question on pre-approvals

[Jacob119]

I would like to know if there is a way to review a guest that has sent an enquiry to stay, has been pre-approved, and then let the pre-approval expire after 24 hours with out saying a word.
Sometimes, a genuine looking guest asks to stay, so I pre-approve and block the dates for them.
When they then let the 24 hour period expire without saying anything I have potentially lost out on customers for the dates they had in question. I think we should be able to review requesters to for-warn the hosts who will potentially lose out because of a guests laziness and lack of communication.

[Gillian19]

@Jacob119 A simpler approach would be to not block the dates. I have recently been looking for accommodation and I keep getting sent pre approvals when I have just asked a simple question. I don't have time to go back to each host. As a host I never block dates on an enquiry.  First to make a proper request gets the booking and I don't think twice about enquiries. 

[Jacob119]

Thats a fair but brutal approach IMO.

I do agree to a certain extent, but if somebody DOES want to stay but for example just wants to make sure that they can park their car on the drive for a week as they are using us as a stop before flying, enquiring is the best way forward in their position as I might not have the space. Consequently I'd feel bad if I didnt block the dates for them and 10minutes later the same period in question was instantly booked.

I also beleive the above scenario, if played out would encourage somebody to instantly book regardless of the details just to make sue they dont lose out, if they then cancel after finding out the drive isnt free, Ive still lost out on a potential booking.

Small enquiries, fair enough; the host shouldnt be sending pre-approvals but in my case, it was a full blown request detailing flight times, potential transfers the lot, aturally I assumed they werent time wasters. I even met all their needs in my reply. I was still ignored!

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Jacob119

Don't block the dates. Sending out inquiries is just that - an inquiry. They are "browsing" and so there is no obligation for guests making an inquiry to book and so there is no reason for the host to block those dates.

If you go shopping for a pair of jeans and ask questions about it, try it on, and leave, would the sales person be expected to hold on to it for 24hrs in case you come back and buy it?? 

[Jacob119]

I agree, I will in future, not block the dates however I still find it a little ignorant of the guest to send a detailed enquiry, have all their needs met in my reply, and receive nothing back from them.

I do understand your valid point though.

[Elena87]

@Jacob119 How can you tell the difference between a ' genuine looking guest' and a non-genuine looking guest.?

From my experience there are predominantly two types, those that book and tyre kickers.

It's perfectly fine to be a tyre kicker so I don't see any merit in having the option to review them.

They don't have any obligation to book or offer an explanation why they didn't book. In fact most of the time I instantly archive a request message once answered. Of course, I wholeheartly agree with you, it is an irritation/ignorant until such times you train yourself to be supremely indifferent, after all whether inquirers conclude proceedings with a final message is decidedly out of your hands. 

There is a rare third type, those who normally explain that they like your place and explain they will book tomorrow/at the weekend because of this/that/the other - and more often than not, they do stick to their word. That is the only type of request I'd ever consider blocking dates for.

[Jacob119]

Well, I guess I described it wrong, rather than a genuine looking guest, i mean a guest who's enquiry is so detailed, one automatically assumes they will be going through with the booking. The guest asked about parking on our drive, getting a lift to the airport, getting a lift back, looking after the keys whilst they were gone etc etc. 

My point was, that when I dont block the dates, tyre kicker or not, someone else can come along and instanly book the dates they have just been enquiring about, when they were genuinely going to book following the initial enquiry.

I guess I was just annoyed that i spent the time to write a detailed reply ensuring Id meet all of their needs for the stay and they point blank ignored me.

Personally as a guest, I would always let a host know if I have changed my mind.

I just thought that revieiwng the timewasters would encourage guests to be a little more responsive, but in hind sight yes...there is no actual merit to this.

[Sally255]

Hi- I'm very new to this and have gotten 2 inquiries from folks who have either just joined Airbnb and have not bothered to put up anying other than a photo. So they have no ratings and only have a phone number and email cleared. Should I ask for more. Should I rent to them? 

[Alexandra316]

@Sally255 I'd recommend starting your own topic rather than tacking onto someone else's thread.

It's up to you which guests you accept. You can ask them to provide more verifications to Airbnb, if it makes you more comfortable. I generally go based on my conversations with the guests and how I feel about their intentions.

[Sarah977]

@Jacob119   Part of the job of hosting entails taking time to answer inquiries and other guest messages. It's an aspect of our job as hosts. Getting annoyed because you had to spend some time answering someone's questions who didn't end up booking is like being annoyed that you had to wash the sheets and towels after the guest left or run to the store at 9PM because you just realized you were out of toilet paper for the guest room.

You can always add to your inquiry reply message that the dates they are asking for are not blocked until they actually book, so you can't guarantee that those dates will remain available. 

[Jacob119]

I understand that's my job Sarah.

I'm always happy to talk to potential guests but  i think your misunderstanding me.

Im not annoyed because they didnt book, I'm annoyed that they ignored my message. If they had replied and said sorry we've changed our minds or, your place isn't right for us then I'd have been fine. It's the ignorance that's annoyed me not the lack of getting a booking.

You wouldnt walk into a hotel and ask how much the room is, receive your answer and just blank the receptionist would you? Youd say yes please or no thanks. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Jacob119 look the positive side... one message less to read 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Jacob119  It's a fact of life that not everyone is respectful of others' time and attention. Personally, I would always take the time after someone answered my questions to send a quick message saying, "Thanks for your answers, still trying to sort out our travel options". But if we expect other people to behave in one way or another, we will be constantly disappointed or annoyed.

[Fred13]

I go through this all the time @Jacob119, they ask all kinds of questions, discuss logistics, etc. IF they sound 'dead serious' I tell them I will give them a time to make up their minds or work out the details, block the days. I don't hear back, unblock and keep on trucking. Usually I hear back, sometimes too late, sometimes not at all. Every time however, I do not give it another thought. 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Jacob119  A quote I wrote down long ago to remind myself when I let myself get irritated: 

" The world is full of small ignorances. We must all do our best to ignore them and therefore keep them small, don't you think?"  (From Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson)