Oven issue out of my control. Would you refund?

[Yvonne11]

Before my renters arrived, I had my ovens replaced with brand new ones.

About 2 weeks after they checked in, the ovens quit working. I had my house manager come out with a technician licensed to work on the ovens. He said that he would have to get part s and that he thought the ovens were installed incorrectly.
The renters wanted to use my barbecue but thought it looked old and wanted a new barbecue so they could cook. I bought a new one for them.
The repairs for the ovens has been put off due to manpower shortages. They now want a refund.
The oven issue was totally out of my control.

What recourse do I have?

[Emiel1]

@Yvonne11 

The ovens can be considered as equipment offered to the guest, but which is not working (anymore).

It maybe from your perspective be a issue "out of your control", but from the guest perspective it is simply a amenity offered which can not be used.

So it is up to you to deal with the situation to compensate the guests for the inconvience.

[Jillian115]

@Yvonne11 Do they want a complete refund or partial for not being able to use the oven. It's hard because it is a bit out of your control, but It could also be costly for the guests if they brought food that they can't cook. If it were me I would ask them if they would like to check out yearly and amend the booking and maybe agree to a partial refund for the inconvenience after the payment has gone through.  

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

@Yvonne11  The terms of the Guest Refund Policy entitle guests to a refund at Airbnb's discretion if they choose to cancel their booking because an essential listed amenity isn't working. If they advance their case to Airbnb, you almost certainly lose the full value of the unused nights and also risk having a significant portion of the nights they stayed deducted from your payout. Unfortunately, the purchase of a new barbecue isn't likely to have any impact on the results, since it's an unrelated feature.

Your best bet would be to get in front of this by offering the guests a booking alteration to move forward the checkout date, refund the unused nights, and offer a partial refund (say, 20%) for the days that the oven wasn't working. These guests are clearly unhappy with their stay, and you have nothing to gain by prolonging it. In hindsight, when the ovens quit working, it would have been better to immediately give your guests the choice between relocating or accepting a countertop appliance such as a convection toaster oven as a substitute.  You sadly lost the upper hand in the dynamic when the guests realized they could bully you into buying them a brand new grill, and this scenario typically ends in ill will and bad reviews.

[M199]

@Yvonne11 

A thought, we provide a counter top grill, BBQ,  campfire grills, and microwave, along with stove. At minimum, our guests would have enough options to cook meals.

May I suggest that you include a mini countertop oven as a backup or an Air Fryer.

[Sarah977]

@Yvonne11  When an amenity is not working, that is something that deserves a refund. It is much better if you offer an appropriate refund (not the entire cost of their stay) before they have a chance to demand anything.