Non working Dishwasher Compensation

[Roi4]

I have guests staying in my Lake Tahoe Airbnb cabin.  I used the dishwasher the day before their arrival and it worked fine.  It is a newer Kenmore Elite model.  They texted me that the dishwasher was not working after they tried everything.  I then sent my daughter over, since I live iout of the area,  and she has the same dishwasher, but she could not get it working either.  It is the 4th of July so I can't find anyone to get it repaired now.  

They are five people, the guests are now demanding $75 a day compensation.  I was going to offer them $50 a day and I thought I was being very generous.  I am afraid if I don't pay, then I will get a bad review.  Is there some sort of standard I can follow?  I had left them a bottle of wine, and fresh cut flowers upon their arrival but they did not mention anything about that.  I would love to hear the feedback from others.

[Laura2592]

@Deanne45  I have guests who refuse to use the dishwasher! They pull this ugly dish rack we have hidden under the sink and do all their dishes. We run them through after they go. So with that said I would say something like:

"I am sorry you were inconvenienced by the broken dishwasher. Because dishwashers are considered a convenience item and not essential (many guests won't even use them) I am happy to offer you a $10 discount per day for lack of a working appliance. We were eager to get the dishwasher fixed and frustrated by the delays as well. Thanks for your understanding. I will submit the refund now."

15% seems awfully high for an appliance a lot of people don't use. 

[Anonymous]

@Deanne45  I'm glad you found this old thread, because my answer to your question would be exactly what I posted upthread.

By the terms of Airbnb's Guest Refund Policy, if the guest can't complete their stay due to a broken or missing amenity, they are entitled to a refund for the unused nights.  But if they choose to complete the stay despite the problem, any discount is at the host's discretion. 

Timing is critical here, though. If it ever happens again that you can't deliver all the advertised features, you have to get in front of the situation with your resolution offer, before the guest has the chance to make any demands of their own. The booking should only proceed if you've reached a mutual agreement on this. If you're unable to do so, the best option for both parties would be terminate and refund the remainder of the booking.

I gather from your other post that Airbnb is pressuring you to concede to the guest's demands, which is a really sleazy move on their part. The stay is over, so you no longer have any incentive to sacrifice more of your payout. All you can do now is counter with a final offer and be done with it.

[Laura2592 · Accepted solution]

I had a guest who broke one of our showers recently and we had to schedule a plumber to fix it. Plumbers are in high demand in my area and we could not get someone out immediately. I informed our next guest that the downstairs shower was not working (we have a functioning one upstairs) and that they could either let the plumber in during their stay or use the upstairs shower. They opted just to use the upstairs shower. I did not offer a discount of any kind but apologized for the inconvenience. 

I would use the same tactic here. "Hi guests. So sorry to hear the dishwasher is not working. It was fine before your stay so I would like to send a tech out to repair it. He/she is available on X date and I will be coming by/sending my cohost to let him in. If you prefer not to be disturbed, I can offer some extra disposable plates and dish washing liquid/sponges/scrubbers/gloves. Let me know which of those options work best."

If the guest insists on a discount, I might say "Because the dishwasher was working prior to the stay, I really need a diagnostic before I can explore options other than what I have offered. Thank you for understanding and please let me know if you would be available for the technician if that is your preference."

I had a guest once who unplugged the TV and router and said both weren't working for a discount request. We said we would stop by to take a look and suddenly they both got plugged back in and the request was dropped. Some people are just not honest. I would not give in to any demands before I know what is really happening. 

[Fred13]

This whole dishwashing scene is absurd; it is not a must, it is a luxury, except for the entitled and lazy.

[Salena3]

We stayed a month in an Airbnb listed to be a private apartment in a rural area connected to a shop used occasionally. Not only was the listing incorrect about the usage of an industrial site next door, it was wrong about the quality of the place, it was so beat up the oven broke on several occasions. We had the host inside to fix the issue for several hours taking a stovetop apart and leaving a huge mess and it broke again. they didn’t respond to my message alone for 2 days and then never showed again to fix the stove. I patiently gave the host a chance to make amends and we were screwed over for it. Airbnb offered us a refund of the service fee of $183. It felt like a slap in the face after living in Airbnb for the last 6 months.