I have three guests from "south africa" who communicated that they wished to stay in my listing. Let's call the reservation maker Pam. Pam messages back asking to adjust the reservation by a day, because she was confused and didn't make the reservation for the full duration of the trip. The reservation was made less than a week before intended check-in. One of Pam's friends, let's call her Kim, has been emailing me because the change reservation hadn't come through yet. Kim emails back after I communicate that I sent a change reservation to Pam, who booked in the first place. When the details are finalized, Kim (not Pam, the original reservation maker), asks how to get from BWI to my home. I write back that it is stated clearly and in several areas on my profile and listing that the property is not easily accesible by public transportation, as the nearest metro is 12 miles away. Baltimore is pretty far away, so I said I would guess it would be near a three hour trip. I suggested renting a car. Yesterday, I receive an email from Kim who reached out to airbnb and CC'd me requesting a refund. I have a strict refund policy. I offered her use of my extra vehicle we don't use if she had insurance. She explains that she is from Namibia and that the roads are different there.
Hang on-- South Africa and Namibia are two different places. So now I have two different people with regards to the reservation, who say they are from two different places, one is requesting a refund. I explain to Kim that the public transport details were not concealed, and that is is strange to have someone communicating with me about the listing when she didn't book it. Kim writes back that she had Pam coordinate the listing, and that she is listed on the reservation (which I believe, but it doesn't really show up on mobile). She tells me that its unfortunate that is has come to this and that these are the things they will write about when they tell others about their travels (I don't know if this was supposed to be a threat, as many people international dislike Americans, so I'm not sure why this was communicated).
I respond to Kim that I am not comfortable addressing it with someone who didn't make the reservation, however, Pam has disappeared altogether. They are supposed to arrive today, and she reached out again about getting a refund because they have no way to get to the property. I explained that if this had been weeks ago, I would have refunded, but as most people have made plans for their weekends, I have no opportunity to make a profit off of rebooking the room, and that I shouldn't be subject to eating the cost because the person who coordinated the reservation didn't read the listing well. I think they saw the low price and went for it.
I want her to stop emailing me. There is not much more that I can explain to her, and it is still strange to me that the person who didn't make the reservation is trying to cancel it. Also, Pam's number and location say she's from Michigan, not South Africa, or Namibia. Would this raise anyone else's eyebrows? Are guests allowed to make reservations on behalf of other people?