What are your experiences with bad guests?

[M-and-I0]

In the time that we've been hosting, I've noted bad guests tend to belong to these categories:

1. last minute/low rate bookings
2. Locals
3. Experienced guests (5 or more reviews)

The first two are easy to spot and we can filter depending on the quality of their communication at the time of booking.

The last group is the most frustrating and tricky. They look like decent people, sound like decent people and have more than a few great reviews.

While there are great guests with numerous reviews, I'm talking about the group that seems to think they are entitled to everything and you need to appease them at all costs. They expect you to provide more than what you outlined in your listing or to bend the rules for them. Some will even outright break the house rules (for example come before the check in time without any notice and expect to be able to use the unit) without any concern. Even if you call them out for it, they act like they did nothing wrong and you're the one who's not providing quality service.

Perhaps in their experience with Airbnb, they've found that they generally cannot be penalized unless they damage property. They've come to see hosts as business owners that need to provide customer service plus put on that "customer is always right" attitude.

Through all the experience with hosting, I've now come to be skeptical when I see a guest with more than 4/5 reviews, which is something I used to be excited about because I thought for sure those were the no-fuss guests.

I'm not sure if these people know how to play their cards just right to not get in trouble, and only manage to get positive reviews (when hosts cancel on them, they don't get reviewed) or if at some point a switch turned on and they realized they are pretty much untouchable as long as they stay legal.

When I cancel on these guests, despite the clear disregard for policies, the guests always get their full refund and their accounts are not flagged or removed so they can just continue on with their behaviour. They may have figured, well if I try to get things my way the host will probably accommodate since I'm the paying customer but if the host gets refuses, they can't touch me anyway. Worse comes to worst they could just create a new account.

So I'm wondering if other hosts have had similar experiences with Airbnb-familiar guests and what you think could be done by Airbnb and/or the community to ensure that guests, not only hosts, are held accountable for their behaviours?

[Rachael26]

Hi @Oomesh-Kumarsingh0

How are things with you?

This is definitely one of my pet peeves (I hope that translates - it's a British saying for what irritates!) - that so many hosts who complain about guests and problems with rules etc... don't even follow the basic rule (and that of being transparent and open!) by having a clear facial profile pic. 

Airbnb could make it so a person cannot establish an account or make a booking without a clear human profile pic (plenty of captcha and ID software to use) but I guess they won't as it may reduce bookings in some way. Oh Well!

Best Wishes!

[Annette33]

so true, @Rachael26 , I have given up on "reminding" guests and hosts alike to have a clear profile picture. More and more do it, and Airbnb doesn't care.....Still, I have - and will keep it - as one of my house rules.

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Annette33 As i said earlier humans are unpredictable you never know how the guest will take it if you ask them to put they real photo. Some may think why is he/she asking for my photo i wont listen to that person i will do it my way lol.

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Rachael26 Hi am doing well thank you, how is business going on over there? I saw so many hosts and guests with animals and cartoon display pictures and Airbnb still accept them on the network this is a shame i bet even pornography is allowed : ). Airbnb must become more professional and improve their customer service. Take care and happy hosting!!!

[M-and-I0]

I was told by a representative Airbnb does not restrict what is used for profile photos, it is simply encouraged that we use a human photo. The reason why these profiles remain even when reported is because of this. I personally feel it's a choice whether the guest/host in comfortable and it's up to the host/guest as well whether to book with or accept these people into their homes. Certainly, there is no forcing anyone of doing something they indicated they're not comfortable in these cases, as it is with violating house rules or policy etc.

[Annette33]

@M-and-I0 , hahaha, so what is the reason for the reason? I tell ya! >>> so that Airbnb can make as much $$$$ as possible and won't lose a booking. I personally like transparency and expect a clear profile picture from my guests, thus I do the same in my profile.

as hosts we are sometimes skittish whom we accept: when a guest shows up, how can we tell that that person is actually the one that booked, not a third party, if I have no visual confirmation? That is why the profile picture is important. think about this: so the guest (with no profile picture) whom you just assumed to be the registered guest trashes your place, you look to Airbnb for help - and they say, sorry this person is not the one that booked. What then? 

[M-and-I0]

I feel this is your personal choice and you are welcome to decline those guests. It's an informed decision, different from when a guest has confirmed with you to agree to your house rules/check in/out times so that you accept their booking and then they decide to violate the rules.

In regards to safety, I tell guests I require a government issued ID shown to the management for check in which matches the first and last name on their reservation. So this means things can be traced back to their ID if they trash the place and a fraudster or hacker will immediately realize this is not an easy scam so they move on to someone else. I only accept their booking if they agree to this and I cancel IB if they don't agree to it as hackers have been known to use accounts with good reviews.

[M-and-I0]

@Annette33

To further my thoughts, in our experience, all fraudsters have had a human photo and many even have good reviews if from a hacked account. If they are professional con-artists, and they're going to try and make their living they will do what they need to in order to get into the host's place and the only thing you can do to prevent that is to ask for ID when checking in (even so, you may still have issues if you're dealing with a top-notch criminal). If I were a criminal, I would not have a photo of a dog with M&I as a name because I know that hosts are suspicious. I host people with no profile photo as long as they agree to provide ID matching the reservation name when they book with us. Simply filtering for guests by judging their profile photo is not going to do much to deter someone who's on the other side of the law. 

[Maya50]

I agree with @Annette33.

I will not stay at the place which is hosted by a dog..of course.

We have to be honest to be a good host have'nt we, so the guest will be confidence too.

Good luck @M-and-I0....

[Bruce43]

@Rachael26 I would put a blanket on the floor and give him a bone

[M-and-I0]

@Rachael26

I thought I'd posted a reply but for some reason don't see it showing up so sorry if this is a double post:

I have not found a pattern showing those guests to be an issue despite hosting over 1600 reservations, so I would not have them as a category. To answer yours' and others' question about our profile photo, we used to have a photo of our faces in the earlier days, but after hosting many people and gaining superhost status/many reviews, we believe that guests shouldn't have a reason to believe we are fraudsters. If they cannot trust us, then how would they expect us to trust them, when most don't have any reviews? We have more to lose than guests do in exposing our identities (they are exposing their full name, contact and photo only to people who will invite them into their properties, while we would have exposed it to over 1000), and we've even had experiences with fraudsters. Just like I wouldn't make my facebook profile public, I would not want all of the guests who've booked with us to know my address, contact, name, plus what I look like. We do not meet guests unless there is a need to do so and we feel safe with the guest. Like others have mentioned, people are unpredictable. You never know who you'll come across and what they are capable of so I'd prefer not to take my chances. Hope that makes sense.

Cheers,

Ivy

[Annette33]

@M-and-I0 , that's actually kinda sad.. that you expect the worst of people, thus you don't meet them in person and you guard your privacy to the point of not showing a name or profile picture.

Yet you expect the guests to trust you? trust goes both ways: I just don't have horrible or entitled guests, and I contribute that to a large extent to me being available to my guests, also by disclosing to them by a picture who I am. I guess I follow an old fashioned idea of what good and satisfying hosting is all about, it works for me and I get rewarded for it by pleasant and friendly guests. 

[M-and-I0]

@Annette33

That's a pretty unreasonable accusation. I clearly mentioned that because of our personal experiences with hosting, we've decided against showing our identities. Do you expect that we should still reveal who we are after encountering fraudsters and even those who've threatened us? I trust that an overwhelming majority of guests are good people, but even one crazy person could cause irreparable damage to my safety. Especially considering that they see me as the owner of multiple properties, we are obviously much more likely to be targeted by criminals than those that are hosting a private bedroom. in the suburbs. This world is not made of flowers and glitter, please take the time to think of this from a logical perspective. Also, when you are hosting at the scale we are, and have multiple check in/outs each day, you encounter all sorts of people no matter how friendly and personable you are, so please don't use your experiences to judge our situation. If that's not understandable to you, then I have nothing else to say.

[Annette33]

@M-and-I0 , so sorry if you take what I say as accusations or being unreasonable. We just got into discussing the pros and cons about accessibility,,including having a profile picture. Of course you are so right in saying that there are some sour apples, even fraudsters, out there. Question is just how much we all can avoid them or such situations.

I'll just go back to what I said initially, that perhaps you just need a break from hosting for a while. A constant flow of people will and can get to anybody! All my best to you.

[Denise77]

If you can't identify them, you can't justify accepting a reservation.  Safeguards are in place for the host as well as the guest.