These heavy handed tactics need to stop

David6
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

These heavy handed tactics need to stop

Guest booked in January. 7 nights in July. Cancelled 1st June and demanded a full refund because they decided house rules are ‘too restrictive.’ She received 50% refund.

 

Reminded her that she agreed to them at point of booking, and she had confirmed in message thread she was fine with all details.

 

 

I agreed IF I got a replacement booking I’d refund her the 50%. As a goodwill gesture.

 

Airbnb message me yesterday stating

’as you have a replacement booking, as per your message to guest, can we process the promised refund?’

 

No! The ‘replacement’  booking Airbnb mention is only for 3 days. This heavy pressure and manipulation has to stop.

 

i told the agent straight , I do not appreciate her misleading & misinformed messages. It is not a replacement booking with only 3 out of 7 nights booked.

 

And as I’m so tired of guests & airbnb playing these games, I am no longer prepared to offer anything more than a partial refund. So they get a refund for the 3 days I’ve so far rebooked. That’s it. Airbnb can refund the balance if they are so keen to placate this guest. I messaged guest suggesting she reads the whole listing next time. Done with her, extremely rude and entitled from the start. 

 

These type of guests need to start acting more responsibly. Read the listings. Airbnb need to stop facilitating this behaviour & respect a hosts cancellation polices. Maybe if enough hosts just say ‘no’ each time we feel manipulated or pressured by CS, *maybe* they will rethink these tactics? 

48 Replies 48
Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Alon1  Yes, from a lot of your posts I've read, I think we might get the same sort of guests (and maybe have a similar hosting style), although of course they are coming for different reasons, i.e. a beach town in Mexico as opposed to a huge European city. By the same sort of guests, I mean those who actually want a home-share situation and understand what that means. 

I'd say you're not in competition with David not because you're in a different part of the city, although I'm sure guests have a preference for one area over another, but because, as you say, your place is unique as far as not being a "pure white minimalistic apartment". 

My guests also love the colors in my place, altho Mexico is generally more colorful anyway compared to a place like London or an American or Canadian city. I had my house painted quite colorfully in Canada as well, and friends were always saying how they loved the colors and might try that in their house, but then they'd all chicken out and go with white or (gak) beige 🙂

And when I put it on the market, the real estate agent told me I should repaint the whole inside white. I told her that wasn't going to happen. The first people who came to see it put in an offer on the spot, and did buy it. Their first comment on walking in- "We love the colors."

Somewhat off-topic, well completely off-topic. But when @Sarah977  mentioned The love of color in Mexico it reminded me of, you’re going to laugh, my sisters toilet at her new house in Mexico in Chapala. Her whole house is filled with lots of color, but seriously, this is the best toilet in the world!BA7CF5CA-9940-43B0-9B79-FF4CE357433D.jpeg

 

Susie111
Level 10
Tasmania, Australia

@Ava30  I really want one!

A toilet that is a work of art 🙂

I love it !!!

@Sarah977 

Who can we be other than ourselves?  And honesty does work.  Yay for color, and being real!

 

Youre welcome to stay with me anytime 💖

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Ava30   Nice photo. My bathroom sinks are like that, but I opted for a standard toilet. I've done a lot of mosaic tilework around my place with the beautiful broken tiles that are always laying around construction sites here and can be picked up for free.

I saw a photo in a book years ago of a toilet that someone had glued copper pennies to, completely covering the inside and outside of the toilet.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@David6  I LOVE that Moroccan listing. I'm so jealous- Morocco has always been somewhere I always wanted to go but have never made it. 

What I really like about that listing, aside from the spectacular view, is that it is full of traditional Moroccan materials and textiles. I've noticed, when looking at some other hosts' listings who ask on the forum for others to take a look and see what they could improve to get more bookings, is that in a lot of non-first-world countries, hosts tend to go for what they think of as modern. I see that in Mexico all the time. Many Mexicans consider their traditional tiles and other handicrafts to be "old-fashioned". So they build with what they consider "modern" materials and decor, which to first worlders is more like bad 70's and 80's decor. And the wealthy Mexicans go for the all-white modern minimalist look.

I've also seen this with listings in India and other places. What they don't realize is that when foreign travelers come to their countries, they want to see traditional native art, decor and materials in the listing- they're not attracted to something that looks like a 70's roadside motel with polyester bedspreads and bottom of the line Home Depot tiles.

It was like that in the first world as well- back in around the 40's the way you showed that that you weren't poor was to paint all the bare wood. Then fast forward about 40 years and everyone was stripping down the paint to expose the original wood. Then the home style magazines around the new millenium started featuring homes where all the woodwork was painted white. 

Steven614
Level 4
West Palm Beach, FL

Ugh I feel

for you. I had one left today that had medication issues for depression. Found spit on my wall in the guest room, stains on floor where he spilled something and didn’t clean it properly nor tell me so I could clean it. The entire 6 night stay this guest was bouncing all over the place, apparently due to a medication issue. Never went anywhere except to get food and snacks and more cigarettes and stayed here the entire time. Also kept going into my refrigerator and freezer and looking through it and not actually taking anything. Caught him smoking by the open window I had opened to air out the house from his cigarettes. When I spoke to him about his behavior he finally cut back on some of it. Managed to dirty 9 towels over 6 days and put some back dirty in the clean pile so I have to wash them all again. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Steven614  There was a funny line in a movie I watched- the teenage girl was standing in front of the fridge with the door open endlessly, looking but not taking anything out. Her mom said " Honey, are you dating the fridge, or what?"

 

Steven614
Level 4
West Palm Beach, FL

Omg this one didn’t tell me till he was behaving strangely that he was changing meds and then even after I suggested he look for another place he didn’t want to leave. So I was stuck w this one till today. He ran out of the house and I’m pretty sure it had something to do w the condition the room was left in or something he broke that I repaired easily. 

David6
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Sarah977 

I was totally blown away by Morocco. Absolutely loved it and stayed in some fantastic places;  often in the Medinas to get a real feel for the country. 

 

 

 

Tye1
Level 2
Charlotte, NC

I totally agree. I got strong armed out of my cancellation funds too. 

Shed Bed, Naracoorte, SA

Hi, I don't usually have time to read the lovely comments although I did relate to the "why not sleep in between the sheets" and not on my white bedspread. 

I would like some help for the following.

I had a request for 2 nights yesterday afternoon. I was at work so emailed my acceptance as well as rang that the room would not be ready until 5.30 pm. She was OK with this although she tried to get it earlier a couple of times ( I should have known I was in for it).I didn't get home until 4.30 pm so I was really under the pump to get it ready. When I met her, her comment was it is small. A few hours later she rang to say that she didn't want to stay the 2nd night and I said OK it was up to her. Do I have to give her a full refund or 50%. What is everyones thougths? Roslyn

@Roslyn28 

Little thought... You have a cancellation policy. Stick with it. Tell your guest she needs to cancel via Airbnb, she should have all the details on her App. Decline any coercive emails or phone calls from Arbnb (if you get any) to facilitate a full refund for your guest and make sure you read any emails fully before responding as many hosts report accepting to refund may inadertedly accept providing a full refund.

 

You're not likely to rebook your guests second night so why should you be penalised?

Moira21
Level 8
Bispham, United Kingdom

@Roslyn28If a guest told me they aren't staying for another night I wouldn't offer any kind of refund. Nor should the guest be allowed to cancel the second night at such short notice. If Airbnb do allow the guest to cancel the second nights booking then it could be to do with the fact your minimum stay is 1 night.

I AGREE so fully - guests have ALL the power and they know how to manipulate agents to get a full refund - hosts get NO respect - I can’t get anyone to respond to me from Airbnb when I disagree with an agents decision not will they give me a contact above them - my ‘get help’ button has been registering an error message for weeks !