Requesting payment for damage

[Alexia219]

I have seen this has been asked already but I’ve had a guest who has ruined bath robes, towel and sheet totalling £67. I can’t decide whether to ask for this or not. I know in the scheme of things it’s not much but we aren’t a big enterprise and I don’t have loads in stock so means it will make life really hard until they are all replaced. 

One of the guests put rolling tobacco into the pocket of the bathrobe and then got it wet!

Has anyone in UK got experience for making guests pay for stuff like this or is it not worth the risk of a bad review? They wrote a good review in my guest book so think they were relatively happy…

thanks

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Alexia219 if you are going to claim review the guest quickly and hope they review you before you claim from them within the 14 day time limit.

[John7474 · Accepted solution]

Good afternoon Alexia -

I am so sorry to hear about what happened.  Yes, I know all too well, it's very frustrating. 

I would contact Airbnb and explain the situation, and your concerns for a bad review based on asking for reimbursement.   

I had a very similar situation, with a guest leaving a huge mess at our home. I contacted Airbnb and they were very helpful with navigating a course of action.    

Yes, as expected,  when I did ask for reimbursement the guest wrote a very nasty review.

But since I had explained the situation to Airbnb prior to asking for money, and had showed Airbnb the guest messages during their stay, telling me how wonderful the house was - it was clear that the review was written in retaliation.  Airbnb then removed their bad review.  (and I am sure gave the guests a stern warning). 

Yes, in my situation, asking for money opened a huge can of worms.  I ended up not pressing for reimbursement, as it wasn't worth the drama.  But it was a huge learning opportunity as a new host.

I have become much more strict as to my vetting process for potential guests. If they have a few bad reviews, I will not allow them to book. Period.   

Also, I re-wrote my house rules, explaining if certain things happened during a guest stay, they would be charged. At booking, I now also make an extra point to make sure guest have read and understand the house rules. 

Wishing you well with this and your future bookings. 

Best, 

John 

Los Angeles