Guest leaves after 2 days of 5 day booking wants almost full refund

[Simon364]

Hi I am a superhost, and have been for several years. I always get good reviews. I always greet my guests personally and explain that if they have any issues they can let me know directly and I will do my best to fix them.

I had a guest booked for nights days but only stayed for 2. On the morning after the second night they said they had problems with the room, and couldn’t sleep. They had already booked somewhere else and packed

They weren’t happy that the blind let in too much light in the morning, and that the bed was uncomfortable. I apologized and said I would take her feedback onboard. To be fair to them , I looked at the bed and the slats had broken. I haven’t had any complaints so far about either, so was unaware – but I am really happy to fix the problems and in fact am doing so.

The guest wants almost a full refund of the five days (minus room clean and AirBnB commission) as they have escalated to Airbnb. I am a bit reticent about giving that much , but clearly the review will be terrible if I don’t hand over the money, and the star rating will trash my Superhost Average. also because they have escalated , Airbnb have only given me one hour to decide! 

Does anyone have any advice please

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Simon364 the review is likely to be bad whether or not you refund I am afraid.

[Simon364]

thanks. I think its the worse case I have had in the several years. I am trying to work out what I can learn from this , at least

Actually - update -  the amount they have requested for a refund, is the amount they are paying in a hotel for the three nights that they are not staying at my place. (it's not related to my room rates)

[Mike-And-Jane0 · Accepted solution]

@Simon364 Its really hard to advise but perhaps you should refund the nights they didn't stay plus the night spent in a broken bed.

If Airbnb get involved they may just refund the full amount!

[Simon364]

I'm refunding all 5 nights , but not the Airbnb fee and the room clean fee. 

I've also sent a nice message and apologised. It's damage limitation

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Simon364 let us know how the reviews go!

[Kevin1718]

Only pay if less

[Fred13]

Whenever this happens first consider what/who you are dealing with: a loss booking because something (physically) happened and the guest are stone, cold-blooded (immediate booked elsewhere and escalated within a nano-second).

Best to accept it and move on (4 days refund). In this way what exactly are they going to say in their review? That the bed broke? Ok, so what, such things happen and that is easy to dismiss in your response without becoming a deterrent on your future guests, which is all that matters. Also doesn't give therm an opportunity to get dramatic and start lying. Your response should be very light-hearted in nature, no lengthy explanation. I.e. "A pity the bed broke,...."

Good luck.

[Simon364]

Thank you. Also I have to try not to take it personally, and your message helped with that. You are right, they can say the bed broke and the blinds let in too much light! i dont think other guests will be too offended. It's actually mostly the star rating thats important - because if they give 2 stars, thats enough to destroy the superhost rating in my average reviews (all the others are 5 stars)

I apologised to the guest and offered a refund when they were there, but it didn't stop them from escalating.

Additionally i fixed the issue within the morning, so that shouldnt have been a problem either

thank you

[Fred13]

This shows who you are and they are not. I would fight tooth & nails with Airbnb ~IF~ their review is intended on being destructive and punitive, on  the grounds that is irrelevant to reality. Accident happen (broken bed) and styles differ (too much light), that's part of everyday life.

[Paula]

Hey @Simon364 ,

I can only imagine how stressful the situation must have been for you. However, I am glad to see that you received some helpful advice from our community members, and as @Mike-And-Jane0 suggested, please keep us updated on how everything turns out in the end.

Regards,

Paula

[Kevin1718]

Give the refund move on and if they leave a review mentioning the broken bed just explain it away with "Temptations of the flesh" but is now fixed ready for the next guests

[Olivia794]

Hello Simon,

I'm sorry to hear about the situation you're in. It sounds like you're doing your best to address the issues that the guest had with their stay.

In terms of the request for a refund, it's important to consider your cancellation policy and the specific circumstances of the guest's stay. If the guest had only stayed for two nights out of the five they booked, it might not be reasonable to refund the full amount for the entire stay. However, if the issues with the room were significant enough to impact the guest's ability to sleep and enjoy their stay, it might be appropriate to offer a partial refund.

It's also important to maintain a professional tone and avoid getting defensive or argumentative in your communications.

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether or not to offer a refund, but it's important to consider the potential impact on your Superhost status and future bookings. Good luck, and I hope this helps!

Regards

Olivia