Guest asking for refund for inaccurate listing

[Everett37]

Hi there, 

I had a guest ask for a refund as her and two other ladies were frustrated that I listed my condo as a 3 bedroom, not two. My condo consists of 2 full bedrooms (1 with a King and 1 with a Queen) and I also have a loft w/ a queen bed. When creating my listing, I went back and forth between listing as a 2BR or a 3BR condo, but in order to show that I have 3 beds I needed to list as a 3BR. 

The guest also threated to write a bad review by saying, "Ok I am happy to give the review I want to give if it is not refunded tonight." I feel that this breaks Airbnb unbiased review policy?

I guess my question is, should I list as a 2 BR or a 3BR? You can see in my listing on the listing description, your property, and on many image captions I made it very clear the 3BR is a loft and doesn't have a window or private door. 

[Juan63]

If you have that threat in writing, you should be able to get that review removed. But as a guest, I would be upset if the third bedroom wasn't enclosed.

[Everett37]

I agree, don't you feel that comment is threatening? 

She said "Ok I am happy to give the review I want to give if it is not refunded tonight." Which to me implies if she is not refunded she is giving me a bad review. This would be against Airbnb's unbiased review policy, right?

[Tom4661]

I understand they can't leave a review for you if you don't leave one for them. So, don't leave one for them; you don't risk getting a bad review. As for the listing, go with 2 bedrooms with a loft as an opinion for use as a 3rd bedroom.

[Jennifer1897]

@Tom4661 This is absolutely false. Reviews are blind; however, each party has the ability to leave one regardless of whether the other party does. Reviews will be displayed once both parties leave one or the 14-day review period has expired. 

[Joan2709]

@Everett37 

I probably would refund a partial amount to the guest as technically the listing wasn't quite accurate. The amount of the refund is up to you, but I would make it clear this was an honest mistake and you are providing a courtesy refund.

Airbnb can (and does) provide refunds to a guest if the listing is proven to be inaccurate. If you don't provide some sort of refund, the guest can contact Airbnb and request one anyway and she'll still probably still leave a negative review. Her statement is a bit threatening, so you might be able to get the review (if a bad one) removed, but that is an uphill battle. I'm always for defending a Host for guest scams for refunds, but to be fair...the guest complaint about listing accuracy appears to be correct.

You have a new listing and really can't afford a negative review right now. If you had many reviews, absorbing one negative one is not too difficult. Also, if she leaves a negative review it will probably prevent you from attaining Guest Favorite which is important for a new listing. 

[Juan63]

I think so but I'm not Airbnb CS.

[Zheng49]

I think it should be 2 bedrooms, and 3 beds. 

[Everett37]

Hi @Zheng49 , 

I tried doing that, but in order to list that we have three beds in the condo I needed to list it as a bedroom. I am new to Airbnb so maybe I need to play around with settings more, but this is a loft with a queen bed and I feel like I advertised correctly in my listing description. I also added captions on the images to accurately represent the space. 

[Zheng49]

It depends on the legal definition of a bedroom in your area I guess.

But at least here, a bedroom needs to be fully enclosed with a window big enough for a person to crawl through (for emergency use). 

[Everett37]

I changed the listing to a 2 BR and adding a second bed to one of the bedrooms to make it a 3 bed. I want my listing to reflect that it has 3 total beds. So I just made sure to make it clear that extra bed is located in the loft next to the bedroom! 

[Joan2709]

@Everett37 

Technically your place is a 2BR only if the Loft is not enclosed (walls and a door). Usually "loft" means a bed in an upper area of the listing that is open to the lower floors (no wall or door). The reason guests get a bit upset is because it does become a privacy issue if the loft is open to other areas of the space (which it usually is).

Unfortunately, I don't think Airbnb has added "Loft" as a room in the tour and the only other place you can add "sleeping arrangements" (other than a bedroom) is the Living Room. I would send feedback to Airbnb to add "Loft" as a room (and add sleeping arrangements to it) so you can add a bed to a Loft Room.

In the mean time, I would keep it as 2BR with queen bed Loft. I would probably spell that out right away in your description and maybe even Title. Sadly, those trying to use a 3BR filter will not see your listing appear in search results (as it shouldn't, since the loft is not a bedroom). However, many guests would be fine with a loft bed; especially for kids and but won't see your listing appear in search results if using the Bedroom filter for 3 BRs.

[Shelley159]

Hi @Everett37 

If you decide to stick with listing it as 3 bedrooms, consider typing up a message that highlights the nature of the 3rd bedroom and save it as a quick reply or scheduled message. You can send the message immediately after enquiry (or instant booking) to make sure the guest is aware. All you need to achieve is that guests know exactly what to expect (and that you have this communication properly recorded), then all should be fine.

[Bronwyn100]

It is a two bedroom and you list the extra bed as you would a fold out lounge. You will get no joy from Airbnb. I have found it impossible to get a review removed.