Missing items??

[Amy3678]

Hey all! We are new(ish) to the Airbnb world… and we’ve have had some awesome guests but recently noticed a few things that have gone missing.. such as a couple towels, coffee cup (1 of a set of 4) 9V batteries, and a rubber that snake slithered off the back porch as well.. is this normal to have things go mia and what do you do about it if becomes a reoccurring issue? 

[Guy991]

Hello @Amy3678 ,

I do not know about the other items, but the coffee cup was probably broken by the guest, who then preferred to act as if nothing happened, hoping you would not notice. Everything you mentioned is really small money. In this community, it is usually referred to as the cost of doing business.

I would not confront guests or ask for reimbursement in situations like this, because a bad review will cause far more damage than replacing a small item.

Two things to take from this:

1. For coffee cups and kitchenware in general, buy items from places where you are sure you can get the same ones again. That way, if a cup breaks, you can replace it with an identical one. It is also a good idea to buy extras in advance. We keep spare wine glasses for exactly this reason.

2. Do not hang your original Picasso in the Airbnb. Only use items you would not be disappointed to see damaged, broken, or disappear. Prefer heavy duty items. Not because guests are bad, but because each guest needs to learn how to use things, and the wear and tear is naturally higher.

Merry Christmas and a wonderful hosting year

[Elisa]

Hi @Amy3678 😊, 

I’m deeply sorry about this situation, and thank you for sharing it here.

What did you decide to do after reading Guy’s advice?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Amy3678]

Hi Elisa

I really appreciated Guy’s advice and I’m taking it to heart. The items are easily replaceable. I prefer to remain on good terms with the guests. 

thank you for inquiry. 

Amy 

[Mary1523]

Agree with Guy991 100%

The only thing I would add is that you could label things. I'm a compulsive labeller but I've found it helps, and doesn't affect ratings. I love my little labelling machine.

I have labelled our ketchup bottle, our bluetooth wifi portable speaker, the HDMI cables, the fridge water bottle, the mobile cell phone charger cables, umbrellas, board games etc because in the past guests would accidently pack it up and take it with them (I like to think they usually aren't stealing, just borrowing/forget to put back). I haven't bothered with linen (if I had time I probably should for the laundromat), but anything the guests might confuse with theirs.

Technology has also helped - when DVDs were big, the number of those kid movies that never made it back into the case because they were put into a car DVD player for the kids to watch and then they forgot...well it was many...now that internet streaming platforms have superceeded that, problem gone away.

Hope this helps, regs MK