Missing a piece of silverware

[Liliana446]

Hello ! What do you do when pieces of silverware are missing? Do you charge the guests $5-$10 per piece? Do you dismiss it for the sake of keeping the client? or do you increase the rate with the risk to be in disadvantage in the market?

[Anonymous]

@Liliana446  It's not as simple as just charging the guest an extra $5. You'd have to send the guest a Resolution request, and if they decline to pay it you'd have to escalate a claim to an Airbnb agent who ultimately has the final  say on whether you'll be compensated. In the interim, you'll have left a bad enough taste in the guest's mouth to earn a negative review that may cost you potential business. That's an awful lot of trouble to go to because you couldn't find a fork.

I don't recommend initiating the claims process for insignificant missing items or normal wear and tear - save it for the rare incidents of legitimate damage. Unless your listing is Versailles, there's no need to furnish it with an expensive set of matching silverware or glassware - certainly nothing that goes for $10 a piece. Stick to basic, functional items that you can easily afford to replace as needed. Guests appreciate a thoughtfully-stocked kitchen with useful cooking implements; it adds no value to your listing to supply your family's heirloom silverware.

[Roberta2]

I agree with @Anonymous .

I stick to basics from places like Ikea, where I can buy extra single items - no need to buy a full set of dishes or glasses, I can get only 1 or 2.

And I would not leave out anything that I am sentimentally attached to  - accidents happen. 

[Debra300]

@Liliana446,

I agree with @Anonymous, and don't suggest that you pursue reimbursement for missing silverware.  Certain kitchen items are known to have frequent turnover - glasses, cups and dishes break, utensils get stained or burn marks, flatware gets bent, cutting boards start to look unsanitary, etc.

Ikea is a good retailer for these items, but going into the store can be frustrating, or not close by.  I purchase most of my kitchenware from Amazon's Warehouse Deals (there's one for the French site), which offers discounted prices for slightly used or reconditioned items, and are delivered by Amazon.

[Sarah977]

@Liliana446  Wear and tear and small missing items are part of every host's business. You might want to set aside a small amount of $ from every booking to have a fund for replacing things.

It's incredibly petty to want to charge a guest for a missing piece of cutlery. You might even find it somewhere. Or it accidentally fell in the garbage can when scraping food off a plate.

[Mark116]

@Liliana446  Presumably  you're not offering Sterling flatware, so I would let it go.  We furnished a lot of the items in the unit from craigslist or the clearance rack at various stores so that if/when things get lost or broken it isn't too upsetting.  The flatware I have there is a set of 8 that cost $5, it's not heavy or great quality, but its silverware and no one is renting our flat to stay home and throw dinner parties, so it works fine. 

[Linda108]

@Liliana446   As the other hosts have stated, this type of claim is not worth the trouble and negative consequences.  When you are pricing your listing, you should already be including some loss or damage.  If such inclusion prices you out of the market, perhaps your margins are too small. 

[Kelly149]

I don't keep silverware in the place that is worth $5-$10/each!