Unreasonable guest (?) - How to Handle/Review

[Jenny349]

Hello all,

I'd love your thoughts on the following situation, please. Thanks for reading to the end! 

A recent guest booked a 3-night stay at our studio. We live on site.

On the first night, she and her husband arrived after midnight. I met them briefly, just to say hello.

The next day, I left with my husband around 9 am to prep another house, involving an overnight stay. We had no contact with the guests before we left.

Around noon the same day, the guest messaged me for recommendations, which I provided. I also let her know we'd be away until the next day.

That evening, well after 10 pm, the guest claimed there was an odour from the bathroom. It had been there since their arrival, said the guest.

Unable to check myself, and not wanting to quibble, I immediately offered the option of a next-day departure and refund for the 3rd night. The guest accepted. 

On our return the next day, we were unable to detect any odour in the bathroom, or anywhere else in the unit.

I rang Airbnb before making the refund to check on the procedure. Airbnb told me I was not obligated to make a refund. I said I would, as I had promised. Airbnb also confirmed that i'm not responsible for refunding service fees, and that if the guest queried this (I had a hunch she would), I should tell her to contact them.

I actioned the refund as promised, and sure enough, the guest now feels she's been short-changed and says I should reimburse the service fee too. She is increasingly unpleasant/insistent in her communication, and is now talking about compensation for the first two nights she and her husband spent in our accommodation.

Here are the main points again:

- Guest notified me of odour after 10 pm on night 2 (of 3-night stay).

- I immediately offered a refund should she wish to check out early. She accepted.

- Refund was issued.

- Guest is very unhappy that the service fee for the one night was not refunded. She has made it clear she feels this is on me, and sent me a "Request Money" message via Airbnb, which I declined.

- She's already written a review, so it looks like a double whammy, i.e. a refund + very bad review

Background info: communication was challenging from start to finish, to the extent that I felt apprehensive about her arrival.

I've had a go at drafting a review - what d'you think about the review and/or the situation in general? 

"Our experience of hosting A. was difficult and unsettling. Communication was challenging from start to finish. When a (minor/non-critical) issue arose, we felt we went out of our way to address her concerns, but A. obviously felt otherwise. A. left our unit clean and tidy. We wish A. well on her further travels but would not want to host her again." 

[Laura976 · Accepted solution]

I would be much more explicit in her review like you are in the description of the situation. 
I would also include that she feels she deserves compensation beyond her refund and that she is bullying you. 
Please write the review that you wish was there when she booked your place!  Save the rest of us from her!  We as hosts have to write specific reviews that address specific behavior. It doesn’t need to have judgement. It just needs to reflect what happened. If reviews make us uncomfortable as hosts then we can cancel penalty free. 
I am sorry this happened to you and I think you’ve handled it well with the guest. Now just right a factual review that explains her conduct. 
Cheers!

Laura

[Jenny349]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply @Laura976! Bullied is exactly how I felt! And of course nervous/apprehensive about an awful 1-star review 😞 I‘ll take the time to hone a more robust review! 

If this happens to others: I‘m glad I contacted Airbnb before going ahead with a refund. That way, I got my concerns about this guest on the record from the start, which can’t do any harm. 

[Jenny349]

So, here‘s version #2 :  ✅

Hosting A was a difficult and unsettling experience. Communication was challenging from start to finish;  I felt apprehensive about her arrival.

When A reported an odour in the bathroom after 10pm on the second night of a 3-night stay we were away overnight (guest was informed) and unable to verify her claim. (Note: on subsequent verification, no odour was found in the bathroom or anywhere else in the unit). Not wanting to quibble, we felt we went out of our way to address her concern by immediately offering the option to check out the next day with a refund for her final night. She accepted and the refund was issued promptly. I felt bullied by the tone of A‘s communication; she clearly feels she deserves compensation beyond her refund. We wish A well on her further travels but would not want to host her again.

[Kia272]

@Jenny349 I'd stick with the first response you drafted. The more detail you go into, the more chance of the review being removed. The first version more than gets your point across, and comes across as more professional. The most important thing is to make sure the review sticks. 

[Jenny349]

Thanks for your input @Kia272 - much appreciated 👍

[John5097]

@Jenny349 

You could have sent the guest a reservation alteration request to change the booking from a 3 night to a 2 night. That would have also refunded the guest the service fees for the refunded night. 

Does the bathroom have an odor? That can happen if it's not vented properly.  

" If the drain lines in your home have poor venting, water rushing down the drains will pull water from nearby P-traps, the “p” shaped device under the sink, shower, and tub that holds just enough water to create a seal, preventing sewer gas from backing up into your home."

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/signs-of-poorly-vented-plumbing-drain-lines/

I have no idea but just pointing out a common issue that could cause a bathroom to have an odor when it's being used or if it was sitting unused for a while. Odors can be tricky. I once had a brand new gas oven that had a tiny leak that took some effort to hone in on the source as it was only barley notable when no AC or heat was running. 

I would have also included service fees if I agreed to refund and had professional plumber inspect bathroom if I hosted remotely and was uncertain of construction. 

[John5097]

If you think there might be an odor a professional would use a detector like this that would notice any gas from an appliance or sewer. The pros or utility companies have more expensive unit but they all work. 

https://www.forensicsdetectors.com/products/sewer-gas-leak-detector?variant=43744448250079&currency=... 

Maybe the guest is just trying to get out of staying one night and made this up, but just walking in one time isn't going to rule out an odor, so would have to go by frequently, stay there, have cleaners let you know, but can also get one of these or hire someone to test the pluming fixtures and gas appliances (if there are any) to see if they are leaking,  and if a pro doesn't detect any kind of leaks you would have proof to challenge the review and have it removed, and know the place doesn't have an odor. 

[Jenny349]

Thanks for your thoughts @John5097 

We live on site, so are in and out of the unit all the time. There was no odour when we left, and none when we returned . 

Service fees are paid to Airbnb, not to me, so they are for Airbnb to refund. 

As I said, communication was extremely difficult, there were other things I have not mentioned here which impacted on the way I chose to handle this.

I will remember your tip about an alteration request for next time - thank you 👍

[John5097]

@Jenny349 

Yes if you live there and in and out al the time you would have noticed any odor. 

It can be very challenging to accommodate some guest who are disingenuous. I'm also apprehensive about an upcoming guest that I wish I had declined, but try to accommodate everyone as best I can. 

It's easy to send a reservation alteration request. Guest clicks approve and it automatically refunds and any associated fees from Airbnb. Although host can't expect to know everything for every situation. 

Your listings and reviews look amazing! It's very rewarding when guest really love the place and no fun when they too demanding or unreasonable. 

[Jenny349]

Thank you for your kind words @John5097 😊 👍

I always try to go the extra mile for all our guests, as you obviously do, too. I admit that it makes me very uncomfortable when guests are overtly unfriendly/ verbally aggressive, but I guess it is inevitable that you will come across a few people like this at some stage. All you can do, I suppose, is try to be fair and stay professional (grits teeth! 😉). We’ll see whether I’m up to the job when I finally post my review and get to read her thoughts on my hosting skills 🤣😬

[Jenny349]

Oops, I just clicked on something by mistake and unintentionally designated a “best answer”. I’m actually still mulling this over in my mind…

[Jenny349]

Turns out this guest was a pretty clever cookie!

She gave me a relatively mild review which I’m sure she knew I’d never be able to have removed.

She gave me a 5 in every category except value, for which she awarded a 4, before torpedoing me with a 3 for the overall rating 🤣

Interestingly, I spotted she rebooked her 3rd night at an Airbnb in an entirely different region - in Spain, actually - so she’d obviously made up her mind to move on after the 2 nights, rather than stay for a 3rd.

Onwards and upwards! Thanks to all for your input! 😊🙏