Helpful advice

[Laura2592]

I have a guest who stayed and left. Not super eventful-- brought a cat, everything seemed ok. Reviews had been left and were positive. She messaged me today following my Instagram.

"Hi Laura!  I wanted to explain my scores left during my stay because I feel that I owe you an explanation...."

(Ten minute pause, during which I actually looked at her scores for the first time. It was a 5 overall and 4s in cleanliness (WHAT?) and value (uh, okay.) I tend not to dig into these anymore because it just irritates me.)

"I thought some helpful advice might be useful as one host to another. I am from NYC and I can't believe that your pricing is as high as it is. I don't know what your area is like, but this would even be high for me in a major city. I suggest lowering it to something more reasonable and in line with a rural market that doesn't have many attractions. As for cleaning, our cat got under a shelf in the utility room and came out covered with dust. We found a spider and I didn't want to say anything but it was large and scary. We took a picture of it and I will send it. It may be poisonous! I think these issues need to be brought up to your cleaners ASAP. We appreciate that you are a cat friendly host and wish there were more like you. With just a few tweaks we think your listing will be absolutely perfect. I would love to return if you offer a discount. Will be following your Insta!"

I have not responded to this. 

So of note: 1) this person said nowhere on her profile that she was a "fellow host."

2) our prices are very much in line with a whole house rental in our market. In fact, we could stand to raise them and would be if we were not selling.

3) dust under a shelf in a utility room?? yeah I will get right on that. TBH that space is so small its hard to believe a cat could even squeeze under there. 

4) the spider was a common house spider. Not poisonous.

5) they want to come back...at a discount...to do nothing because the area is obviously so boring.

6) we charged zero pet fees. They have a cat. Hardly anyone even takes a cat. Yet we are too expensive.

Only a few more stays.

Geez. 

Why would someone even do this? I looked at her private feedback and it was "we loved everything!"

[Helen744]

@Laura 2592 What an absolute laugh. You do get them Frankly there are houses she could stay where she could find things that would frighten her to death. She should see the things I find after guests leave. Does she think that you left an old spider and dust in a utility cupboard for her to find or was the cat a domesticus snoopus for the housekeeping guild All the best . Made me laugh H

[Laura2592]

@Helen744 right? As a cat owner I can say with 1million percent confidence that if there is some kind of weird critter to find, they will locate it. And if there is a messy spot to squeeze into, they will find it. 

Our house was built in 1850. Its not sterile. Its well cleaned and updated but its OLD. I honestly don't move the utility room shelves to dust under them. I figure its a utility room. We mop the floor and as far as the mop reaches. We aren't making microchips. We are hosting humans and their pets. 

And yes, occasionally a spider finds its way into the house and dies. This is even mentioned in the house rules. 

I am so done with these folks. 

[Deb216]

@Laura2592 ,

I hope this guest/fellow host recognizes herself (and her nonsense) when she visits the CC.  I would pay top dollar to be a fly on the wall (or even a spider) just to see the expression on her face!  

I don't know how you keep your cool, Laura! 

I must confess, I come here weekly just to read your updates. 

[Huma0]

@Laura2592 

I have temporarily had to remove a kick board in the kitchen because, after having a new dishwasher installed, it doesn't seem to fit any more (dishwasher is no bigger than the previous one so neither the builder nor I can figure it out).

Of course, the cats now crawl under there because it's a new space to explore and of course it is going to be a bit dusty as, unless I lay flat on the floor to do it, the vacuum and mop will only reach so far, but even then, it would really be a struggle. Obviously, this is not something my cleaners do.

I live in a fairly central area of London and have a small, mostly paved garden. Of course, we still get spiders in the house at certain times of year. It's completely normal and I am sure I have less in my house than people without cats. How anyone can book a place in a rural setting and then make such a fuss over one spider is beyond me.

Besides, spiders don't just hang out in 'dirty' places. You are most likely to see them because, at certain times of year, they are searching for other spiders to mate with. It's got nothing to do with cleanliness. 

Even if she hadn't brought up the dust/spider (non) issue, the pricing/discount comments would have been enough to enrage me. 

[Marie6762]

😤😡 What the ….k!?

She obviously spent her time in your beautiful setting searching and photographing “evidence” to justify her NYCenter of the Universe perspective.  The BEST response, that will frustrate her wish to further condescend - is silence.

Forgive my terrible screen shot below

[Mark116]

@Laura2592   Jesus wept.  If she thought the place was so, totally, too expensive for the area, which has  nothing of interest anyway....why-0h-why didn't she book a place that was cheaper? Why did she come to an area where there is nothing to do anyway?  Holy s***  Sending you a photo of a spider, a house spider, as if, what does she think you are going to do about it, with a historic property out in the country, build a glass dome over it to keep it sterile?  

Since you are leaving Airbnb I would be really, really tempted to send her a reply.

[Laura2592]

@Mark116 oh I am very tempted. Lol. 

[Gillian166]

@Laura2592  just be SURE to share the reply here. 

[Lenore22]

Smh... Don't reply.

Or just send her a thumbs up emoji to vex her.

[Amanda660]

Isn’t it fabulous to have guests like this that take time out of their busy day to let us know where we can improve?  #selfless

Did she have previous reviews? 

[Laura2592]

@Amanda660 yes, all good. She was a fine guest. We gave her a good review as well. Didn't seem to be any hiccups during the stay at all. This is a few stays ago now and I don't know why she contacted me. Maybe she expected me to ask for her feedback and I didn't? I had not even noticed the scores. I rarely look at them anymore. 

[Normen0]

@Laura2592 @Hal3292 @Helen744 @Emilia42 We recently stayed in a place for one night. Excellent value, cute set up for a basement apt. A few corners cut like a piece of baseboard with a curtain on it nailed to the wall at the top

of the window. Presumably putting a curtain rod wasn’t a good fit at this basement window.  I’m sure there are other options but they took this one. It was the type of place that you could tell everything was put in was second hand. Which is totally fine, if done well.  I am a proponent of using good solid second hand furniture. Great value and study pieces. And there were other kinds of cheap things but honestly it was good value and we weren’t paying for perfected luxury.  
But two things really stood out.

The tile shower grout was moldy/stained  halfway up.   The rest of the bathroom and apt were clean. Ok, bottom of fabric shower curtain was stained and needed washing but not a big deal at all!   Secondly, the bed was hard as rock. Like my arms kept falling asleep all night if my elbows touched the bed.  And my husband also had trouble sleeping because the bed was too firm.  Comfortable bed is subjective but holy Batman!!! My arms fell asleep!  And really cheap pillows. You know the ones you have to fold in half.  

I really wish new hosts would understand how important the the bed is. Yes, it’s impossible to meet everyone’s comfortable standard but do not buy the cheapest mattress. Or have it super low or super high. Or extremely soft or extremely hard.  You cannot cheap out on the bed!!! 

Anywhoo… I left a good review. Mentioned great communication and value and cute little apartment. Overall a 5 but gave a 4 for cleaning. Sorry, but I know what a 5 is for clean and it’s not that. I can’t give a 6 to a 5 star so why should a 4 get a 5? 

And I gave private feedback about the shower grout and bed. 

And I feel like an elitist SH for doing it.

But isn’t it better than not letting them know? Or just putting it in a review?  My thoughts are they just may not be aware it’s a bad thing.  I remember being much younger and my perception of clean was not what it is today.  Someone else will put it in a review and it will sting. 

I agree with @Laura2592  the little dust under a utility shelf and a spider is not worth mentioning at all!!  

[M199]

@Laura2592 

My second worst guest was an entitled SH.  Our neighbour SH had a guest book as a SH, yet the guest only hosted 1 stay.  Both oc us received ratings below our normal ratings. 

Nope, no offence to SH, but these 2 experiences have left me leaning to new guests.  They are way less judgemental and far more open to Airbnbing just to learn and have the experience.

[Laura2592]

@M199heck I had no clue she was a host at all, let alone a SH. Nothing was indicated in her profile.