Azan sound. What do you think should be done?

[Yasin16]

Hello Dear Friends,

My guest who has a 1 month long-term reservation at my house wants to make changes to his reservation. They settled in the house 2 days ago and today stated that they were disturbed by the sound of the mosque in our neighborhood. Unfortunately, this is the case in Istanbul. Azan is recited 5 times a day from all mosques. I have had around 20-25 guests from airbnb until today and no one has reported such a problem to me.

The mosque in question is clearly present in the photos of my advertisement.

They said that they wanted to shorten the reservation dates and leave the house for the reason I mentioned above.

I also stated that this 1-month date was closed for them and if I made a full refund, it would be very difficult for me to fill the remaining days. Getting help from the help center was the best idea.

what do you think i should do? they didn't send me any date change request via airbnb.

fully refund, or partly refund or no refund?

[Laura2592]

@Yasin16 I actually think I would enjoy the sounds of this as part of my Istanbul adventure. This guest seems to be looking for an excuse to end his stay and get a refund. You can ask him to make a change to the reservation to cancel, but you will be paying back his unused nights. You can try to strong arm him into paying for the reservation but going elsewhere, however ABB will likely side with the guest. 

I would let this guest cancel. Once someone is creating strange excuses to leave, it will only escalate if you don't let them do as they wish. Long term stays (more than a week or two) are troublesome for this reason. I would also update my listing to state that you can hear the prayers 5 times a day and that its an experience that most guests really enjoy, however if you are looking for absolute silence, your listing may not be a fit.

[Yasin16]

Thank you laura for your nice suggestions. I will do as you say. If you would like a stay in Istanbul accompanied by prayers, I would be happy to welcome you. goodbye 🙂

[Brian2036]

@Yasin16 @Laura2592 

I learned long ago that there are good reasons why so many people around the world hate Americans.

Unfortunately those of us who respect other cultures and customs also pay the price.

[Yasin16]

Although I am not very good at praying, I would be very interested if I went to America and listened to people's prayers accompanied by a church. After all, the purpose of my trip is to see new cultures and learn new things. but unfortunately this varies from person to person. Everyone's beliefs must be respected. it shouldn't cost anything.

[Brian2036]

@Yasin16 @Laura2592 

I wonder how many people complain about the church bells in London?

[Gordon0]

I live within ear-shot of a CoE and Russian church here in London, @Brian2036. Like the aircraft that fly overhead (I'm under the Heathrow flightpath too), you don't really notice them. But it's a lovely sound when you do. 

However...there are some guests who stay at a friends place in the country who will often complain of "country smells" (cow crap) and the lack of decent coffee/wifi.

As we say in these parts, there's nowt queerer than folk.   

[Sarah977]

@Yasin16  Unfortunately many, if not most guests do not seem to do any research into the area or culture where they are travelling to. They book a place in the tropics and then freak out if they see an insect. They book a place in the heart of a big city, right downtown, and complain about traffic noise. They book a place in the countryside and want to cancel because they saw a field mouse.

It is always a good idea to mention anything that could be an issue re noise, wildlife, infrastructure, etc. in your listing info to ward off these types of guests.

[Yasin16]

You are so right, I will update this as soon as possible! Thanks for your suggestion.

[Christine615]

That's why guests should carry noise cancelling earphones. 😞

[Lorna170]

@Yasin16   Your guests are obviously uneducated in the customs, practices and traditions of the place that they have travelled to.  How many 5 star hotels in Istanbul are also located within earshot of a mosque and the melodic Azan?  Let your guests contact AirBnB and request a cancellation.   Perhaps they will get a qualified, well trained CS person who will help them cancel for not liking the muezzin but still pay you in full for having a fine accommodation.   

[Zainib0]

Yasin please send me the link for your place