Uneasy feeling about a booking

[Shelby178]

Hi, all! 
I received and inquiry about our space. Initially he asked if the date he was inquiring about was available and I said yes and he asked if Ubereats delivered and I told him yes. He then asked if we are cheaper going through a website and I informed him that we are already discounted for the remainder of the month. He then booked with us and I noticed he is local to the area. He then proceeded to ask for an 11am check-in (our check-in is not until 3pm) and then they asked for 1pm check out (our check-out is 10am and we have another check-in that day). He said okay that’s fine but can I book that next night too and I said we we already booked for that date and I then told him that I noticed they were local and asked for their reason for a stay and his reply was - “Yes so me my wife don't live together at the time so it's hard for us to get time together an just relax take it easy from work an stress on our days off we're constantly goin so we sometimes get Bnb during week if we have enough money after putting back for saving for this home coming available in September for us”. So my question is - am I being overly paranoid or does this booking sound a bit sketchy?

[Hernan255]

Every now and again I have a guest that will book and soon after ask to extend the stay. i used to think this was weird but it's been happening more often so I don't think much of it anymore. To a lesser degree I get questions about checkout in/out times. Since you had both of these questions and a few more from the guest I can see why you're thrown off a bit. 
Personally I wouldn't worry about it. One of my first guests booked multiple nights and didn't actually stay in the room at all. Midway through the reservation they reached out and said they only booked because they were fighting with their fiance. Since they had apparently made up he didn't need the listing anymore. People and marriages are weird sometimes so I'm inclined to believe the story about your guests wife. That's just me though.

[Kia272]

@Shelby178 Go with your gut. All the information you've given above would make me very uneasy. He's already asked for too much- a bargain price, and early check-in, late check-out. To me, this seems like straight-up trouble. If it were me, I'd cancel. 

If you do want to cancel, call customer service and say that because of what he's asked for so far, you're concerned that he doesn't understand and won't follow house rules. It's a stretch, but what you're looking for is a penalty-free cancellation. 

Sometimes, the money isn't worth it when you weigh it against the potential for trouble. Many hosts lose sight of that. Good luck. 

[Bob297 · Accepted solution]

@Shelby178 
Guests try to save some money by asking for an early check-in or a late check-out.
I would not worry too much.
Just say yes or no.
I accommodate them if my calendar allows it, but I tell them in advance that it depends on the future reservations of other guests.
If they want to be sure of an early check-in or late check-out, I advise them to book one or two nights extra.

[Lorna170]

@Shelby178   This is not going to be a good booking.  If you can, cancel.  I am close to you geographically and have had this type of inquiry myself.  Let them book elsewhere.

[Paula]

Hi @Shelby178 ,

Since you posted in our Community a few days ago, I've noticed that some of our most experienced Hosts have offered their advice. I'm curious to know whether you've decided to accept or cancel this reservation.

Please keep us updated.