Guests asking for 100% refund AFTER their stay due to “dogs barking”

[Amene1]

Hi. I am looking for some advice. I recently had guests who complained that there were dogs barking in our neighborhood non stop. We reported the issue to the HOA and neighborhood security but they said they drove past our house multiple times and couldn’t hear the alleged dog barking. We asked the guests to send video for us to submit to the HOA. They sent it after they checked out.

The guests completed their stay. They did not leave or cut their stay short but they are now asking for a 100% refund from us due to the unbearable noise.

The videos they sent our filmed from the back of our backyard. In one video you can hear a dog barking in the distance.

maybe a couple blocks away. In the other video you can hear two dogs on the street barking at each other and their owners saying something (presumably two people walking dogs that bark at each other when they meet). We have NEVER had this  type of complaint and our neighborhood is usually very peaceful. However, with the holidays (lots of tourists, fireworks, gettogethers) it is not surprising that dogs could bark.

Our house has properly sealed windows to keep the AC in and we can usually not hear any street noise. The videos are filmed from the back of our backyard.

In their complaint the guest says that the barking was so unbearable that they got sick and did not enjoy any of their stay and hence the 100% refund request. They say that I have a “misleading listing” or “false advertising” because I should disclose that there are dogs in the neighborhood that could bark. (They also allege that the pots and pans were sticky and upload a photo of a dead insect as proof of unbearable conditions).

What would you do?  How would you handle this?

Note that these guests asked for a big discount because the house was outside of their budget. They also sent me their phone number to try to book directly instead of booking through Airbnb since they considered Airbnb fees to be too high. It sounds to me they simply want to scam the system and me… but I am not sure how to proceed.

thanks 

[Helen3]

I would say to the guest that you aren't able to consider a 100% refund for issues such as dog barking in the neighbourhood as this is outside your control @Amene1 and that dogs barking is something that happens in any residential  neighbourhood.

its not clear from your post when they first complained but the only option would have been for the guests to cancel their stay on arrival if it was an issue for them and stay elsewhere if they wanted you to consider a refund.

what they can't do is stay for the duration and then expect a full refund. 

I can see you have had quite a few complaints about cleanliness and the quality of furnishings at the property so this is something you need to look at addressing as Airbnb can suspend listings that fall below their expected standards and  4.6 ratings are seen by them as below their minimum standards.