Uncomfortable mattress shakedown - help needed

[Amanda660]

So, middle aged couple book a while back for 7 night stay.  Lady is quite abrasive despite my chatty messages and replies/communications were a bit of a struggle.  

They didn’t want a meet & greet and asked me just to leave a key. I asked them to drop me a PM to let me know if everything was as they’d hoped and reiterated that I lived right across the road if they needed anything.  They did indeed reply, not particularly friendly but stated that the house was very comfortable and thanks for leaving the goody basket.,

After 4 nights I receive a message saying that neither of them were feeling well and that her fibromyalgia  was  playing up, that our mattresses didn’t help and they were going home. That was on Wednesday night. 

I sent a message saying that I hoped they would feel better soon but that I was disappointed that they found the mattress uncomfortable and that If she’d dropped me a message my husband could have swapped a mattress within 5 minutes. 

She didn’t respond.

I went to the house, door had been left open, lights on, windows open. 

10 mins ago she sent a money request for £300 stating that my mattresses were not as comfortable as advertised.  She also stated:

’We didn't think to complain as we thought you wouldn't change a mattress at short notice and it is not something that people normally have "spares" of.’.

She did not cancel her stay or request to shorten her trip and therefore left the dates blocked. 

Thoughts on how to respond.  Guest has no feedback. 

[Helen3]

What a horrible, unreasonable guest. who was clearly just trying it on.  I do hope you left an honest review to warn future hosts @Amanda660 

[Amanda660]

Well, well  the drama  rumbles on.  

After Airbnb found in my favour and refused her refund request I told the very helpful agent that I knew it wouldn’t end there and I knew she’d pursue this further.  

Surprise, surprise today my listing has been suspended for ‘undisclosed recorded devices’.  I could laugh/cry/scream but mostly cry.  

I’m now trying to get hold of someone to plead my innocence and have my listing reactivated.  Not only does my listing state in the house rules that I have CCTV facing the entry gate, I also back that up with including it in my pre-arrival welcome message  that I send to all our guests prior to their arrival. 

What’s happened to people to make them so vengeful? I think this will be the last year for me - see my bookings out and call it quits.  

I’ve emailed Airbnb over pics of the CCTV camera and the view from the camera along with a screenshot of the message I sent reiterating that there was a camera that covered the gate up to the path. 

[Colleen253]

@Amanda660 This particular issue is so incredibly frustrating. I mean,

to follow the rules as laid out by Airbnb, to be completely above board about security cameras, yet get suspended for undisclosed recorded devices  when that’s clearly a lie, is unacceptable. They can suspend and investigate all they want when a host has NOT followed their rules. 

[Mark116]

@Colleen253 @Amanda660  It is truly bizarre that Airbnb CS can't be bothered to spend 5 minutes reviewing a listing to determine whether or not cameras were disclosed.  Instead, they automatically suspend and then people lose days or even weeks of bookings while the 'investigation' which, ya know, consists of reading the listing, goes on.

Gee, that would be something the host advisory board might take up, but I guess they're too busy putting in fall decor items to their listings.  

[Ann72]

@Mark116 

“Gee, that would be something the host advisory board might take up, but I guess they're too busy putting in fall decor items to their listings.”

😂😂😂

[Colleen253]

@Mark116 You said what I was thinking.

But the last time I even uttered the ‘acronym which shall not be mentioned’, without even a negative comment to accompany it, I got censored. 😞

[Amanda660]

So day 3 of my listing being suspended and folks not able to view or make a booking.  The blocked calendar is synched with booking.com so as a result it was all blocked out too.  I spent yesterday morning manually blocking off dates.

Transpires that Mattress Shakedown Lady reported me for having an ‘undisclosed recording device in the back garden’.  There’s definitely NO such device but I knew she would try something. 

What a week.