Unreasonable Guest?

[Lee120]

Hello Community.  I am at a moral delima.  I have a guest that checked out 1.5 hours after checking in. She came by bus, and missed the town she was supposed to get off.  She says it was the drivers fault for not telling her to get off at the correct stop (they announce the towns at the stops). I had arranged for a taxi for her. He waited at the designated bus stop, but she did not get off there. She called him to come to another town to pick her up. He said he would be there in 30 minutes, she said she waited 40 minutes and got another ride.

That ride took her to get a meal, and also told her about another apartment in town that was available.  

When she arrived at our home, the internet was down, she said she HAD to have internet, it was bout 4pm and the company said they would be here first thing in the morning.  NEXT' when I went to tell her what the company said, she said she could not stay because she laid down for a nap and some ants bit her.  I laid on the bed with no bites, offered to change the sheets, but she said no, she had already called for a ride. She said she would rather stay at the apartment in town.  We are remote, and it is noted in our listing.  I reminded her of that.

She also said she could not take a bath. I asked why?  She said the house rules requests that we do not take extra long baths, and so she could not take a bath. We are off grid, and we asks that guests conserve resources.

I think she had already decided to take the apartment, and arrived to see the house is remote, and just decided to stay closer to town.  She also would not have to rent a car if she were in town.  Otherwise, she noted that the house and description was excatly as on the website. I also think that guests should ask questions if unclear about a location. She asked NO questions.

She booked for long term, and is now asking for a refund.   This is tourist season, and my calendar was cleared for the month.  The long term refund policy states that there is no refund for long term after checking in.  She had also made a two day notice for the reservation.

Question:  Should I offer any refund?  Would you?

[Ann72]

@Lee120 My first response is always, "No, don't give the refund!"  But wiser heads on this board might say that you could offer a refund only on nights that you're able to re-book.

You sound like a thoughtful, considerate person, but I think you're dealing with a thoughtless, irresponsible child.  I would take the underpromise-and-overdeliver route:  say that you're sticking by your very clear refund policy, but later, if you get any rebookings and want to submit a partial refund, do that.  If you say up front you'll give part of it back, she'll never stop demanding.  I hope that makes sense.

There is the possibility, of course, that Airbnb will try to persuade you to give her a refund.  But it's not morally wrong to stick to the letter of a written contract, which is in essence what a booking is.

[Lee120]

Hi Ann, I have already received a call from Airbnb (smile).  It is my heart that says she should get something, but I have to also check with others involved.  

Intellectually, I know I should stick to the cancellation policy.  I think refunding at the end of her booking period for days that I am able to book in her place.  I do not do a lot of bookings, so that too is a consideration.

Thank you Ann for your input and response.  As you are a level 10, I value your input.

[Lisa723]

@Lee120 I'm confused about one thing. You say "She booked for long term ... and my calendar was cleared for the month."  But then you say "She had also made a two day notice for the reservation." If this was a long-standing reservation that likely prevented other bookings then I would only refund for rebooked nights. But if she made the reservation two days ago then I would be more lenient and probably only keep the first one or two night's payment.

[Lee120]

Lisa, that is great food for thought.  I guess, I did not like the way it was done.  Thank you Lisa.

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Lee120 

If it's a long-term booking, you do not have the refund the 1st month payout. If it were me, I would not because rules are rules. If the guest wants to cancel, she can. And if you are not comfortable with the payout when the guest did not stay..... it is up to you to decide how much you feel the guest deserves back. ABB will badger you and guilt you into providing a full refund.

Personally....... I think you should keep more than just the 1 nights worth.......because the guest does not deserve to get a full refund. Remember, ABB will not refund their fees to the guest! So why is it up to the host to make sure this irresponsible guest gets a refund that goes against the cancellation policy while ABB still gets the guest service fee??? 

[Ann72]

@Jessica-and-Henry0 Yes!  Well said!!  @Lee120, don't refund, but donate some of the money to charity.  Maybe a charity that teaches people to be more responsible?  🙂

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

That's a great idea @Ann72 And agree with @Paul154  - get the guest to cancel first. Tell her the booking has to be cancelled first AND make sure you get the payout paid to your account BEFORE you refund any money. 

@Lee120  Hosts should NEVER issue refunds before they are paid what they are owed first. And you should always wait a couple weeks in case ABB arbitrarily decides to just take money from you and hand it over to the guest that complains without host agreement/approval (which is something ABB can do if they want). 

[Lee120]

Jessica and Henry, my thought too is that you loose the money. If it were a big hotel chain, it would not be a question, NO REFUND.  Thank you, I know i will NOT give a full refund, no matter what ABB says.

[Paul154]

Tell her you'll refund her later, AFTER she cancels and you get future bookings.

Trust me, you want her to cancel...

[Lee120]

Paul, you are so right.  I told the taxi driver BEFORE I met her that I hoped she was not going to be a problem.