@Laura5425
Unfortunately, it's my experience that many guests do not read the listing properly, or even read it at all. A lot of them just look at the photos and the price and decide based on that. Or they read selectively and just ignore parts of it. One would think that mentioning something FIVE times on the listing would be enough, but it's not if the guest doesn't read the listing in the first place. Also, some people don't have any common sense. You really need to spell things out for them.
So, quite some time ago, I started insisting that all guests confirm to me they have read the FULL listing and house rules (and agree to the latter). I remind them to click on the relevant links to see it all because most won't do this on their own initiative.
Even this wasn't enough. Guests would confirm that they had read everything but then ask a question or make a comment that made it really clear that they really hadn't read it. So, I put an 'Easter egg' question in my extended house rules. It's pretty obvious now that, when guests claim to have read them but don't answer that question, they are not telling the truth! I simply won't accept a booking until they answer the question.
On top of that, I mention certain important points in a message to them before they book, e.g. this room is at the top of the house and there are X flights of stairs, or this room faces a busy road so there is noise from traffic and it's not suitable for light sleepers. These are all things mentioned in the listing, but I found in the past that that was not enough.
It's not just that a lot of guests won't read it, but some will read it and still think that it's okay to mark you down in the ratings for something clearly stated. Honestly, I've had guests give me the most stupid explanations for low ratings, e.g.:
- "Listing was very detailed and accurate, but might not be for guests who don't read it." = marked down on accuracy.
- "I already knew when I booked that in the UK you call this the 3rd floor, but you should list it in American terms for American guests." (As if I only host Americans!) = marked down on accuracy.
- "There were two flights of stairs, which we didn't have a problem with, but other people might." BTW, the stairs are not only mentioned on the listing but shown in the photos. Still = marked down on accuracy.
And on and on. I've even had a guest write in the review that something important wasn't mentioned on the listing when it was mentioned there twice and also three times in messages to her before she came. When I pointed this out, she admitted that she hadn't read the full listing, but refused to remove the review because, she said, "Who are you to question my opinion of accuracy? It's my review, not yours."
Seems like common sense isn't so common after all.
