Daphné V and her "husband to be" (as she referred to him) were booked into Phil's Place from 14th to 18th March. I arrived back from a sad trip to the UK on March 10th. I had been to the ceremony to inter my parents' ashes (they both passed away last year) with my brother and sister. I was not in a good state of mind on return and I had unpacked hurriedly both in my side of the house and in the rental side. I remember making a mental note that I must not forget to move my camera which was sitting on a chair pushed under the kitchen table. I forgot to move it.
I did not realise that Daphné must have taken the camera away with her until the departure of the booking following hers. Marie L stayed from March 25th to 28th and I know she can not have taken the camera because I moved all of the chairs while doing the cleaning prior to her arrival. Unfortunately I still did not realise at this point that it was gone. I had a lot on my mind with the bereavement plus the job of getting the house straight and maximising bookings.
I called Daphné on April 2nd and 3rd and her mobile rang but I could only leave messages. On both occasions I simply asked her to please call me back. On the 3rd attempt on the April 4th, I left a message saying that they must have inadvertently scooped up an article belonging to me with their luggage on their departure. I said that maybe they had thought that a previous guest had left it there making it okay to take it away. I said also that maybe her boyfriend had taken it without her knowing. I said that she already had my address and gave it again anyway adding that I was counting on her to do the right thing and return the article, my camera, to me as soon as possible. I said that it was important that I recover the item as there were 50 or so photos of me on there which were part of my daughter's art project. In reality the item is more important for all the other photos for sentimental reasons, including photos of the final resting place of my parents, which I shall not be able to see again for a long time. I thanked her in advance for doing that which was necessary.
I received a call a couple of hours later from her number but it was her "husband to be", Mr Cauchet (Cochet?) and not Daphné herself. He said that I was mistaken, that they didn't take away the camera by mistake. He said that it was 3 weeks since their stay and that their suitcases had been emptied now and they had not discovered the article at all. I asked why Daphné was not calling me herself and he ummed and ahhhed before saying that she was not available, then he asked if it was her I wanted to speak to. I said that it was preferable as she was the one who made the booking, she was my contact on airbnb, and that this was her phone. He repeated that she was not available.
On their departure, they told me that they had had such a lovely time that I asked them if they would be so kind as to mention in their review the good value for money at my place. Airbnb is always suggesting to me that I reduce my prices for more bookings but it is a very spacious rental and takes a long time to clean. Guests have a huge space to call their own, most of my garden and both of my terraces. This warrants the price asked, in my opinion and I wanted them to support that. They said that of course they would do this.
Not only did they not leave a review but also they left the bathroom in rather a dirty state, particularly the bath. The showerhead had evidently been left in the draining bathwater and was caked with soapsuds and hair. Inspite of this I gave them a good review with 5 stars all round, just 4 for cleanliness.
I have looked up Daphné on Facebook and see that she is environment and democracy conscious, follows a buddhist and mediation group and likes walking and being at one with nature. She is against the building of a new airport near her hometown. She seems an authentic type of person but impressions can be deceptive I suppose.
I know that they took this camera, which was in its case with all its accessories, and I wonder if Daphné knows anything about it. I thought they looked rather young when they arrived and I immediately thought that she looked shy, embarrassed even and impressionable whilst the "husband to be" was very sure of himself.
It is the last time I welcome guests with less than 3 reviews and it is also the last time I do not mention negative experiences about guests (here the lack of cleanliness). I know this is a lesson to me to be more careful when preparing the space following my use of it. This does not change the fact that I cannot sleep at night, I can see them looking through all of my very personal photos (there were 2 full 4g SD cards in there), deleting them and taking their own photos.
Thanks in advance for any comments you may have, kind regards,
