Unreasonable refund request

[Francoise6]

Dear Airbnb Community,

I had a guest recently look to book for 10 days on behalf of her 65 year old Aunty.   Im not sure if that breaks Airbnb's rules?

Please also note the last guest who stayed in the room was 65 year old retiree, therfore we didnt consider age to be a factor.  

The booking was for a Private Room with a Shared Washroom - This is made 100% clear in our Advert.

Upon entering the premises the Aunty complained she had informed us by email she is 65 years old & not happy to share the Washroom!

I took this as her saying we should have broken Airbnb rules & Discriminated against her.  We do not Discriminate!

Effectively they complained we were at fault for accepting their OWN REQUEST!

The concerned parties both Guest who requested on Airbnb & her Aunty - Came & Went within 10 minutes while it was still daylight outside.

The Aunty did not wish to stay.

Being kind enough to escort them with their baggage back to their vehicle, they made what i can only consider to be Blackmail ie if they do not get a Refund they will leave a bad review.

Two days later i received a cancellation request along with a complaint about NO LIGHTING.  It was light outside when they entered  & departed the space, so we did not turn the lighting on.

They did not even stay for more the 10 minutes - Yet our Calander has been blocked.  They were due to check in for 10 days on  Friday 13th May & we received the cancellation request on Sunday 15th May - We have missed all the Weekend traffic & now they want a full refund.

My Ad has a "Strict" refund Policy

It seems is up to me as Host - to decide if i refund them & for what amount.  

The guest who booked was not the guest who wanted to stay - As the concerned Aunty did not stay more than 10 minutes is it fair to be reviewed negatively, when they did not stay?

Based on the above what would the Airbnb Community suggest in regards to refund?

Hoping to get some wisdom for the Airbnb crowd.

Francoise 🙂

[Daniel127]

I would not refund these guests a single penny. If everything is clear in the description then it is their own fault.

[Georgia7]

I believe you are supposed to refund the cleaning fee (as no cleaning was required)!

[Allison2]

They didn't read the listing and the listing clearly described the setup they weren't happy with?  Well, that's on them for not doing their due dilligence. I wouldn't refund them anything.

[David126]

Once they cancelled then you can re let and if you were able to do so you might want to take that into account, well I would, otherwise agree with everybody else.

[Christine1]

Hi @Francoise6,

As you are a big boy with plenty of online communication skills, and have numerous Airbnb listings, I think you need to accept partial responsibility  for the matter. In this case and in future, you need to be thoroughly familiar with Airbnb guidlines and policies, they are there for a reason; and you should follow these guidelines if you wish to reduce the risk of these problems.  

You knowingly accepted a 3rd party booking and by doing so you set up the conditions that increased the likelyhood of this particular problem occuring.

Facing similar requests in the past, I have directed the relative with the Airbnb account to inform the other family member who wanted accommodation, to create an account and communicate with me directly. Otherwise no deal was possible. So the 72 year old greated their own account. It will either lead to people deciding to create their own account, or no booking. Either way, this problem is avoided. 

where to now? Direct the guests towards the normal refund or alteration tools, and if required allow the pre-existing policy to be implemented in a professional manner.

As for any review, stay polite and professional, and non-judgemental even if your guests seem agitated. Let any review fall as it may and deal with it when it happens. 

Perhaps when you reply to the review if there is an issue of concern expressed, you can acknowledge that an error was made in conducting a third party booking.

Everyone can benefit from this knowledge and it puts things into perspective.

That's the job of reviews.

While a lot of advice focuses on preparing your spaces, I think the best thing all hosts can do is properly prepare their guests. 

Best regards, Christine.

Looking back, I see that your post is from a long time back and no doubt all dealt with. I will leave my reply for the benefit of other host who might be contemplating third party bookings.