Refund for power outage?

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Pete69
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

Refund for power outage?

Thankfully I haven't yet activate my listing because we had a power outage in my area from 2 AM to 11 AM. This had me thinking what if this happened when a guest was staying.

 

Would you issue a full or partial refund?

 

What if there was a moderate outage of just one or two hours? Knock off 10%?

1 Best Answer
Karol22
Level 10
SF, CA

Usually guests don't blame you for this kind of issue. But it varies based on situation. Feel it out and see if the guest even requests a refund. In most cases they wont. If it goes on for too long they may want to check out early, which you may need to be understanding about.

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61 Replies 61
Rona16
Level 1
Auckland, New Zealand

I'd be interested to hear hosts opinions of this scenario  currently hāppening in Manhattan NY

Airbnb booked for 4 nights

First night fine

Second day and night no power

Host unable to be contacted

Airbnb support crew assured it would be sorted

Third day /night fridge food spoiled, rude email received from host, airbnb contacted again with refund offer of 50% for  affected days

Now going into day four 

Is this acceptable? 

1 day is one thing... Several days is another thing.

 

Edgardo27
Level 2
San Antonio, TX

We just had an experience where we had booked the Airbnb for 2 nights. The day we arrived the people that help with the house told us that the power had been gone for 24 hrs. 

We immediately got in contact with the owner, letting him know that one of hour friends (party of 7, including a 1 year old infant) needed a machine to sleep. Long story short, the power came back that same day around 7 pm when we were about to leave to another location. 

Next day, we lost power around 9 pm all the way to noon next day when we had to leave. 

My friend could not sleep, it was a remote location in Mexico, so it was sketchy not having power. Our food went bad also. 

The owner said that never happened, yet he has a HUGE solar lamp post outside. Hmmm

we asked for a 75% refund based that one full night was wasted, all of our food and no sleep for my friend. 

For all the hosts out there, what’s your opinion?

@Edgardo27  You booked 2 nights, (basically 2 24 hour periods) and you were definitely inconvenienced and lost $ for the food gone bad. One of the 7 people couldn't sleep one night. In the meantime, you did, I assume, cook there, sleep in the beds, use the towels, presumably used hot water showering, washing dishes, etc.. You asked for opinions, and I think 50% is fair. 

If the power issue had been due to the host's negligence, rather than something out of their control, then I'd say a larger refund would be reasonable. Living in Mexico myself, I can tell you that power outages happen quite often. In the US and Canada, if the power company is going to be working on the lines one day from xx hour to xx hour, they notify residents ahead of time. No such thing happens here. You just wake up to find there's no power, and make sure to open and close the fridge door quickly, and have to put off using the internet, etc.and hope the power comes on again before the milk goes bad.

The fact that there was a solar light on the power pole means nothing- lots of people use solar devices in places where the sun shines most of the time. Why use up power when you can generate it for free?

 

The person that didn’t sleep paid as well. The house had a jacuzzi that we could not use either. The fact that power was gone for 24 hours prior our arrival and then gone again for 15 hours makes me think the owner knew about the problems. If he had let us know, it’s up to us if we wanted to take the risk, but he didn’t. I was born and raised in Mexico, and this place was in the middle of nowhere. You don’t install a $3000 solar lamp post unless you know you will need it. 

Thats what upsets me. He knew and said nothing upfront. 

@Edgardo27  Yes, I agree that the host had an obligation to alert you to the fact that the power had been out for 24 hours prior, definitely, giving you an opportunity to look for another place. You didn't mention the jacuzzi in your original post, which would be a big amenity loss which I'd assume is one of the reasons you booked this place. So maybe 75% is reasonable.

Yes, we escalated with Airbnb to see what happens. I just felt bad because a couple came from the US for this trip. Thanks for your input. 

Adi25
Level 3
Pitts, PA

well, something similar happened to me. It wasnt a power outgae but a water outage. Apparently a pipe broke in the street and the water company shut the water up to everyine so my guests who were preparing to go to a wedding couldn't shower and couldn't even go to the bathroom.

They immediately called Airbnb and they moved to a hotel. I refunded them for the night, what was I supposed to do? If I were in theor shoes I would have wanted to be refunded.

Yes, it’s a tough situation. And I understand things like that are out of the host/hostess control. But a heads up would have been nice in my case. 

@Edgardo27  Another thing to keep in mind if you feel you deserve a refund for any reason for any accomodation- the host is much more likely to be amenable to the refund (assuming they are reasonable people)  if you, as a guest, tidied the place up before you left. If the host finds a pile of dirty dishes, filthy stove top and counters, garbage all over the place, stained bedding and towels, trash bins overflowing with dirty diapers, and food all over, they are going to feel that their extensive cleaning time balances out any inconvenience you experienced.

Nothing personal, you may be extremely respectful guests, just something all guests should keep in mind.

I've never left any airbnb nasty. I'm pretty respectful and do clean up most things and have a good rating. But, I am curious: what is the cleaning fee for if not for dishes and trash and laundry? With cleaning fees these days that are typically the cost of a night's stay, why would the host expect the guest to clean everything after they have paid that?

@Jessica2580  "What is the cleaning fee for"?

 

Scrubbing and sterilizing the bathroom.

Sterilizing all high touch surfaces.

Vacuuming thoroughly.

Mopping floors.

Cleaning baseboards.

Cleaning window blinds.

Dusting.

Washing windows, wiping down window sills.

Checking to make sure the dishes the guest washed are actually clean.

Cleaning fans, vents, etc.

Checking for and removing any cobwebs.

Cleaning out  drawers and  cupboards.

Washing down drawer and cabinet fronts.

Cleaning light fixtures.

Laundry ( even if the guest puts  linens in the machine and turns it on, they still need to be transferred to a dryer folded, and put away)

Remaking beds, putting out clean towels.

Restocking provisions like toilet paper, soap, laundry soap, coffee, etc.

Cleaning up any outside areas, like patios and yards.

Replacing any burnt out light bulbs, remote control batteries, etc.

 

I could probably come up with at least 10 more things, but I hope that's enough for you to get the picture.

 

If you like, think of the cleaning fee as cleaning for your arrival. Would you really want to rely on the previous guest's "cleaning" as adequate for you to move into?

 

Debra300
Level 10
Gros Islet, Saint Lucia

@Jessica2580 

 

I will had a few more items to @Sarah977's list:

- cleaning all of the small kitchen appliances (coffee makers, tea kettles, toasters, microwaves, blenders, mixers, air fryer, etc.)

- cleaning large kitchen appliances (refrigerator, freezer, range top and oven, griddle and range hood)

- cleaning the bar-b-que grill

- removing automobile fluid stains from onsite parking

- touching up walls where guests have marked/dinted with their luggage, shoes, dirty hands

- cleaning out the guest's hair from the drains

- cleaning out the lint trap or filter in the dryer, washing machine, and dishwasher 

- cleaning the  buildup from detergent tray in the washing machine and dishwasher

- removing stains from towels, linens and furniture

- disposing of vermin and bugs that were attracted by the open food left behind by guests

 

Please note that a properly cleaned ABB goes way above just "not being nasty" or good enough for friends or family to pass by.  On average, it takes 8-10 hours to clean our 2 bedroom apartments, and about 6 hours to clean our studio suites.

@Debra300  Ah, how could I have forgotten every host's favorite cleaning job- fishing guest's hair covered in soap scum out of the shower and bathroom sink drains. 🙂

 

Thanks for rounding out the list. I wasn't even thinking about all the kitchen cleaning, as I share my kitchen with guests, so it never gets yucky. 

 

It takes me an hour and a half of non-stop cleaning to do my small guest room and their bathroom, no matter how clean and tidy they left it. 

If this list were truly what hosts do, then I would agree with you 100%. But, I've stayed all over the world, in dozens of airbnbs. And, this is not the case.

 

I've watched the cleaning of airbnbs in person when their cleaner arrived later than check in. I've been friends with hosts. My own mother cleaned houses and rentals for a living. So, no one can sell me on the 6 or 8 hr thing. Its more like 2-3 hours ( tops, and mostly because of laundry time) with deep cleans once a month. Most of the items on your list don't happen every time. Some of these things are weekly or biweekly. And the things in the added list happen maybe once a year. The cost of the cleaning service (per hour) isn't incredibly high either and the cleaning fee for airbnb usually covers this cost (or close to it) completely when the cleaning fee is in the range I've seen lately (usually $70-100). That's the reality of it. 

 

So, that cleaning fee isn't paying for what you claim here (and if it is for your properties, then you must be an amazing host I've never experienced). So, when someone asks the guest to clean the house they paid a cleaning fee for...well you see what I mean. Now, as already stated, I have never been the source of complaint for a stay, but I also will not do all the cleaning during my own vacation after I paid a cleaning fee. The only exception is if the host has a lower cleaning fee and I know it's much less than the cost of the cleaning service, and then and only then will I clean with the intention you're talking about.