What is the lowest offer you ever received?

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

What is the lowest offer you ever received?

Today somebody offered me $25 less the amount of my cleaning fee “all in”. Meaning taxes and fees which in Chicago comes to about another 40% on top of the booking rate were included in the offer as well stay itself and cleaning. Basically, this would not have even paid for utilities and cleaning supplies. Other than charity request for free stay, what is the lowest offer you have ever received?

84 Replies 84
Anna9170
Level 10
Lloret de Mar, Spain

@Sue251  Brilliant idea, really, why aren't you excited?😂

Ann72
Level 10
New York, NY

@Inna22  The last two winters I've gotten people asking for 3-4 month stays at an 80%-90% discount.  They always use the reasoning, "It's better to have something than nothing, right?"

 

After turning them down I get one or two long weekend bookings a month and I'm already bringing in more than they'd offered.  With less wear and tear, lower fuel costs, less snow plowing and snow blowing, lower electricity costs, etc. etc. etc.

 

With so few people able to do simple math and budgeting, it's no wonder so many Americans are in debt.

Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

This... 

@Ann72I could not agree with you more, the amount of people unable to carry a budget etc is terrible and frankly have only learnt to be more organise after years of doing this for my parents.

 

I am praying/wishing/hoping for someone to start an after school project showing everyday adult things aimed at younger teenagers - changing a light bulb, assembling Ikea furniture, following recipes, changing your car tyres, budgets, simple stock/trading principles and tax returns, etc. Let’s call it the “school of Life”! 

 

My dad is a mechanical engineer and fixes everything- he is amazing but he was once paid £30 to change a standard lightbulb, it took 30s. The gentleman asking was in his 50s and my dad being how he is (a darling) spent more times explaining how to do... SMH

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@Yadira22  

 

One topic for Your „school of live“ poject could be, that not everything You find on the internet is true.

 

E.g.: A 500 sq/feet appartement in Manhattan at $300 per month, the keys handed over by an airbnb representative after payment, in many cases does not exist.

 

 

 

@Ute42  And don't forget, all the utilities and Wifi are included for that $300/month 🙂

@Yadira22  My dad was a mechanical engineer, as well. Also fixed everything. He'd spend the weekends tuning up our cars, and when his favorite armchair was getting ratty, he just went to the library (no internet back then), checked out some books on DIY upholstery, and did a really nice job reupholstering it.

 

People are always amazed that I'm not intimidated to try to fix most things myself, or can glue plumbing pipes together, etc, but because of my dad, I grew up assuming that fixing household things wasn't rocket science, just a matter of learning how or figuring it out for yourself. 

 

I can't recall ever having a service person show up at our house to fix anything when I was growing up.

@Yadira22 @Ute42 @Sarah977  I just remembered something else one of these potential guests said.  After a long song-and-dance about how wonderful it would be for them to stay at my place for three months in the off-season at a 75% discount, he wrote this:  

 

"Given that we will still be paying rent in Boston (where we live), the place is definitely out of our price range."

 

I wrote back:  "The fact that you will continue to pay rent in Boston is entirely your choice and should not be factored into the discussion at all."

 

How spoiled and entitled can people be???

 

Ute42
Level 10
Germany

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@Ann72  

 

I read some of the posts in this thread and I must say I am disgusted.

 

Guest No. 1 offers @Inna22   USD 25 a night all in for a 5 bedroom place with 3.5 baths, and

guest No. 2 offers @Anna9170   USD 15 for an appartement with terrace and pool.

 

What?

 

I mean, what exactely do guests who make such offers want to convey to us?

 

Guest:

 

„Dear host, I assume Your business is way down due to COVID and maybe You are close to bancrupcy. I know my offer is an offence, but You may have to pay Your electric bill in 2 weeks from now and my reservation is the only way You can make that payment“.

 

For all of us not being in danger of going bancrupt, that includes me, I suggest we write back:

 

  • Thanks, but Your offer is a joke.

 

@Ute42 

 

What you wrote is exactly what the above guest wrote to me:

 

"We completely understand if you can't make this work, but I'm hoping since it's kind of the slower season and with Covid... it might be worth it for you to have the guaranteed income as well. If it helps, I'm an Airbnb SuperHost myself."

 

So I wrote, "OH! The fact that you're a Superhost makes it all okay!"

 

No, I didn't write that.  I wrote:  "Very sweet of you to consider me, but unlike many VRBO hosts I have not suffered at all during Covid. Income for 2020 is considerably up over 2019, which was itself a banner year. It appears that a comfortable and secluded house in an unspoiled part of Maine is exactly what people want and need right now."

 

I never heard from him again.  I think killing people with kindness is much more effective than using a blunt instrument.

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@Ann72  

 

I hardly ever have to deal with guests asking for discounts, but i happens.

 

A couple of years ago I got an inquiry (not airbnb) that looked kind of impressive bc it was on a the company header of a softwarecompany and the guy was one of their executives. He inquired for a discount. So I wrote back.

 

„Dear guest.

 

If You take a look a my calendar You will notice, that I'm completely booked out for this year and I do have reservations for next year. Your requested date is 10 months out. Why should I sell my place to You at a discount if I have 10 months to find someone to play the full price?

 

All my guests so far have accepted my weekendrate of 800 Euros. Now You are offering to pay 650 Euros. Can You imagine how it feels for a homeowner to have guests inhouse who think that my place isn't worth the price I am asking for?“

 

This guest finally booked at the full rate and apoligised for his discount haggling.

 

If someone asks for a discount I need a reason to consider such discount.

 

E.g.: „Dear host, I really like Your place and I am considering to spend my 10 next summerhoollidays in Your accomondation and I would pay 50% of the total rent for 10 years up front. What would Your price be?“ Well, that is something we can talk about.

 

Or: I once gave a group of 10 young guys a 100% discount for a weekend. In exchange they were digging a huge hole for me in the garden. 10 guys age 25 can dig a really huge hole in one day. That was a great deal. I don't do holedigging discounts anymore though bc in 2017 we bought an excavator.

 

To consider a discount, I need a reason, an incentive. If there is no incentive, there is not discount.

 

The biggest incentive for me to give a disount would be, if I knew that guests are entertaining. In these many years I'm hosting I had unbelievably funny and entertaining evenings and even nights with some of my guests. We got drunk together, loved each other and we all enjoyed the usual next morning headache. There were nights I will never forget and I was literally laughing my a*se off. We have a group coming here for years now and the husband of this family is the biggest joketeller I've seen so far. Generally, I don't like people telling jokes, but he is so determined and excited when telling a joke, that just waching the sceen is big fun even if the joke is bad. But his jokes aren't bad, they are hilarious.

 

But how do You agree upon upfront on guests You don't know being entertaining? They may state they are entertaining and then they aren't. I haven't found a solution yet to that problem.

 

 

@Ute42  I would also give a discount for excavation.  Maybe I'll add that.  But since I'm not there, not even the most entertaining person in the world would get a discount.

Anna9170
Level 10
Lloret de Mar, Spain

@Ute42   yeah, entire apartment )
they offer for 15 euros and to sleep on the floor in bags with a child was made to me by guests in November last year, when the pool on the territory of the house was no longer active, but this was BEFORE covid. Borders were open, tourists came, sometimes there were empty days, but without any reason for strong price dumping. Electricity, ahaha, such people use it so much that it is better not to let them in. 🙄

@Ann72   you won't believe it, but the most problematic guests in my entire experience of hosting for other owners and for myself were the HOSTS. and among them were superhosts, yeah. and here everyone is so afraid of IB and people without photos, pfft, they are angels. I'm already so bombed that I'll probably make a separate post about it 😆

@Anna9170  Go for it!  Posting while drunk can lead to wonderful entertainment:  https://www.vogue.com/article/susan-orlean-drunken-tweets-pandemic-comic-relief

@Anna9170  And apologies if I misunderstood your use of "bombed" 😂

Anna9170
Level 10
Lloret de Mar, Spain

@Ann72  sorry for my French (C))) by bombing, I meant that this problem really bothers me! but my not always correct English is even more fun 🙊🤣