Guests leaving saying our cottage is not fit for purpose!

[Kim4457]

Hi, I need some advice on what to do regarding refunding.

We have a cottage on Airbnb that has received 5-star reviews until this month.

Two guests arrived on Saturday, and our house manager approved their arrival. They quickly started using the pool but soon reported to our house manager that there were wasps around the pool. Our house manager explained that this issue is worse in September and is just part of the rural mountain environment. No one has ever complained about this before, and we didn't think it was a major issue.

Then, on their first evening, they left suddenly not even staying one night, a complete shock. They left the keys and informed us they had left on their way to their new accommodation saying that they had to leave because the property was not fit for purpose. They also mentioned that they would report their issues to me soon. Yesterday (2 days later), I received an email listing all the issues they found (a complete surprise as we have nevre had this vefore). Most of their complaints were related to the rural nature of our property, which I believe wasn't what they were looking for in terms of being in the mountains, rustic, and rural setting. We have never had any issues before and have received glowing reviews, some of which highlight in apositive way the things they are complaining about.

They did not give us time to address any of the issues, as we would have sent our house manager to help/explain with each problem, but they just left. Now, they want a refund, and we cannot rebook the week.

I just don't know how to deal with this. I have responded, addressing each of their issues.

It has cost us money even before they arrived, with cleaning, welcome packs, and paying our house manager for the week to clean the pool every day when there are guests and to be generally on call if needed.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Shelley159]

Hi @Kim4457 

If I were in your position, my primary focus would be on getting those remaining nights unblocked right away so you can get other guests in their place. If the guests don't accept a "change end date" request (you can send one by scrolling down on the booking to "change reservation"), you may want to get customer support involved to help you free up the nights. A last-minute discount may help to get the nights re-booked. If the departing guests are going to leave a bad review, the replacement guests will already be booked and will hopefully leave a positive review to balance out the negative one.

[Kim4457]

Thank you so much for your prompt response. These are great ideas, but unfortunately, we have guests staying this Saturday, so we wouldn't have been able to book out the remaining nights as we have a minimum 5-night policy due to the costs of cleaners, welcome packs, housekeepers, etc. We were shocked, to be honest, and had to wait for the guests to report their issues back to us as no one had a clue what had happened. They kept us waiting for two days before privately emailing me. This has caused trouble in our small village, as our house manager and cleaners have taken it personally. This is the first time we have had issues in 5 years, as the guests gave glowing reviews all season and just a week before.

Now, they are asking for compensation, but I don't know what for! I'm finding this incredibly stressful.

My partner knew straight away they would not like the ruralness of the property, etc., but they knew this when they booked. Just feel exhausted, to be honest!

Thanks so much though, good to know people are out there

[Greg2406]

@Kim4457 

ABB should not allow any refund to these individuals.  They had adequate time to review the property before the booking.   If you had your cancelation policy set to FIRM, they are not entitled to a refund.    Believe that much of this could have been prevented prior to accepting a request for booking and asking more questions can lead you to making a more informed decision on accepting or declining a booking.  

After our first two months of living hell, we learned quickly how to vet and ask the right questions.   And, yes, we have rejected several booking requests because we didn't care for the answers to those questions and one even insisted they were not going to sign the House Rules.   Yeah,..no.  We couldn't hit the reject request button fast enough!!

[Kim4457]

Dear @Greg2406 

Firstly, a HUGE thank you for your replies; they are/were so helpful to us.  I am so sorry fort he delay in replying but caught the dreaded Covid, and still recovering!
 
We have just got back from visiting our place to check things out, and it was as lovely as ever. I am still trying to understand why these people really left. I enjoyed reading our excellent reviews for the season and am sitting tight to see whether these people leave us a review, as the 14 days are up tomorrow.
 
Should I leave a review or wait for them to leave one tomorrow and then reply/defend their criticisms? I have nothing to say, really, but of course, I will want to defend us if they leave a review like their email to us. It will be a fat zero and basically say we have a dirty ruin! In fact, it is beautiful and perfect and sits within an acre of land in the mountains. Gosh, this has been so stressful!

[Greg2406]

@Kim4457 

Sorry to hear that you have the vid.   

I would not leave a review.   This is one reason that I wished to start a 'clearing' house site for hosts to get together on perspective guests.   They would be able to ask questions about pending guests, but Airbnb isn't set up that way.   You can only see what the reviews are.   But in some instances, we would still like to talk to the Hosts, especially those that left a very short comment.   We have learned from experience that these short and vanilla comments usually mean something else went on.   Not all the time, but sometimes.    As any Host does, I want to know who and what the individuals are about that are staying in MY house.   

Learn from those with experience how to vet.   Learn to say no to requests for bookings if one red flag comes up.   If anyone contacts me with a request to inspect the property before booking,...answer is a resounding,  nope!   

No compensation.  I wrote an article on scammers,..and this sounds like one.

Best of luck....don't take no for an answer. 

[Dawn1104]

So I’m guessing you don’t allow the auto book option?

[Greg2406]

@Dawn1104 

No, we had instant booking set to on initially, were on the receiving end of 33% damages rate over a two month period.   ABB and other platforms state that they 'verify' guests, ugh,..not true.   Instant booking feature removed, new House Rules in place that Guest must sign and return prior to access to the property,  vetting on each booking request,  guest mandatory history with at least a 4.5 or better reviews, additional changes,  and immediately the incident rate dropped to less than 2%.   

[Dawn1104]

Thank you. That's helpful. I removed Instant Book last night! Thanks again!

[Dawn1104]

I haven’t heard about getting house rules signed. How is that done?

[Greg2406]

@Kim4457 

Sorry you had that experience.  Here are a few suggestions.  Make all guests sign a well drafted set of House Rules prior to entry onto the property.  Make sure to have this requirement on your property listing description page.   On arrival, provide the Guests 15-30 minutes to inspect the property.   In the mandatory House Rules, state;  "Guests must report any and all issues to the Host or Host representative immediately utilizing the platform message board"   (Record of conversation, date and time stamp.)  In the same House Rules state, that "All Guests are required to abide by these House Rules at all times during the booked period" and that "failure to abide by the House Rules will result in forfeiture of all funds paid".   I am not sure about the UK, but in the States, Guests are signing a legally binding agreement document and they would not be entitled to a refund if they failed to follow the signed Rules. 

What occurred to you should have never happened and what these individuals did was an abandonment without cause.   Our experience is that some Guests do mischievous actions.  In our first two months operations, we had a 33% property damage rate, and we ultimately had two families banded from multiple listing platforms and issued and ultimately collected fines into the thousands of dollars.   Installing a lock-tight set of House Rules is one thing, enforcing them goes hand-in-hand too.   

Lastly, and not saying you should do this for your listing, what worked for us is to remove all instant bookings, ask good questions to anyone making a request, read their reviews, remind them of what your property has to offer, remind them that it is rural,..and checking up on any guest during the booking period to see how they are doing, is there anything they need, any issues that you need to address.   Most important,...an Olympic level set of House Rules.    

Greg

[Dawn1104]

Would you be willing to provide a copy of your house rules. I want to implement this idea and would use it as a template, if you approve.

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[Helen3]

You can see a hosts house rules on their listing. Just click on their profile and it will take you to their listing . @Dawn1104 

[Rod45]

Oh no...

is this definitely an unjustified  review ? Some people have severe reactions to wasps , and I can assure you they do not just sting once but continue to sting with shocking pain and possibly dire consequences . Unfortunately I write from experience.

Nevertheless you can't control nature And can't be held responsible for natural events. 

If they're complaints are truly unfair , and if you are a super host, you should have a direct  toll-free number for super hosts .... That's one of the benefits of being a super host . Call to  explain the issue . They will check all your other five star reviews and will remove it on your request that it is false. I guess There may be an issue if you have any other bad reviews but you have noted you great reviews . 

Did you leave them a bad review ? The trouble is , if either party  does not review in good faith , it  makes it hard for all of us. I've now learnt to read every guest's  review and if there's one bad negative review , that  guest always turns out to be a nightmare ! So becareful. 

But remember , as superhosts, we are Airbnb's product and do all the hard work , so make the call ASAP , especially if it's untruthful. And with all the work and time and investment you have spent preparing Your property for Airbnb rental,  you should certainly not be feeling stressed as well.

Let us know what has  happened . 

All the best

[Kim4457]

Dear all, thank you for your support during this challenging time. I have diligently presented our case, addressing every concern with dated and timed photos to support our position. It is disheartening to share that despite our efforts, Airbnb has ruled in favor of the guests, granting them a full refund. I am feeling a mix of shock, frustration, and disappointment. It seems that Airbnb may not have thoroughly reviewed the information we provided, including previous positive reviews and the nature of our property. Their response appeared automated and lacked consideration for the specific details we presented. Despite this, they have not engaged with us further after the refund was processed. It is particularly distressing that they have accused us of contravening health and safety standards, which is a significant blow considering the positive feedback we have received in the past. Moving forward, I am seeking guidance on how to effectively address this situation and ensure our perspective is heard. We firmly believe that the refund is unjustified, as we have upheld our commitment to providing a clean, comfortable, and transparent experience for our guests. Your assistance in navigating this challenging situation would be greatly appreciated.