demanding guests

[Jd9]

I currently have the worst experience with guests I have ever had:

They did not properly look at the amenities of the house; and after booking and paying they started complaining about things:
- there is no gate to the yard, they complained about that, so I installed a gate.
- they had someone inspect the place before they came; had issues with a floor not being painted, we fixed that and painted the floor for them
- they complained about there not being a TV, we got satellite and a tv for them
-they complained about there not being a proper barbeque; we got them a barbeque
- Probably WORST of ALL, they wanted an extra outside room for their maid, because the maid is of different race they did not want the maid to stay in the house or use the same toilet as them. This type of discrimination is unacceptable in a platform like Airbnb. - I told them this will not be an option

- they now managed to break the toilet (toilet was not leaking/cracked or overflowing when they moved in)

They phoned me now and made as if this is my fault. I've never been so in dignified in my life. They have cost me more than the rent I have received.
I arranged a plumber ASAP and the plumber is there now to fix the toilet, but only usable by tommorrow; but they are still not happy because they cannot use the toilet immediately - they are demanding I book them accommodation, but the town is pretty much fully booked for the holiday season

Any suggestions on what to do now??

[Peter618]

@Jd9

Just stop doing them all kind of favors, or it will get worse and worse. If they are serious about theire complaints they will cancel from theire side, which is the best you can hope for. Such guest will also give you a bad review even if you kill yourself for them.

Take this as a lesson for future bookings. Guest who demand things you did not include in your listing are either not capable of reading and understanding, or just trying take advantage of you. They will never be satisfied and always leave bad reviews.

Lear to say NO.

[Marzena4]

I second @Peter618 - even guests who do not sound satisfied when you explain to them that they have been mistaken but keep the booking anyway are likely to cause problems with their stay or the review. 

[Helga0]

I would notify airbnb of all these proceedings and the nform the guest, that they will have to pay the plumber bill and all future damages they cause or extra services they request. Do this via the message thread. I hope you had all the communication on airbnb. Otherwise write a short summary what occured so far, when the plumber is due and the rest. 

It was a tactical error to fulfill the first demand. The rest was one big mistake after the other. You have to say no immediately to demanding people, otherwise you are swallowed whole. 

The pont a guest tells me he cannot support his maid under the same roof is the momebt he leaves my house. With such a blatant racist statement, airbnb will support you. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Jd9 I agree 100% with everything what @Helga0 @Marzena4 and @Peter618 have said. You have to learn to say "NO" the moment your guest asks for discount or for anything what would be additional cost or effort for you. Or they will eat you alive.

I say YES to early check in/out if it is convenient for me. I will give them extra towel or pillow if they request it .... but another TV / gate / barbeque .... ? Whaaat ??? Are you crazy?  😄 

My guest also broke the toilet, he was very embarrassed about it and had left even more money than the repair cost was. He said it is for my time and effort 🙂 

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Jd9 You are now Dorothy walking down the ‘Yellow brick road’ and out pops your guest, the Tin man.

The Tin man seems nice enough until he starts asking for cans of oil and a **bleep** heart transplant! 

Then he brings his little friend the Straw man who leaves an absolute mess in every room he enters but then there is the Lion. The lion wants to roar and cause everyone in the neighborhood to be upset. He’s the guest that opens a third floor window and yells out ‘F the Police’ at 3am. 

So what should Dorothy do when these guest turn your listing into Oz? 

Drop a freaking house on them and try on the red LouBu’s to see if they fit. Why waste a solid pair of red bottoms just because a house fell on her?

Buy a new gate and bbq?

They must be eating dog food, If they think you’re going for that craziness.

Draw back the curtain and absorb all that Oz is. 

Good Luck! 

‘You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Jd9]

Haha, thanks guys 🙂 😉 🙂 😉 🙂 😉

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Jd9 crazy side story about toilets, I had finished preparing my listing and I was set to go with bookings. I noticed this one toilet had a slight rock to it. I tightened the toilet to the drain flange and it was slightly less of a rock but it still moved. I finally tapped out and hired a handymen to fix it. He showed me the toilet flange was just floating and not secured to the floor and there was no concrete poured as a casing. I’m just glad it never leaked or spilled out while a guest was there for a visit. 

‘You know it’s hard out here for a Host’

[Diana320]

JD. I’m so sorry that you had that experience.  

If they write a bad review, you can respond to it and give your side 

Help needed:

i have renters for 6 weeks who want me to buy a $100

mattress topper because they say the bed is too firm for them.  She has had lots of other smaller requests too. 

Should i I get it for her? She says she has a back problem.   She asks for it in a demanding way and I’m feeling resentful but don’t want a problem. 

Any one had had this happen or have any suggestions?

[Helga0]

6 weeks is a long time to sleep in an uncomfortable bed with a back problem.

100$ for a topper , if it’s wide enough for a large bed, not for one side only, is not much. I would hesitate to buy one in this price range. It’s too expensive for crap and not expensive enough to be in a useful quality. If it’s some sort of memory foam or gel, it should have 2 inches or more to make a real difference. Be aware, that they are useful during about 3 years, then they loose their capacity to support the sleeper.  They are comfortable even if you prefer hard supports and make the bed warmer. If you have very hot summers, you might remove them during that time. But you may save heating in winter 😉

if you already have expensive mattresses with a foam layer, it could be that this layer is loasing it’s capacity to return to its form. A topper is a relatively cheap way to make a big difference- for a few years. 

Ah, and a funny thing: I had claims of a bed too hard or too soft, but both stopped with a good topper.