Reasonability of hosting & discount/refund hunters

[Michael3271]

Good day,

We have recently endured an interesting experience with a guest who claims to own a hotel and seems to hold the same expectation of us as hosts of a traditional self-catering cottage located in a remote location – North of Scotland.

Background: The guests arrived at the cottage and within minutes had obviously been roaming around the place drawing up what would be similar to a snag list with a builder on hand-over of a brand-new building. We were promptly contacted via the Airbnb platform where a number of items were brought to our attention which we rationally accepted and made every attempt to resolve within our power, noting this drew onto an unreasonable hour in the night but we still remained available for conversation. It came to a point where we had offered a 100% refund for the guests to potentially look for something else suited to the demands. They declined the refund and we agreed to resolve 2 minimum requirements:

1. New mattresses for the bedrooms (which we had never received a previous complaint/query on) which we had replaced within the next working day;
2. Smell emanating from heaters (The house has a full heating solution with wall heaters around the house) – the housekeeper went in the next day and explained that the heaters hadn’t been on for a while and had to warm up ad dust had settled on the internal mechanisms to which the guest agreed was a logical explanation. The guests themselves are from a European country used to extreme cold temperatures;
3. WiFi/internet bandwidth – They were needing to make calls using Skype but being in a remote area, internet connection bandwidth is tricky with a full video. After explaining the obvious, they understood and adjusted their own Skype settings;

The remaining items would be seen to at the next possible date where we could have a handyman onsite to carry out the “repairs.” These repairs ranged from:

1. Paint fading around the edges of a basin in the 2 bathrooms – the extent of the “damage” is reasonable wear & tear as the bathrooms are wiped and scrubbed clean with a bit of paint fade or flecking of paint as there aren’t tiles;
2. Piece of grout missing between a tile in a shower

We make every effort that before the letting season (the cottage is off the market during a certain period of the year), there is an inspection to see what needs to be attended to in terms of maintenance and supplies in order to host and comply with Airbnb policy. Understanding that post these events, there may still be items that wear/tear/perish/break that are beyond the control of a reasonable homeowner without a full time maintenance team onboard.

The purpose of this conversation is to understand that while we do not run a hotel and therefore do not adhere to the expectations of a hotel guest and it is in very plain sight that the cottage on offer is actually a personal home, what is a reasonable expectation as a host to bend to every whim of a guest? Subsequently, the guest had reported us to Airbnb where we were contacted by an agent stating we were in contravention of the Airbnb policy and minimum requirements with the premise of having to grant a refund. We eventually had to refund an amount but at no point felt that Airbnb actually had done any due diligence on the matter to understand the true story.

To this end, we are very disappointed and have heard similar stories from hosts to which seems some guests have it out to do this to force a refund. In closing, how does one handle:

1. What is actually reasonable in terms of expectation to service as a homeowner sharing their home?
2. What do you do with guests/Airbnb agents demanding discounts/refunds beyond what is reasonable?

[Jim472]

Either you've got superhero levels of Indomitable Will or clearly insane. I would have put those guests out on their a$$e$. 

[Michael3271]

Clearly insane in hindisght being perfect sight! Would you have asked them to leave and refunded a portion?

[Jim472]

Yes, if I were to ever get some high maintenance idiot, i be GTFO & Your refund will be forthcoming. 

[Michael3271]

Thanks for the feedback, value the point and lesson learnt moving forward

[Paul154]

@Michael3271 

What a nightmare for you. Airbnb should not have threatened you with their unfounded complaints. You could have taken a hard line with Airbnb and said no refund will be given.

Airbnb threatened me once with that same scolding. I made a reasonable explanation and days later they formally wrote me that I do uphold their standards.  But I did feel greatly perturbed.

When dealing with Airbnb, you must be level-headed, professional and strongly point out your advantages.  A strong offense also helps "Guest must have damaged the grout, because it was intact at checkin". 

Remember Airbnb is a Big Giant Black Box who know nothing about your cottage. They can and do say whatever is easiest for them. 

[Paul154]

@Michael3271 

In a perfect world with hindsight, on day #1 , like you I would have offered them a 100% refund if they leave.  I would even allowed them their first night's stay for free with their agreement to leave on day 2. If they did not agree, I would call Airbnb to cancel their reservation.

You are not a hotel. You don't have the size advantages of a hotel. You cannot buy new mattresses just to appease guests. 

I see you are booked up in July. I would take this opportunity and frustration and RAISE YOUR RATES! You now need pay for those new mattresses.

[Michael3271]

Thank you, very useful info and insights. I suppose you raise a good point in making sure we back ourselves in knowing where we stand and what fundamentally is right. I value the point of raising this in a firm and professional manner to Airbnb, stating our value as destination and we uphold the standards.

[Anonymous]

@Michael3271  First of all, your place looks absolutely stunning.

But YES, you absolutely should have kicked these grifters out immediately. These "guests" (a disgrace to the very word) were essentially holding your cottage hostage, and their list of demands was a ransom note. It is simply unthinkable for a guest to demand a brand-new set of mattresses on Day 1.  Faded paint? Missing grout? This is nonsense - they aren't buying your property! The paint has no effect on their stay.

It's true that your cottage is not a hotel, but even the Ritz wouldn't acquiesce to a list of demands. A 100% refund on condition of immediate departure should be your final offer in this scenario.

[Michael3271]

Thank you for your comment, it is nice to hear that we not being unreasonable and yes, the items raised didn't have any effect on their overall stay.

[Susan17]

@Michael3271 

I'm with @Jim472 and @Anonymous! Any guest who's more interested in a bit of grout and a couple of flakes of paint, than soaking up that breathtaking scenery, from your gorgeous cottage, deserves to be booted out straight away!

I wish I could tell you that the way Airbnb acted in this instance was an aberration, but sadly, it's pretty much standard practice. Which is another good reason to turf guests out the moment you get a bad vibe from them - better refund them before  they've had a chance to get settled in and create more grief for you, than later, when they've already stayed, and Airbnb rewards them for their little scam anyway. 

Wishing you lots of lovely laid-back guests - who'll appreciate those fabulous views - for the rest of the summer 🙂

[Rachel0]

@Michael3271 You are in one of the most beautiful areas in the UK with stunning scenery and these entitled idiots decide that a missing piece of grout and a chip off the paint is more important than their surroundings.  What did  they say was wrong with your mattresses? Why did you feel it necessary to replace them so quickly?  Please give these people the review they deserve  - ie one which makes sure that they are not welcomed anywhere else in the future.

[Michael3271]

Thanks Rachel, 

Frankly, on review of the whole situation, we see how we could've handled this different. The reason why we acted so quickly in replacing the mattresses was the fear of receiving a bad review, nothing else really. Just make them as happy as possible to our detriment. The reason for replacing the mattress was they felt they were old - they had actually stripped off the bedding to see what the label read and what the manufacture date was, something in hindsight is ridiculous as there was nothing ever wrong from a comfort or support perspective. The matresses are also cleaned regularly.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Michael3271  I agree with others although it is easier to say than to do it practice ( kick them out)

Just for comparison, we hosted about 600 guests in the last 3 years and about 10 of them said they didn't like our mattresses (different ones)

I replaced 1 biggest mattress for a thicker and more expensive one. I left 4 others.

Since the big mattress is changed nobody mentioned it or said how great and comfy it is (it is better than mine or Silvia's at our home) but, being thicker and heavier, it is harder to change the sheets 😞

Was it worth the money and trouble and my time to replace it? NO! I should have replaced my own mattress for myself, after all, I sleep on it 365 days a year.

[Mark116]

@Michael3271 

I would probably have told them if they wanted brand new mattresses they should cancel their reservation and go to a hotel.  On no account would I agree to buy mattresses the next day.  We had, when we started, an older mattress, and after receiving a few comments about it, yes, we did replace.  But no one ever demanded a brand new mattress, that is insane.

I have a thing about chipped paint, so that would probably be something I would fix immediately, and same with the grout, those to me are more of an issue than demanding a new mattress.

I didn't look at your listing, but if you need some kind of a disclaimer on bandwith and wifi so people arent' expecting it to be like in a city, you should probably do that to avoid future issues. 

I'd be interested to know on what basis airbnb gave the refund? Chipped paint?  slow wifi?  Or did they even bother to tell you why?

The other thing that we do to protect ourselves is video the unit before every guest, that way there is a baseline...it's clean, it's straight....which you might consider doing to protect yourself from future grifters.

I hope you gave those people the review they deserve!!!