Guest no show, now wants to cancel & refund, I am worried that she may put 1 star

[Michelle266]

Hello guys,

Hope this message finds everyone well 🙂

I am very new to hosting, and this is my 4th guest.

She books for a week from yesterday (19th November) and said she would be coming at about 3 PM. When I emailed her around 3 to check if she is still coming on time, she said that she would be 'late' and will text me (she  never did). We waited until 1 AM and sent her sms/call/emails/airbnb messages repeatedly to no reply! I even got worried because she mentioned that she will be travelling alone!

This  morning, she texted me back saying she will be 'staying at her friend's' and asks me to cancel. I have asked her to cancel from her end but she has not got back to me. I worry that she may not cancel from her end, and as AirBnB thinks the booking is still through, she may put 1 star on our review despite the fact that she did not stay at all.

Any suggestions for this? 😞

Thanks everyone!

Michelle

[Gerry-And-Rashid0 · Accepted solution]

First - you are right that you should not cancel.

Second, keep all correspondence on the AirBnB platform.

Third: she cannot leave a review if she did not stay.

Fourth: you should not give a refund as she was so inconsiderate and rude in leaving you waiting like that.

Send her a message saying something like: Dear xx, as you did not turn up and we message you, and waited for you until xx am in the morning, it  has not been possible for us to re-let the room at such short notice. I am afraid that you will have to cancel the reservation as I will be penalised as a host if I make the cancellation. I understand you wish to stay with your friend now, however it has not been possible for me to resell the room as you have not cancelled so that my calendar is free. (If I do resell any nights then I am happy to refund you for those nights I re-sell)

[Michelle266]

Thanks very much Gerry and Rashid!

Your feedback on the reply sounds very fair and I am going ahead with that.

---

Thanks Sabine!

Yes she is supposed to be staying until the 26th. I will do that if she gave me a 1-star, hopefully not though!

---

Thanks again guys for the help! This community is awesome!

[Annette33]

hi @Michelle266 , so sorry this is happening to you!

As you already asked her to cancel, you have done everything you could. I would not engage with this person any longer,  you don't have to explain yourself to them, and it won't make a difference anyways.

 it is 100% up to them to cancel, and as long as they don't do that, the clock is ticking in your favor and you will get paid. If they want any of their $$ back, let them work for it, and take it from there. Don't worry about their potential review! 

[Andrea9]

@Michelle266

Since you've never had this experience before, do know that if she is a no-show but didn't cancel, then the computer will obviously have no way of knowing and will prompt both of you to review.

You might want to call Airbnb towards the end of the booked period to let them know that she didn't cancel and also didn't stay. They will then make sure it's not possible to leave a review.

[Michelle266]

Thanks Annette and Curtiz, and Andrea!

She finally cancelled from her behalf, phew! Thanks for the support again, this community is amazing!!! 🙂

[Robin4]

@Gerry-And-Rashid0    You guys are like a fine wine....you just keep getting better and better! Your post has excellent advice in every way and @Michelle266 should handle it that way, to the letter!!

Good on  you guys...

Cheers.....Rob

[Sabine42]

hi michelle,

don't cancel it, although i've never had a no show i guess it happens. was she booked for more than one night? if she's a no show you still got paid. i wouldn't worry about a bad review, if she does write one respond with an honest account of how this guest never stayed at your place. good luck!

[Michelle266]

Thanks Sabine! Yes she is supposed to be staying until the 26th. She just cancelled from her account so it's good news. Thanks again for your support!

[Momi0]

@Michelle266 hi I would like to add to this thread to let you know that if a guest communicate to you that they are no longer staying at your place and have found other accommodations, then you as the host have the right to contact Airbnb.... airbnb will immediately canceled the reservation for you. All they have to do is view the messages between you and a guest they will then contact the guest to confirm if this is the case then Airbnb will go into the system and cancel the booking. It's that simple.nothing to stress about in the futurebut this is why I stress to every host to keep all communication between the guests as prior to check in during their stay and after their check out on the message board every single

[Momi0]

@Michelle266  PART 2 - I would also like to say that we all appreciate that you took the time and heart to show your appreciation by posting a grateful msg.  There are quite a few new hosts that never do. And you will find that many of us will remember you for that. 

For some reason, my FIRST reply to you didnt' not post my entire statement, (was using Iphone), but I wanted to share with you that this happened to me too.  Not only did the guy keep me waiting for 7+ hours after his specified requested check in time, but finally wrote me to say he wanted to stay at his friends house and also wanted a FULL refund.  Not only did I NOT give him a refund, but I reported his messages to Airbnb, they contacted the guests to reconfirm what he had written to me, and ABB immediately cancelled his stay.  It was his decision to lose his money, not mine.  My home is a Bed and Breakfast business and I run it as such.  But the message I did send him was this....."Dear Guest,  I waited 7 hours for you to show up, and would have greeted you with lots of Aloha Spirit.   Contacting me at midnight to say you are no longer coming for a 4 night stay is not thoughtful at all. Asking me for a full refund is a bit off putting too. You knew at the time of booking that my policy was STRICT...and since I am in no position at midnight to resell our private room, I'm not in a position to offer you a FULL refund. However, I will say this, if my place is booked for the remainder of your stay, I will be happy to refund you a "portion" of your cost because for every hour I was kept waiting by you to show up, my hourly rate was $50. I believe that's more then fair." 

ABB had my back the entire time....and they will with you as well.  Just remember to keep all communication on the ABB message board. Quite a few hosts make the mistake to communicate via phone calls, instant messages, WHATS APP, etc.  Never a good idea. 

Don't worry, you wont' get many of those kinds of people....haha

[Michelle266]

Hi Momi!

Thank you for your advice, kind words, and for sharing what you went through! Sounds very familiar with my situation! I will keep in mind to hold all conversations within AirBnB platform, I am very lucky that she cancels it (can't imagine if she doesn't and keeps on begging me for refund).

PS: your place in Hawaii looks amazing!

[Momi0]

@Michelle266   You are such a sweetheart....I would accept a booking request from you anytime.  CONGRATS ON YOUR REVIEWS!!!!

I want to give you some heads up about something regarding this community center.  Its very important to understand that there will be inexperienced, uninformed and new hosts who will offer up replies, advice, or stipulate ABB policy that may not be correct.  Please be careful of that ok?  Everything you would need to know is found in great articles on the ABB website.  But its still good to come to the CC to get advice. I have myself when it came to writing a review as a new host.  

Speaking of policy, @Dee9  I just wanted to let you know that if a guests requests to cancel a booking, and fails to do so on their account before or after check in date has begun, (with a no show), the host has the absolute right and responsibility to contact ABB and request their help in getting it cancelled.  And, if the booking is cancelled by ABB, then neither party can leave a review.  That is a fact. If the booking has not been cancelled by either parties, then of course the review process will initiate in the system because the computer doesn't know the guests didnt' show up.  This will happen because some hosts have been afraid to call in worried they wouldn't get their pay out.  When in fact, its extemely important to report to ABB if a guests decides not to stay at the listing.  

And @Michelle266 I want to encourage you to spend some time reading the ABB website about cancellation policies, hosts rights, as well as the concerns you had about your guests asking for a refund, and you declining prior to the actual cancellation.  If the guests decides to take negative approach in her review where he or she expresses anger over not getting a refund, that's a violation of the Terms and Conditions of Reviews.  Please take the time to read the REVIEWS guidelines.  I just helped another host in Hawaii get a review removed because it violated those review guidelines.  He came to me asking for help because he was frustrated that the guests kept badgering him for a refund after she chose to leave early, and when he didn't, she wrote a nasty review about that refund.  His cancellation policy was clear and ABB supported his decision not to refund her the last 3 days of her stay.  And her review was removed.  Be sure to remind the phone support staff to have the "STARS" removed with said review.  They absolutely can do that too. 

Important Tip:  If you ever have a problem with a guest, use your account, click on dashboard, click on reservations, find the guests booking, and click on link marked " REPORT A PROBLEM!"  Its a very useful tool. I have used it a couple of times to report damage that happened within my home while the guests was still there.  Always always document as soon as possible.  I even sent the guests a message in the ABB system letting them know I had reported the problem and how much it would cost to replace the damage items.

And they responded acknowledging they would be paying for it.

And remember, this is YOUR home.  This is also YOUR business.  Treat it as such and make sure your guests do too.  Im thrilled you found my listing and thank you so much for your compliments.  You gotta come and try my famous Momi Marvelous Mango Margaritas...first one is always on me. For you.....maybe the 2nd one too!  LOL. 

[Michelle266]

Good morning and thanks @Momi0!! I will re-read the guidelines, and thanks for letting me know that! And thanks for the 'Report A Problem' part, I was looking for it when I was dealing with the situation!

Can't wait for Hawaiian holiday and your famous margaritas! Until then, Mahalo!

[Dee9]

@Michelle266 just so you know they most certainly CAN leave a review. Idk why someone said they cant.  But so can you. Youre able to say..... the guest never showed up.