I recently had a challenging experience with a family. Two weeks before their arrival, they asked for a discount on my property, which is already one of the most affordable in the area (especially given its size (can fit 8 guests), hot tub, and off-season rate). I politely declined, yet a few days later they booked at full price, claiming their “budget” had changed.
From the moment they arrived, the complaints began. On their first night, they noted minor issues like water spots on the cutlery and a bit of mold on a cutting board—likely due to the unusually humid weather. My cleaning team has always done a fantastic job, so I had never heard any negative complaints, but I understand sometimes things get overlooked. I refunded their cleaning fee as a gesture of goodwill. This was already 30% of what they had paid.
But by the next morning, I was hit with a barrage of grievances in the form of a numbered list: issues with amenities, workspace, bed comfort, and repeated comments about cleanliness due to the cutting board. Their messages were followed up with statements asking how all of their complaints would be remedied during their stay.
Knowing I needed to have a live conversation to address their concerns, I called the guest and followed up asking them to call me. My attempts to resolve these concerns over the phone were met with silence—so much so that I suspect my number might have been blocked (calls stopped going through after my 2nd voicemail). So, I continued messaging them over Airbnb.
When they complained about not being able to sleep on the beds, I offered an early checkout with a full refund. Instead of taking that opportunity, they stayed and continued sending lengthy, negative messages. It soon became clear that their aim was to secure a free stay on a property that, in my view, already offered unbeatable value. After processing the refund, all communication abruptly stopped. They did not thank me, I was just met with silence.
Do you think they were being unreasonable and scamming me for a refund? The initial discount request makes all their complaints seem incredibly suspicious—I’ve never encountered anything like this before or had anyone so unreasonably unhappy during their stay. It broke my heart that someone had such an awful stay at my property.
Should I write the bad review? I want to write a bad review to warn other hosts, but I want to make sure I am not being unreasonable before I post something that could detriment their future stays (the guest added everyone in his group to the conversation so I would be reviewing 5 people).
