I hate the guests I have this weekend!!! (rant)

[Michael956]

I have two guys sharing a queen size bed in one of my guest rooms.  I'm gay, by the way, so I have no problem with guys sharing a bed, but these are two straight guys.  Guess they're cheap. 

Anyway,  all my guests have been lovely...until now.  They didn't respond to my request via the Airbnb platform about their arrival time, so I ended up messaging them using their cell phone number.  Now I can't get them back on the Airbnb messaging system, and I've missed a couple of their "requests" as I always respond instantly to anything coming from Airbnb but don't always check my personal messages. 

So the first strike against them is "bad communicators".  Soon after check-in one of them asked if he could do laundry "at night".  He said it was raining so he'd need to wash and dry his clothes after being out all day.  OK, no problem.  I offer my guests full access to my washer and dryer, but when he said, "at night" I assumed he meant 9 or 10 p.m.  At 1 a.m. I am awakened by the sound of a zipper crashing back and forth in the dryer, and a loud cell phone video being played at the table near the laundry area.  (My house rules ask for "quiet time" after 10 p.m.) Thinking of my other guests in the room nearest the kitchen, I get out of bed and go, "shhh", there are people sleeping".   

Now he is on the fourth (and last) day of his stay, and he has done laundry all four days.  My house is not a laundramat!  One day he took all  my still damp towels and sheets out of the dryer, piled them in a heap, and put his own clothes in.  When I went to use the dryer, I carefully folded his laundry, which consisted of 3 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of underwear and 2 t-shirts.  We have a water crisis in California!  Then one afternoon I hear someone open and closing all the cupboards in my kitchen.  Fine, I thought, I tell my guests to feel free to look for cups, dishes, silverware, sugar, etc. in my many cupboards. 

However, later that evening I walk into the kitchen and find him munching away at my food, which i keep in the highest, most inaccessible cupboard.  The nerve!  Not only is my house a laundramat, now it's a restaurant!  I didnt' say anything because I was so embarrassed for him.  And this is after I went out and bought  a large fan for his room after he messaged me that he needed one because he "sleeps hot", even though it's a chilly and wet January outside.  They are both working my last nerve.  I've never left a guest a bad review, but I so want to punish them and warn other hosts. 

Sorry, I just needed to rant here.

I can't wait for them to leave tomorrow morning.  

[Huma0]

@Michael956

I've been lucky not to have had the guests from hell either, but occassionally I have had the kind you mention. It can be quite a painful experience!

First there were two guys and I was concerned straight away by their questions about bringing all their friends back here after a night out, having random people sleep over etc. I said no to all of these requests of course! The second night they were arguing loudly until 4 am. Then they left the toilet in the most disgusting state. Luckily I spotted this just before my other guest arrived! I spoke to them about it, they apologised, but that night they were partying loudly until 3 am, at which point I had to knock on their door and tell them to BE QUIET!!! They were very loud, broke an expensive piece of furniture and left marks on newly painted walls, helped themselves to my food, constantly wanted to do tiny loads of laundry etc. etc. etc.

This was early on in my hosting experience and it certainly made me add a lot of points to my house rules.

Now I don't let short term guests use the washer/dryer at all. I make it clear when they check in that they should not help themselves to other people's food or toiletries. If guests are repeatedly breaking my rules, I am going to (politely) say something about it. If they decide to ignore me, they are getting the thumbs down in the review.

Speaking up has resulted in one bad review and some really low ratings from one pair of difficult guests, but no one else has left a negative review because I asked them not to do something. So, I think usually they don't realise they are doing something they shouldn't or they were just trying their luck.

I am happy to let some small things pass and will also go out of my way for really nice guests, including doing some laundry for them, but I am not going to be driven mad in my own home. They are not paying enough for that!!

[Linda108]

If you do  not clearly define your boundaries, guests will seem to violate them.  This is a business, so every negative experience is a learning opportunity.

[Daniel969]

Conflict resolution is tough!  They sound like a real challenge. Well I guess I have some 'interesting' guests to look forward to. Part of my chosing to not be here when guests are here, is to be blind to their ignorance. If they leave the place clean, and the neighbors don't complain, I'm happy and expect some food and laundry soap to be used. I did have a group of four rip the bathroom mirror off the door and use it where they saw fit. They also didn't think I would notice some of my photo greeting cards missing and promptly returned them when I charged them through Airbnb. They refused to leave a rating/comment so my negative comments for them will never show on their profile either.

[Michael956]

@Daniel969  I think reviews appear after 14 days whether or not a guest responds.  They sound awful.  As I live in my home and rent 2 bedrooms on Airbnb, I'm here to see and hear everything.  I'm happy for them to eat the breakfast food I put out (but not my personal food), and they're welcome to use the laundry (but not as if this were a laundromat).   You're lucky you don't have to witness the bad behavior (although in fairness 99% of my guests are wonderful and stress-free).  

[Patricia893]

I am very sorry for your bad experience MIchael . I am new here and I will host my fist guest very soon. Yor complaint helped me tremendously to understand that eventually we will all deal , soon or later, with rude, cheap and disrespectful people. Thanks for your post. Good luck!

[Michael956]

@Patricia893   Thankfully 99% of my guests have been wonderful and stress-free.  I'm enjoying my hosting experience and won't let the rare bad apple ruin it!  Best of luck to you.  

[Maria1144]

Hi Michael and fellow Hosts! I want to really thank you all for sharing your difficult guest situations and  responses. My husband and I are fairly new to hosting our Casita on Airbnb (we went live June 27, 2017).  I had a difficult situation happen with a guest from Germany who was staying in the Casita for 2 weeks.  He was a pleasant enough fellow and we were excited about the earnings we received for his 2  week stay - however, on the 5th day of his visit, he came to the door in the morning and told me that the toilet was clogged - keep in mind that the toilet worked perfectly for the first 4 days. I apologized and told him that I would have my husband plunge the clog and he replied that he would be gone for the day so no worries.  Well, my husband was at work and he told me to call a plumber and I did.  The plumber confirmed that it wasn't the bathroom drain nor the clean-out (both were clear) but it was the toilet that was cloggged.  He then snaked the toilet, but the snake could not make its way through the clog.  The plumber then removed the toilet and spent another 20 - 30 minutes trying to unclog the toilet with the snake. The snake would hit the clog and then come back out - no success.  The plumber said that whatever was in there was not budging and he was flabbergasted - he said it was almost as if something hard was jammed in the toilet.  At this point, I knew I had to have a working toilet by the end of the day so I went out and bought a new toilet.  Long story short:  New toilet - $100; Same day plumber - $400.  I honestly did not know how to deal with this - at that point our earnings for this guest was just cut in half and I was reeling from the experience.  When the guest left, he came to the door and, instead of any apology about me having to replace the toilet, he complained that there was no entertainment - i.e. radio or cable TV (all mentioned in our listing) and that I should provide a toaster for guests!  Our Casita has a full kithchenette - fridge, stove (my mother's 1940's Wedgewood that works perfectly), sink, microwave and this guest wanted a toatster!  Argggg!  We were baffled because although all of our guests have loved the Casita, they all come to Santa Cruz to go to the beaches and the Beach Boardwalk - and no one has every complained that the Casita didn't have enough entertainment!  So, after he left, I called the Airbnb staff to see if I could get reimbursed for the $500 with Airbnb insurance.  Unfortunately, I fould out that in order to get a possible insurance claim reimbursement, I would have to put in a claim against the guest and that the guest would have a chance to respond and then Airbnb would decide the outcome.  Honestly, I had been with Airbnb for less than 4 months and I just wasn't prepared to go through what was sure to become a painful process. So, I let it drop.  Now here, reading all the feedback in this conversation, I really regret that I did not give a review that mentioned the problems I had with this guest - but this was new territory for me and I chickened out! From this point out, I will try to leave more accurate reviews for the difficult guests - so future hosts will have more information regarding possible problem guests.  Many thanks!  ~ Maria

[Michael956]

@Maria1144 What an awful experience!  I have found q-tips floating in the toilet.  I wonder what else guests throw down there.  I have a large trash canister next to the toilet but I guess some people didn't get the message as children not to throw toys in the toilet.  I also don't provide TV.  My listing says "There are no TVs in my house.  You can use the WiFi to connect to your devices for entertainment, and you have the endlessly interesting city of San Francisco at your feet".   I can't imagine coming to S.F. and sitting in front of a TV, and if it's the type of guest who needs TV I'd prefer not to host them.  I do provide a toaster, though.  It's  the one thing in the kitchen that is most used by guests.  Got it second hand at a local thrift store and it works perfectly.  Best of luck to you.  

[Maria1144]

Thanks, Michael!  I actually have a vintage toaster in my little vintage travel trailer that I could put in the Casita (we definitely have the vintage theme going on out there)!  Thanks for the suggestion and hope all goes well with your future guests!  ~ Maria

[Michelle-and-Ray0]

Did you smash the old toilet to find out what was plugging it up? I would have! I'm dying to know!

[Adam-And-Betty0]

Hi Michael, I would LOVE to meet you one day you sound like a person I could hang with haaaaaaa!! I am reading your post and thinking - he thinks exactly like I do!!! Although we don't stay in the home - we have the home decked out with everything - and they STILL don't think it's value for money - luxury bedding, quality towels and products, big spa in the bathroom, ocean views, stocked pantry and fridge, chocolates, bottled water, privacy, internet the list goes on.  Like the sheets and towels are of a five star hotel standard and they still give a four star rating for value for money? There's my rant. Let's not forget the damage caused by a recent guest and Airbnb are offering a quarter to reimburse us - so we have to pay three and a half thousand dollars to repair the floorboard damages and furniture damage, anyway - the case manager intimidates us by saying 'accept this offer within 24 hours or you'll get nothing at all and I'll close the case'. I mean is that the way you speak to people who open their homes and give you business? It's a disgrace! ANd on top of it there's been five different case managers handling it - how's that for personable service! NOT! 🙂 

[Michael956]

@Adam-And-Betty0 Sounds like a horrible experience.   Airbnb's headquarters  is located within walking distance of my house.  I'd be tempted to walk over there and give them a piece of my mind if I was denied a claim.   My towels and sheets are of the inexpensive Costco variety, and so far no one has complained about them.  I don't understand how someone can complain about value for money.  If they look at the listing they see exactly what they're getting at the price they select. I guess some people just can't be pleased.   I have some lovely guests from Sydney this week (they are Airbnb hosts, my favorite kind of guests because they appreciate everything!) who are helping me forget the awful guests from last week.  

[Adam-And-Betty0]

Hi Michael you crack me up! Yes, you have no idea how much that has upset us! They get young people who have no empathy or understanding to handle these cases (as they don't own homes they don't have any idea because mummy and daddy look after them) so it's like their so called 'team' don't get it. They complain about value for money because they expect us to have a nightly rate of $20 and they'll be happy. It's a two storey home with views, and it's summer. Hello? It's only been two but it's like what else do you want? Catered meals every day? Seriously!

So happy you're connecting with us Aussies, let alone hosts - and you're correct! They appreciate everything because they're in the same boat. 

Keep us posted with any updates 🙂 x

[Adam-And-Betty0]

Oh! It's Betty responding by the way.  I'm the hot looking one in the photo haaaaaaaaaaaa! 🙂 xx

[Lilian20]

Hello @Michael956 luckily, cheap ones don't come around everyday