rule in my listing.

"Please do not boil your underwear in kettle"

 

don't ask 😉

 

Branka-and-Silvia0
Level 10
Zagreb, Croatia

@Huaai0

hm.... stain on the pillow, rearranged furniture (if small pieces) and hair all over the place are not a big deal. But unattended stove and open windows are, she could cause a significant damage 😞

I would say in a review that she was not carefull about the property but fortunatelly didn't cause mayor damage.

Please leave an honest review and rate her accordingly so us other hosts can be warned. Wouldn't you have liked to know before she stayed with you? She won't see your review until either she has posted one or 14 days. You can wait until day 14 to post it if you are worried about her leaving you a negative review, but please leave one and give her low stars.

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

@Todd-and-Reese0

 

Thanks a million. You offered a very important tip. True, if the guest makes some mistakes and is constantly reminded by the host, it is MOST UNlinkely that the guest will leave a great review with 5 stars. I have had a couple of guests who did. Those were real gentlemen. But this one, hmmm, I would doubt so. 

@Huaai0

The stove, pillowcase stains and window incident - you should absolutely mention publicly and privately. If you had known about the *potential* that guest had to cause damage, and if you had the opportunity to prevent her from staying as a guest, what would you have done? Wouldn't you have liked the chance to decide for yourself with the facts? 

 

@Branka-and-Silvia0@Jessica-and-Henry0@Todd-and-Reese0@Clara116@

 

Thanks so much for the suggestion. I'm struggling largely because I did her laundry 4 times. When I was folding her clothes, I found that all her clothes and her own hand towels were cheap or worn-out. Either she was from an unwealthy family, or she was living a frugal life. This thought almost made me cry. I find it hard to steel myself to compose an unfavourable review.

PS: I will probbaly follow @Branka-and-Silvia0

@Huaai0

her wealth has nothing to do with leaving windows open and stove unattended .... only if she grew up in a cave arround the camp fire

@Huaai0@Branka-and-Silvia0  Right on! Branka & Silvia ......It is so interesting to follow this thread and see how we are as humans. So I would say - IF the stove had burned a big part of the house or kitchen - Thank God it didn't do any such ! We wouldn't be having this discussion at all. This young woman NEEDS to be made aware of her actions - her indifference or inattention could cause awful to happen. So when we take the emotional caring part out - seems only fair to be responsible to other host and To Her as well to know about the stove and window and that those are UNACCEPTABLE broken house rules for ALL OF US. You just DON"T leave a stove on and leave the building/or room --- or leave a window open and go away for a couple days. Best to you all

oh man i hear ya.  as a host there is nothing harder than having to leave an honest review.  but you have to do it, unfortunately.  you could be very diplomatic about it and say something like "guest was very nice, but did not seem to respect the house rules.  pillows were left with black stains, stove was left on for an entire day."

its hard.  but its important.  because whenever i have a bad guest experience, i always go and look at the previous reviews and i get so mad if they are all positive because i know that the guests were bad at those places too and the hosts just didnt have the guts to say anything.  i need to trust that other hosts are honest with their reviews.

Huaai0
Level 10
British Columbia, Canada

@Lisa367

 

Thanks. I totally understand as I have been there, too. I hosted a guy who had all stella reviews, and when he was here, I was shocked. Because the most basic common sense did not cross his mind--he played music loud on his cell phone speaker at 11:30PM in my living room and we could all hear that! I'm still confused how come he could have all PERFECT reviews? 

Her wealth has everything to do with these things. The fact she takes poor care of things and is treating everything like it's disposable is probably why she has little money.

 

Just a shot in the dark, but I would bet this guest pulled up in one of those cars with the bumpers all messed up, Amirite?! Lol.