Inquiries from unverified dentities

[Lee4870]

Recently I have been getting questionable inquiries, unverified guests with no profile picture and no reviews. What is your protocol when this happens to you ? 

[Phil-and-Lacy0 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Lee4870 

We have had some pretty awful experiences with people who had no reviews. As a result we follow a little protocol, if you will, to help us help guests figure out if our listing is right for them.

1. Instant book is off. I want to know about guests. If they have no trips, no reviews, bad experiences in the past... they cant book. 

2. Verified users only. If you can't be verified at least... you certainly can not use our home.

3. Once an inquiry comes in we respond with a thank you message and a list of our home rules. The guest must agree to the home rules in the message thread.  This helps. It does not deter.

This is what I have learned to do.  It's something.  I hope this helps.

Leisis

[Lee4870]

Thank you very much for your helpful response, i have it set up to instantly except verified and repeat Airbnb customers with good reviews but Is it OK to decline them or is there a softer approach? 

Lee

[Phil-and-Lacy0]

That's the ticket item. So, if youdecline you are penalized. That is why I send rules ahead of time.  When the potential guest sees our rules they will either retract the inquiry themselves, or they will accept.

Until now I have not found something more effective than this, but I am very open to suggestions.

[Lee4870]

Thank you for your reply,

I sent her a polite message saying she needs to be verified in order to book.She hasn't  replied back . Do you accept after you send your rules ?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Lee4870 for inquiries you do not need to approve or decline. You just need to answer.

[Phil-and-Lacy0]

@Lee4870 

Make sure you have your listing booking setting, how guest can book, guest requirement set to “require profile photo to book”. 

This is an additional verification step Airbnb has. It helps. 

If the guest agrees to the rules, yes we accept unless we have a specific feeling about something said in the inquiry. At that point we ask direct questions. This has worked most of the time for our listings. 

Again, it helps. Doesn’t deter. 

[Fred13]

I gather 'questionable inquiries' are those that have no relevancy to what one's listing is about; for example - "I want to rent your apartment for a month and need to know what is the maximum amount of people that it can hold". This is to an island in the Caribbean with a 6-day / 6-person limit.

My protocol ( if you can call it that) with those is to answer with one dot (.). Once in a great while I get "??" back as a follow-up, in that case I answer with two dots (..). No one has put me in the 'awkward' position to use three dots, yet.

[Lee4870]

That's very interesting and your reply is on point or should I say dot. My last inquiry was my first whatsapp fishing experience which I quickly declined, fast forward a few days and now I have something similar (waiting for outcome). I appreciate your feedback @Fred13