Guest from hell - please help

[Richard223]

As I've been waiting on the support centre chat for over three hours I thought I'd ask for help here.

Just had my first guest from hell in 5 years of doing Airbnb. a really, really unpleasant character.

First few nights he was talking outside on his phone at 130am and I had a complaint from a neighbour who was woken up. Next night he was doing the same again so I called his number on the Airbnb app but it didnt go through. So I was forced to go outside (at 130am again) to politely ask him to keep the noise down.

It gets worse. The next evening I saw him drinking cider alone in a nearby  field. At 245am I was woken by him pressing my door buzzer. He came in steaming drunk and said he had lost the keys. I went outside to look for them but it was pitch black and couldn't see anything.

It gets worse. the next day there was no form of communication from him whatsoever despite the previous night's events. I had to contact him to ask when he was coming back as he had no keys. When he came back he half heartedly apologised and said he would pay me £20 in cash the next day as he had no money on him. Next day he just left without saying a word or any form of compensation.

Now the punchline. He has requested a partial refund from me (!) saying that I "aggressively" told him off for speaking on the phone (forgetting to mention it was outside someone's flat at 130am). He also accused me of having an alcohol problem (!) and flat out denied losing the keys saying "he had them in his hand".

This guy is a liar, a cheat, dishonest, anti-social - oh and a thief as the adaptor plug was missing - and he has the nerve to make it out like I am the bad guy.

My question is, how do I provide evidence of the lost keys? I have some highly entertaining CCTV footage of him stumbling home but will that be enough?

After this is done I'm finished with Airbnb. Can't risk having people like that in my home again. Its been fun though!

[Ann72]

@Richard223  First thing is to put anything not already stated there in Airbnb messages to him.  Include your CCTV clip.

Then go to Airbnb - they'll want to review the message threads.  Try reaching out to them via direct message on Twitter @Airbnbhelp.

[Ann72]

@Richard223  PS:  I'm so sorry you've had this horrible experience!  Good to know you've had 5 good years.  🙂

[Richard223]

Thanks. I really do not want to communicate with this guy anymore as he is clearly unstable and he scares me a little. Hopefully I can do it directly through Airbnb - if they replied to any messages.I've tried @Airbnbhelp but no response.

[Huma0]

@Richard223 

I hate to say this and maybe I am being paranoid but are you 100% positive he lost the keys and doesn't still have them? I am sure he doesn't, but is this guest a local or from elsewhere? I don't want you to have to go to the trouble of changing your locks if it's not necessary, but actually, a guest should really pay for the lock to be changed if they lose keys as it's a security risk. Perhaps you have some other form of extra security you can apply in the meantime, e.g. a deadbolt or security chain? At least you have a security camera, which is reassuring.

[Mark116]

@Richard223  Hopefully you have most of this memorialized on the aibnb message system, such as a message on him needing to be quiet when outside late at night, locking himself out and losing the keys.  If not, then if you ever resume hosting, make sure you do document any problems, conversations, etc. on the system, its about the only evidence that airbnb can't ignore. 

Airbnb is capable of any type of irrational decision, but it seems unlikely that they would issue a refund due to a guest needing to be spoken to about loudness in the neighborhood, resulting in a complaint from a neighbor.

If this guest is local, you will need to change  your locks, I'd try to pass this cost along if not to the guest at least to airbnb. Keep us posted.

[Richard223]

So here's an update folks. I declined the guest refund request and today he's put in a request for a full refund based on some even more malicious and false allegations against me. He called my phone 7 times this evening from a blocked number ID, twice pretending to be from Airbnb and putting on a variety of accents. Luckily I managed to record 4 of the calls, including the 2 purporting to be from Airbnb.

This guy is a danger to other hosts. a clear fantasist and I can prove it. Yet still can't get through to Airbnb on the phone or even get a live chat response!