Guest sneaks in friend into single room, how can I make them pay?

[Terence4]

Hello, I have seen this topic has been kind of addressed but not recently and with Airbnb changing rules etc all the time I'd like to discuss this:  We have a guest room with a single bed and last night our guest forgot her key to the flat.  She came home at 2am waking us up knocking at the door.   We opened and discovered she was sneaking in a friend.  It was a sneak because the friend actually hid away from the door.  Because it was 2am and we had to work the next morning we didn't make a fuss in the night.  However, it left us troubled and we could not fall back asleep.  We can accommodate 2 people via pulling out the bed and providing more linen, but the guest needs to book 2 people.  I just altered the reservation and asked for the extra $30. 

So far, hours later, the guest has ignored the message.  Can Airbnb make her pay?  What would you suggest I do?  I actually would like her to leave my flat, she's got three nights left, but if she realizes her mistake and pays for the extra guest then she can stay.  I just do not feel comfortable and disrespected.  If this was a whole flat she was renting fine, but it's a room only and we are here. 

Thanks for any advice. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 Do you really think that @Terence4 will let rip the way it should be? I think she'll be more reserved still be constraint but want to let rip.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

I really think the review process is a total farce based on an biased inequality and just shouldn't be allowed in situations like this.

[Terence4]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 Ian, you are wrong.   I will not write a fluffy review.  I agree with you, we should not "dress up" reviews like @Robin4 mentioned and say things as they are, especially when there were problems.  

I admit that some messages here made me think this and then that way but this morning I got so fed up and was like "wait a minute, why am I letting this happen to us" and rang Airbnb.  Then I knocked in my guest's door and told her to leave.  She was distressed, had some (in our eyes excuses) and when we wanted to explain she just said she doesn't want to talk about it and packed.  She's upset, but I know I have done the right thing and also learnt a few things with the support of all of you contributing to this thread.  Thanks for that 🙂 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Terence4 

I will not write a fluffy review.  I agree with you, we should not "dress up" reviews....

...but this morning I got so fed up and was like "wait a minute, why am I letting this happen to us" and rang Airbnb.  Then I knocked in my guest's door and told her to leave. 

Well done !

You were completely in the right but you were battling against a punitive system making you think of how a review might go rather than your own sanity.

In your case telephoning Airbnb was the right thing for you to do and hopefully they will support you further. I would certainly want to know how that goes.

With regard to your review: Predicting just what review you would give before the guest had left and after speaking with her was rather premature. It could have been a possibility that the guest had no way of communication for some reason, hadn't got your messages or somebody else had arranged the accomodation, or... whatever. These circumstances might have changed the way you perceived the situation and resulted in a different review altogether. Now you have the facts you can review accordingly.

Before you write your review, read your comments in this thread. The experience didn't have you in a happy place. 

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0   You can consider @Robin4's sample review to be "fluffy", but all hosts have to write reviews in the way that they feel comfortable with. As long as they get the point across that this is an undesirable guest, that is all that is of concern to me as a fellow host.

Rob seems to always put in "while I wish this guest well..." which I would never do, as it would be insincere on my part- I wouldn't wish them either well or ill, I would just be happy to see the back of them and hope that they never had an opportunity to abuse the hospitality of another host.

But maybe Rob is a nicer person than I, and in fact does wish them well, or he feels this makes him look like a good and fair host to prospective guests who might look at how he reviews his guests. It's not for me to judge, as long as it's clear that hosting this guest wasn't a pleasant experience. 

Where Robin might say ""The guest struggled with the house rules, was not particularly communicative....", I'd be more likely to be more blunt-" Blatant disregard of house rules and refusal to communicate made hosting this guest an unpleasant experience for me."

But either version makes it clear that the guest was less than stellar.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Sarah977 

" Blatant disregard of house rules and refusal to communicate made hosting this guest an unpleasant experience for me."

Your blunt review would suit me fine.

You do realise that these coded reviews are easily understood by Guests and Hosts alike, as here in the 'Hosting' forum, both Guests and Hosts get to read the codes and everything written? I doubt very much too that every host has read them or even know they exist.

So, why 'fluff' it? There is no hope that the guest won't understand whats being written about them so why make out like the silent assasin?

Any review that @Robin4 might make - or any other host for that matter - will not appear on his listing unless it was a specific reply to a review on his listing by a guest, it will however definitely appear on his guests profile which is exactly its purpose. When guests don't even read the House Rules of the listing I hardly believe they will venture to research the host by stalking the reviews he makes?

[Sarah977]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  I guess my point is that some of us are blunt people, and some find it hard to say bad things about someone in a blunt manner, even if they deserve it. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves according to our natures and upbringing. As long as other hosts can get the message across that a guest would not be welcome back to the host's listing, and why, that's all that matters to me when looking at reviews.

[Susan17]

@Terence4 

You've been given lots of different advice and lots of differing opinions on this thread, and in their own way, everyone is right. Each host is telling you what works for them, in their own unique situation, with their own unique hosting styles, and their own unique personalities. Some hosts will treat certain scenarios as a flash in the pan, others will raise holy hell - but at the end of the day, it's all about finding your own comfort level, establishing your own boundaries and figuring out what works best for you. 

You mentioned in another comment that this was almost enough to make you quit hosting. I totally get that you're upset and disappointed by this whole incident, but if you've enjoyed your hosting experience so far - and from your reviews it certainly appears that your previous guests have enjoyed your hosting, and your home, very much - don't let one sh*tty experience sour it for you. There are always plenty more fantastic guests coming right behind the exasperating ones! Same in any job, in any walk of life - you gotta take the good with the bad. 

As you may have noticed, I am probably Airbnb's harshest critic on this forum, and I'm very vocal on the many, many ways the company takes advantage of, and let's its traditional small host community down. (Trust me, there have been many times I've felt like taking a sledgehammer down to the Airbnb HQ offices here in Dublin and running amok on their hardware! 😉) I do criticise Airbnb's blatantly unfair and unjust policies and practices, and I call out a lot of uncomfortable truths that some really don't want to hear, but I feel that hosts have a right to know. (Doesn't do me any favours, but I can live with that)

However ... although I may despise many of the ways the $38 billion dollar global corporation is treating us (and some choose to view me as a bitter, twisted hater because of that) and although it's inevitable that I - like every other host on the planet - will get guests every so often that totally rock my faith in humanity and bring out the demon in me - the truth is, I still get every bit as much of a buzz from my Airbnb hosting now, as I did when I first started all those years ago. I love the variety, the unpredictability, the challenge, the rollercoaster ride - and most of all, the chance to get to know some pretty d*mn amazing people that would probably never have crossed my path if I wasn't doing this Airbnb gig. And many have become dear friends, whose presence in my life, I treasure. 

Just this weekend, (after 5000+ guests) I've had my first ever group of Indian visitors. Extended family of 9, from teens to granny, living in different parts of the world, decided on Dublin for a little get-together. Never used Airbnb before, and were utterly clueless as to how the whole thing works. They (completely inadvertently) crossed so many lines that would have other hosts up in arms, or reaching to call CX, and I could've made a big deal and started laying down the law, but I simply just put them straight and we moved on - no awkward confrontations, and no hard feelings. The opposite, in fact. (They even invited me to have breakfast with them at 10am on the morning of their arrival. Hottest, spiciest breakfast I ever had - face scarlet, eyes streaming, nose running like a tap kinda brekkie! But I did it justice!)

They were leaving at 4am this morning so I spent a bit of time with them last night, and they were telling me that they'd loved every single minute of their stay, their teens had been Instagramming my house to death to show off to all their friends, and that the whole family would remember this special trip forever. And I loved having them, and will have very fond memories of them too. That's what makes Airbnb worthwhile for me, and despite my many (valid!) grievances with the company and the platform, it's why I'm still here, and why I still love hosting. 

So don't throw in the towel just yet @Terence4 - at least not over something like this! It's just a bump in the road. Once you accept that yes, in a lot of instances, Airbnb will let you down, and you develop your own techniques and strategies to take back your own control and deal with all eventualities, you'll be just grand. Best of luck to you, whatever you decide to do! 

[Alice595]

@Terence4You may need to invovle Airbnb after three days of no pay from your guest for extra person. But it could be difficult to provide an evidence that an extra person was brought in to stay. Airbnb wanted to have documented evidence. It may all depends on the case manager handling the issue. I am curious about the outcome.

From time to time, we hosts may face difficult guests. With the lack of support by Airbnb for hosts, we hosts have to stand strongly ourselves.

[Terence4]

@Alice595 I was able to confront her yesterday morning.  She asked to let her stay but when she didn't want to talk when we offered the last solution, she left. 

[Helen3]

I do hope she paid for the additional guest before she left @Terence4 ?

[Terence4]

@Helen3 She actually did, but in return wanted a refund for the last night. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Terence4 (She) said I would be unfair if I didn't reimburse. could be construde as a veiled threat.

Airbnb have policies against trading reimbursement for fair or unfair treatment. I cant access their policy but I believe it here. If you believe that she inferred she was seeking reimbursement in exchange for a 'more favourable' review or the reimbursement would influence her review - then, you might just get her review revoked by quoting this policy.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/548/what-is-airbnb-s-extortion-policy

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Terence4  (She) said I would be unfair if I didn't reimburse.

Classic !

I do believe that might be subtle verbal blackmail to providing a bad review.

I'm not sure how your cancellation policy works but if you are not obliged to provide a refund, then you simply are not obliged.

Also, the terms and conditions restrict blackmail or payment as tools to ensure  positive reviews. Check this out and inform CS about your guests accusation prior to any reviews.

[Terence4]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0  I have strict cancelation policy and since she twice altered (from 3 down to one week) and I refunded she will not get that night as well.