Reviewing Guests who seek discounts

Stephanie365
Level 10
Fredericksburg, VA

Reviewing Guests who seek discounts

The dryer in my AirBNB went on the fritz and my repair man wasn't able to get parts yesterday. 
I have a local guest checking in tonight for a romantic getaway evening. As a courtesy, I notified him the dryer wasn't available even though in my listing I say the washer and dryer are available for longer term guests. (I put this language in after I had one guest stop over and used my place as a laundromat, running loads  non-stop for 6+ hours) So, technically he doesn't even qualify to use it. But I would never stop a guest from using it either.

I receive a message immediately saying this would be a terrible inconvenience to them and what kind of a discount would I be giving them. 

I've been doing this for 4 years and the only people who have ever used the washer/dryer have been week long+ stays with the one exception. No one who lives local coming for a one night stand is going to even be thinking about doing laundry. Clearly this person is the type who looks for reasons to get a discount.

Should I mention this in my review?  Something along the lines of "Joe was a great guest and I would be happy to host him again. He will, however, look for opportunities to request a discount so make sure everything is perfect."

I have no problems giving a discount when it's warranted. I've even given discounts when the guest has declined my offer to do so. So this isn't about being cheap as a host. It's about letting future hosts know this person will pounce on any opportunity to ask for a discount, no matter how minor. Because if we decline their request for a discount, it can affect our review.

 

58 Replies 58
Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Stephanie365 

 

Point out that the laundry appliances are offered as a convenience for long-term guests.

 

Then leave them two quarters in case they want to go to the laundromat.

 

Or suggest that if they can’t afford your place at the regular rate they should cancel.

 

This person is an opportunistic *bleep*

I agree. I'm seeking guidance in a tactful way to let future hosts know about this. Especially if he's a good guest otherwise. If he's a * guest, then I have no issue blatantly calling him out. 

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Stephanie365  Let me understand this.

 

Guests are booked for one night, as a 'romantic getaway'....

 

And they want a discount because there is no dryer.

 

No way.  I wouldn't give them a dollar.  I would politely remind them that the dryer and washer are for long term guests, and that you only notified them of the repair issue as a courtesy. 

 

In hindsight, if you are able to control access to W/D and only give it to long term guests you should not even have mentioned the issue.

No, it is in the guest suite so I really can't control it. But until a guest arrives, they wouldn't know that.

I simply put that language in my listing to discourage people from using me as a stop over on the interstate to use me as their personal laundromat. But I want longer term guests to know it's an option for their convenience.

 

It saddens me that people jump to take advantage of any situation. Unfortunately it seems as this is par for the course in our world today. 

It is. And I'm seeking advice for how to let other hosts know in my review that he is a gold digger.

 

Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

@Stephanie365 If you don’t offer laundry to short stay guests, then no mention should have been made at all about the breakdown. You kind of opened the door to the guest who saw the opportunity for a discount. 

Regardless, refrain from making statements about a guest such as ‘…he will look for opportunities…’ The review could be removed. Stick to relaying what your direct experience was with the guest. 

The washer and dryer are there for anyone to use and I can't physically restrict them short of removing the knobs from the appliances. But the way it's written in my listing, a guest won't know they have free access until they actually set foot in the guest suite.

I have it in my listing that it's available for longer term guests to discourage folks driving from Florida to New England from thinking they can do a one night stopover and run my appliances non-stop as one guest did. 


So you're suggesting I say something like, "Overall, Joe was a good guest; however, he was very quick to ask for discounts for trivial items."

 

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Stephanie365 so this is a guest suite in a property you share?

 

”of course I understand that it’s terribly inconvenient, please feel free to bring anything you need dried down to my house & I’ll get it ready for you right away!”

 

local people, one night, needs a dryer?!? Whatever

 

”one night local stay with particular housekeeping needs, therefore future stays should clarify all expectations before acceptance. Good luck for your future travels!!”

This is a guest suite attached to my own home. 

And yeah, I'm calling BS that someone who is doing a weekend getaway will even be thinking about laundry. 

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Stephanie365 "

So you're suggesting I say something like, "Overall, Joe was a good guest; however, he was very quick to ask for discounts for trivial items."

 

That makes it sound as if something was legitimately wrong, if trivial.  If it says in your listing that use of the washer/dryer is only for long term guests, what you need to get across is that he demanded a discount for a non-working amemity that is only offered to long term bookings,  when his booking was only for 1 night.

 

You say you have no way to control a short term guest using the washer/dryer, but there are all kinds of ways you can disable it and hook it up again for a long term guest. It might even be on its own breaker, that you could just shut off.

@Sarah977  So more along these lines... 


"Joe and his wife were good guests overall. Communicated well and left my place neat.

That being said, my listing makes note that I offer the use of a washer and dryer for guests staying at least one week. Although he was only staying for the weekend, as a courtesy, I let Joe know the dryer was temporarily out of service. He immediately asked for a discount for his “inconvenience” even though his stay did not qualify him to use the amenity to begin with."

@Stephanie365  More along  the lines of what I was thinking, except I wouldn't call demanding a discount for something that wasn't listed as available for his  booking "communicated well".

Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Sarah977 

 

He very effectively communicated the fact that he’s an obnoxious jerk who is always looking for a way to cheat someone.