Guest who booked around a dog's heat cycle

[Tami1]

I had a guest book for 6 nights who was bringing her male dog to bred with one in my area.  Two days prior to the reservation she canceled due to the other not not being in "heat"  yet.  My cancelation policy is moderate and I've been a super host for 9 years.  This guest demanded a full refund and I declined. Now airbnb support has asked me "in the spirit of good will & community" to give her a full refund.  They know I blocked off an additional 6 nights for her on my calendar, per her request, stupid right?  She didn't use these 6 nights either.  I even offered her a 3rd option of 6 more nights, she  decided not to use those either.  I am retired & not a wealthy person.  I depend on airbnb to supplement by social security income.   I contacted super-host support about this guest twice before she requested a refund & they assured me I was doing the right thing, in fact going over and above what was required as a host.  Now this same support asked me to give her a refund. I have to let them know today.   Am I wrong in declining her request for a refund? Thanks for you input.   

[Helen3]

Airbnb always does this as standard. Ignore the pressure from Airbnb and confirm you will be upholding the cancellation policy she booked under . @Tami1  

[Tami1]

Thank you Helen!  

[Joelle43]

Hello @Tami1 

Totally agree with @Helen3 advice.  Your cancellation policy allowed her to cancel 5 days from her arrival time so she should have acted sooner and it's not fair putting the onus on you as a result.  The guest will at least get the cleaning fee and any other fee you have in place for your listing.  Surely she must have insurance from her credit card company or maybe this kind of situation doesn't get covered but nevertheless you shouldn't have to take the loss.

As she hasn't entered your property, she shouldn't be allowed to leave you a review.  

Never comfortable having to say no but to have someone cancel just 2 days before arriving, the chances of you getting a reservation must be low if you were to accept her cancelation surely?  This guest should have chosen a listing with a flexible policy and then she wouldn't be in this pickle.  

All the best

Joëlle

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Tami1 I would offer to refund an amount based on your success in managing to rebook the property. Hopefully the guest will see that as fair........

[Tami1]

That would be fair.  I wasn’t able to book the days she’d reserved, but that’s a good idea thanks! 

[Debbie210]

Your cancellation policy is what the guest clearly booked.  The. Guest was conducting a business deal. ( breeding her dog). As soon as the timing was off for your guest, she expects you to refund her, after blocking off  dates for your business. ??

That guest shouldn’t be breeding animals for profit. There are way too many animals needing homes. 
Her potential business backfired on her, now she expects you to lose your payment, which she held up from anyone else booking your property! 
You are doing the right thing! 

[TJ53 · Accepted solution]

Hello,

This has happened to me several  times now over the years. I simply say:

Sorry to hear things didn’t work out for ( bla bla whatever). While I see your reservation is non refundable at this point, I can offer a solution. If someone else books any part of your stay, I will refund those days. You will need to cancel right away so the room shows as available and someone else can book. 

This has worked well and generally results in guests cancelling, and the room being rebooked for all or part of the stay. (One guest canceled the night of arrival and I couldn’t get that covered.)

We do have a business to run and bills to pay, but I believe we get good karma for such actions. 🙂

Blessings,

TJ

[Fred13]

Missed this thread, but my reaction is that it shows that it never pays to get involved in a dog's sex life.