Refund after check in

[Melanie467]

Hello all

I have had a guest check into my room and then leave saying the bed is too small.  The room is advertised with a double bed and that was what was provided.  

He is now requesting a refund.  Naturally I was not able to resell that room and it is our busiest season here in NZ.  

I aboslutley do not want to offer a refund.  Can he leave me negative feedback?

Thanks everyone.

Melanie

[Paul154]

Hmm, He paid for the room and you won't refund him.... Of course he can leave a review.

He has paid for that right.

Even if you refund him, he can leave a review. It is the nature of the beast.

At a minimum, I would return the cleaning fee.  It will not make the guest happy, but it is reputable.

[Sarah977]

@Melanie467  He got the bed that was advertised. No refund.

Of course he can write a review. Make sure you write one for him, so you'll be afforded the opportunity to respond publicly to whatever he writes. And if you don't see that he's left a review, wait until halfway through day 13 to post yours. If he does leave a review before then, there's no point in waiting to leave yours.

[Melanie467]

What if I take it through the resolution centre?  Will that make any difference?  I am mindful that I could give him the full refund (despite that not being what I want to do) and then he could still give me a poor review.  

[Ava30]

IF you do give him a refund, full or partial you can note it in your review and/or in your reply to his review.  Most especially in your reply to his review if he dings you in any way and you have refunded anything.  Your review could read :

”Guest left after seeing that the bed was truly a double size, as is clearly stated in the listing description. Guest recieved a (full/partial) refund. Guest said bed was too small.  I would not recommend this guest to any host with beds smaller than a queen.”

Of course if you don’t refund him anything, leave that part out. 

[Helen3]

Why do you need to take this through the resolution centre @Melanie467 ?

This is a simple matter. Your guest booked your room. The room including the bed is as described. He has chosen not to stay and it is too late for you to get a replacement booking.

I would just reply and say you are sorry that he hadn't noted from the photos and description that you have a double bed (I don't know about NZ, but in Europe this is the standard size we use so is the norm). and has therefore chosen not to stay.

That if he choses to cancel that will fall in line with the cancellation policy he booked under and therefore a refund won't be possible.

As others have said regardless of whether you refund he could leave an unfair negative review.

Personally I wouldn't review this guest unless you see he has left you a review. Just keep  your review factual. Something like;

"XXX decided not to stay, as on arrival he decided he would prefer not to stay in a room with a double bed. The double bed is clearly shown in your photos and it is also clearly mentioned in your description so it is unfortunate that XXX missed this when making his booking".