That one guest!

[Robin4]

I have been lucky, always had a great bunch of guests...struck a Malaysian family once who didn't quite understand how the system worked.

But I just struck the one I keep responding to here on the CC. Everyone else gets them, now I have!

My most recent guest ruffled me a bit though, best she gave me was a 4 star, major reason in her comments......'the polished concrete floor was cold'....room wasn't, neither was the bed....just the floor.

She was a first in almost every respect though, she gave me.......

A 4 for Accuracy, now that is a first for me, in 160 guests not copped that one before. I would defy any other guest who has been here to tell me what wasn't accurate!

A 3 for cleanliness...she found a cobweb, God knows where, but she found one!

A 4 for location....that defies any sort of logic....she booked it and I can't move it!

A 4 for value...................??

I charge $85 AU ( $63.37 USD, 49 pounds) per night, with, at that point, no cleaning fee and this is what every guest gets thrown in....

Plus all the regular condiments like tea, coffee, jams, spreads, soap, toilet paper.

And I get a 4 star for value! Some guests really are loonies. If I had given this woman the listing for nothing for the two nights....it still would not have been acceptable value!

But guests like this have a negative impact on all users because, I have now set a cleaning fee. Not much of one, but obviously I am not doing the job properly and it will enable me to get a cleaner in once a week to make absolutely sure there is not a lurking cobweb.....period. Every future guest will pay a bit more because of this one woman. My 'Alice in Wonderland' image of Airbnb guests is just a bit tarnished and I hope that doesn't show through to future guests

Never mind....I knew I would cop one sooner or later, just been lucky till now but, this is the job we are in, sink or swim!

Rant over!

Cheers......Rob

[Ma0]

once in a while you get bad apple, learn to spot them and then deside if you want them or not.

1. read review and read the reviews they wrote to hosts.

2. ask questions

3. you learn a lot from the questions they ask you

4. if you suspect a bad apple you can aproach past hosts and ask for their honest opinion

5. ask for a copy of every guest ID for some reason this will make potentialy bad gust to

well behaved guest 

6. if you suspect a guest is about to give you bad review DO NOT review them unless they write review.

Happy hosting :-))

[Robin4]

@Ma0

Yeah I do all of that Ma, particularly the analysing of the way they have come to me, was it in a passive way or an agressive way!

The ones that throw me are those I don't see coming. ....

A/. The husband books, and when they stay the wife turns out to Lucille Ball gone mad!

B/. Those that come as a result of a 'Bookers' account.

Your last point I do take issue with Ma.....you MUST always review the guest! If you do not review the guest and they sneak a review in on you at the last moment, after the alloted time limit their review will appear on your review page but, because you have not left a review of them you will not be offered the ability to leave a public review response, you won't be able to counter any criticism they may have of you.

If in doubt about how a guest review will pan out be very generic and to the point in your review, no major statements that you may have to back-track on later!

"Communication with XXXXXX was smooth, I hope the stay was to their satisfaction"!  Leave it at that, you won't get egg on your face later on if the guest says something out of left field!

Then when the reviews are posted you can calmly sit and take as much time as you like to give a measured response. If the review turns out to be good you can praise them as a guest and wish them all the best for the future. If the review is poor you can thank them for their feedback and say you always take notice of and respect guest feedback because it makes you a better host , wish them well and leave it at that. That makes you look like a fine diplomatic host and the guest look like something of a lunatic!

But as to the rest of your points Ma, you are absolutely on the right track, good on you.

Cheers.....Rob 

[Huma0 · Accepted solution]

@Robin4

Lol, Lucille Ball gone mad! I recently hosted a late middle aged American couple and it went something like this...

The booking came through the wife's account and I was getting extremely apprehensive about it as her communication was shocking. When she would finally respond to a message she would simply ignore any questions and would not give me an arrival time no matter how many times I asked.

On arrival day itself, I had to send a fairly blunt message saying that if she didn't tell me when they were arriving, I simply couldn't be home. Finally, husband took over and started texting me and there was some progress, although they took an extraordinary amount of time to get here from the airport. I supect they had decided to do a detour and leave me waiting.

I went out of my way for these guests from the moment they arrived. Mrs. immediately wanted to do laundry (not available for short term guests), which I did for her for free. She never thanked me. I spent half an hour late at night showing her how to work the TV, left it on for her because she needed to get something upstairs and then she never came back to watch it! For the rest of the stay, she completely ignored me. I never saw her again. She wasn't upset with me. She just had no manners.

Mr. on the other hand was friendly, chatty, thanked me profusely for the laundry, said it was the best Airbnb they had stayed in, London was wonderful etc, and left a lovely comment in the guest book. I got the impression that he was so in love with his wife that he put up with anything.

When it came to leaving a review, I was totally confounded. He had been great, she had been awful, and I had no idea which of them was going to write my review. In the end, I was kind. Their review was clearly written by the husband and was glowing. Phew!

[Robin4]

@Huma0

They say opposites attract! I don't think Ade and I have agreed on anything in 48 years of marriage!

I blissfully get a bit of time away from Ade these days, I haven't been told off for the last two weeks, have not continually had a list of things to do thrust in my face. It has been wonderful....I still love her to bits though!

I am dredging through my files to find the bit about how star ratings count and when I find it I will attempt to refresh it and see if anything has changed.

Cheers.....Rob

[Pat96]

Wow, what a horror for a Mrs guest!  I feel for you. Truly, I do.  I just had the opposite this last weekend. Mr & Mrs. for one night. Mrs was a delight, cheerful, we had a great time! Talked about sewing, and my flower garden, she had taken photos even!  On a side note, I write WWII non-ficiton biography, of which Mr wished to talk about the last 5 minues before they left to go home. Mr. evidently had something eating in his craw about me and I couldn't put my finger on it.  He did say he "looked me up on the internet" and read about my books, and my author FB page. As a woman military book author, I'm pretty savvy. So I thought. Mr saw my other books (a whole shelf on the religon or peace). So he starts asking these bait questions. Which I refuse to answer Yes or No. "Do you believe all Germans were NAZIS?" then I won't answer a simplitic yes or no. and he got angier and redder in the face - then "do you believe all mxxxxxs are evil?"  Good grief! He got angry and red in the face. I knew Mr. and Mrs. Manfred Rommel, the famous FM's son and retired mayor of Stuttgart (he has since passed away). Mr Guest seemed to be peeved with me for quoting Mr. Rommel, who was a highly intelligent and kind person. So his nasty BAIT QUESTIONS just got nastier and nastier and I was wondering why he was so angry with me. Finally, seconds before he dashes out of my home, his wife and I standing by the door with a few of their belonging left to take to the car, he says in my FACE that "your just like Hitler because you....blah blah blah" and dashes off to his car. I was stunned - INSULTED in my own home to MY FACE after being my usual happy and hospitable self. Of course, I went to their profile when I'd seen the last of Mr. - and saw only Mrs had traveled twice on Airbnb, not him, and the account was hers. I've NOT received a review from her as yet, and I'm figuring for all the goodies I did for them - and it was MOTHER's Day - so fresh flowers were in the room - and I had went to the college to get a campus police map, took photos of the parking garage and the directions to the amphitheater, and directions of places they needed to go for graduation of a relative. So - once again - I go the extra mile - maps, directions, flowers - only to be RUDELY INSULTED by the Mr. non-member party in attendance.

I should learn, I suppose. And be grateful they haven't submitted a rating. 

Oh well. 

[Pat96]

Gosh Robin, I certainly sympathize! I had a guest book for a week of tourism. I should know by now - you know the person who 'sneaks' in a series of demands little by little? Like book for a week, months in advance. Just before arrival complain there is no public transport to my house and hour from the airport. Hmmm. I felt obligated to get her - she claimed she couldnt' afford a rental car. Okay...then she was a vegan. I'm not. Without a car, where is she to eat? She didn't want a grocery store, but a vegan restaurant. There aren't any. Then no tranport to and from the tourist areas. So I drove her back and forth whenever she wanted. ALL WEEK! Including taking her to - GUESS WHERE? A rental car agency on her last day. My rating for LOCATION? a FOUR. FOUR?  I did all the driving! And it clearly states "5 MILES" to tourism area from my home! She said in rating that she expected she could walk there. Lord Have Mercy. And I took her to a place every evening to get her vegan dishes. Didn't want the grocery store, oh no, but the restaurant which had a few items. So beware of the demands that grow and grow and grow and then you get an ingrate rating. I was pretty angry.

[Robin4]

@Pat96

Pat, I feel your pain.

Look, If I am going to book a holiday I check out all the things that I think will influence my stay....and I am no Rhodes Scholar!!

As soon as guests start querying the decision they made to book the listing, it is time to involve CS and get the hosting relocated or cancelled.

Guests either love what they see, want to pull out their credit card and book.....or haggle!

Pat the only times I have been caught are times I have not had direct contact with the person booking.

When someone 'sneaks in demands' I remind them I offer a lovely experience on my terms, and if they would care to look at my reviews they will see that what I am saying holds true. Not even Brian Chesky gets to haggle with what I offer. I have laid it out in my listing description and for the good of all parties I keep to that!....end of conversation!

If someone wants to cancel on that basis....great, I would not want them here anyway Pat.

You have to be strong, this is not Airbnb's property, it is mine, it's my hard earned bricks and mortar at stake here......entertain demands....not in your life!!

Chers.....Rob

[Pat96]

 I got caught. Used and Abused! My own fault. For sure, and thanks for your wisdom! And of course, all these 'sneaky demands' crop up in my cancellation 24 hour timeline, so if I cancel, then I'm on the hook. I'd heard nothing for 8 weeks, then BAM! Problem after problem, the airport transportation was expensive, the rental car problem - can't afford the rental car, Oh my!, OH VEGAN!! I never expected to spend so much of my time taking care of her EVERY DAY! I'm a disabled veteran and widow, so it was hard on me. She got me throughy. Tarbaby Pat!! I'm not ready to get 'gotten' a second time. As an older woman, and the guest being an older woman, I was surprised she gigged me on that location rating, and whined that the tourist area wasn't within 'walking distance' from my house. (I never stated that in my listing)

Crap! I was angry! 

Now, I'm in for my first 'Traveling on airbnb' experience coming up in June. I reserved a private room, bath and living room combination! And they bring a breakfast tray and set it outside my quarters. Whew! This is an older farm home near a limestone quarry area in Indiana. I'm taking a limestone carving class. I'd received a airbnb credit for referring a friend who took up hosting, so I thought why pay for an expensive hotel and use up that big credit?

So we'll see. 

[Robin4]

@Pat96

Pat search for Superhosts, you are one yourself, so you know how much effort goes into being one!

There is a Superhost search filter....reach for it and only book a listing as a result of that filter. I am not being unkind to hosts who do not have that status, but we all had to go through the same procedure to get there.

Good on you for your limestone carving, I so love creative people and I hope this hosting is everything you want it to be.

The one thing to hang onto Pat, we can't live in the past, put your bad experiences behind you, learn from it and look forward to a bright hosting tomorrow.

Cheers.....Rob

[Kim87]

We need to forget about those. I had one this winter, rating me 3 for value AND mentionning it in the review + the fact that she tought pictures were misleading. 170 reviews and nobody never, ever thought that the place is not exactly as described. I try to focus on the 169 others.

[Robin4]

@Kim0

I have not seen your listing so I can't give an opinion on whether they are misleading or not but, they look pretty honest snaps to me. I did see one though....your pic number 23 and as soon as I saw it I thought, hang on that building is not in Montreal, that is in Quebec so I had to search out the one we took a couple of years ago....

Times dims the memory and you are right, but you could see how I thought the way I did when I first saw that photo of yours!

This was our chariot on that trip...the 'Eurodam'.

Cheers.....Rob

[Robyn10]

Yep!  Sometimes the ratings just aren't fair.  I have only had one bad one (4 years of hosting) and could not believe this one.  It was a couple with their parents and a 5y.o. boy from Sri Lanka.  They were AirBNB hosts themselves.  My room is a big2.5 size diouble garage converted years ago to a "bachelor pad' for my son.  Rolla doors out and big double glass floor to ceilinf windows and sliding doors put in with ensuite, kitchenette, etc etc.  Attached to house and there fore a 'back door to houise as well as the private front door entrance.

They stole from me:  I set out towels for 6 people (which unfortuneately were a loveley aqua set that I had purchased new only the week before and washed carefully with fabric softener to make smell nice etc!) and they took  2 towels, matching hand towels and face washers with them.  I had ornaments on the very top of a wall unit .2 of which were  porcelain animals holding full size bottles wine.  It never crossed my mind anyone would even consider stealing them!  They must have had to get up on a chair to reach them and drank the contents and put the empty bottles back intot he animals hands!!!  They were only with me for 2 nights but as I always dust everywhere I noticed as soon as I picked them up to dust under that they were too light.

They had left a few hours before so I telephoned the "guest"  asking about both the towelling and the alcohol and (cop this - they are hosts too don't forget) was told they thought the alcohol was put there for them to drink (yeah!  There is a fridge in the room which had breakfast food and drink that included a 2 litre bottle of fruit juice and flavoured milk plus normal fresh milk (so there was no leg for that outrageous statement) and regarding the towels they "didn't think I would mind as they needed them for their trip with the little boy!!!  

Apart fom the fact that had they asked I would have happily given them some older towels, how dare they steal my new things.  They refused to send them back.  They gave me a scathing review about no decents breakfast food (cereal, toast fruit & condiments was not enough for "continental"), the beds were uncomfortable, therewas no lock on the FAMILY room ensuite doorand a heap of other totally untrue little things.  They gave me an overall rating of 2.  I could not believe it.  Gave them a scathing public response but the damage to me was so upsetting.  Air B&B of course would not remove it.  They were sympathetic - especically because all my reviews of 4 years were really excellent but still claimed they could not remove it or adjust my rview rating which plumetted for that month from 98% to 70 odd.  

Fortuneatly this is the only pack of absolute morons I have had!!!  Still can';t believe they were hosts themselves.  I looked up their venue which was a full house in Sri Lanka and all I can think is that the price they charged was so cheap compared to our Australian dollars (my place on the sea was $120 per night for the 5 of them)  that they felt (and they said sao!) that there was no value for money - they forget the difference things cost here cpompared tot herre!

[Fred13]

If you go on the assumption that a certain % of people walking about right among us are certifiably insane. you won't ever be dissapointed. 🙂

[Robin4]

@Fred13

And that % would be quite high. Do you realise Fred so far this year more children have died as a result of school shootings in the US than the United States have lost in the entirety of their armed forces around the world!

It is high time the NRA's blind obsession with the promotion of firearms at all costs sees them classified as a 'terrorist' organisation. The NRA, as a body, are nothing more to the US and the world as the promoters of killers.

How many more children have to die to keep the halls of the NRA paved in gold!

Shame on anyone associated with that organisation.

Cheers.....Rob 

[J-Renato0]

Robin

I understand how you feel. I also have received some rare reviews that is nonsense.

My suggestion is - Do not let this ugly guest influence you and your hosting way. You are doing well. The best thing to do  is to forget this guest.