So sorry you had such an upsetting experience yesterday Saroj. It’s not the norm. I hope you’ve done something nurturing for yourself and some sleep and time have been helpful in re-centering.
That last message they sent to you might be exactly what’s needed to demonstrate to Air BnB support the true character of the guests and why you were so uncomfortable with that kind of hostile presence in your home.
Based on the wisdom from other hosts here in these forums and my own experience, things can be presented a second time to Support, especially if you call and ask to speak to a supervisor...not another host filling in on the phones, but a superhost support supervisor.
Write down what happened. List your concerns and reasons why you felt unsafe and felt the need to ask the guests to leave. Present them in a calm, factual manner, from the point of view of maintaining safety in your home fir yourself and your other guests (you have 3 listings) and the safety and good will of our ABB community.
I used to live in Camarillo. The LA demographic has had significant issues around safety shared in the mainstream national media. Safety and the abuse of trust by our guests is as relevant as any racial profiling issues...which we could all fall victim to in various demographics.
Hosts have no control over the history or intent guests bring into our homes other than to disconnect instant booking and require a request for booking from each guest so we can converse in writing to try to discern if it’s a good fit. It’s time consuming, but it’s worked well for me. I do not approve anyone who doesn’t have a completed profile and agree to my house rules in reply to my initial response to thier booking request/inquiry.
There used to be a function where hosts could screen out those who’ve not completed profiles or have no reviews yet, but that was changed. I miss it, not because I’m a racist or unwilling to give a newbie a chance, but because hosts have lost the ability to screen guests for safety or even know if they are who they say they are. Without a recent facial photo in a profile, we have no way of knowing if the person who arrives is who’s supposed to be here, and we have a right to feel comfortable with who we invite into our home.
Most first time ABB guests and newcomers need some guidance/education about the difference between ABB and an impersonal hotel...we are opening our private homes to people we’ve not yet met who are not background checked or vetted other than whether they have a working email, phone, and credit/debit card, all of which can be cheaply procured by other than legal means.
Kudos to you for not being bullied by a guest in your own home, which could be argued as being just as despicable as the “racial profiling” you were accused of and in some places, they might have been arrested.
Your reviews so far are commendable and testify to your conscientiousness, warmth, and clarity about the mutual respect and other expectations between you and your guests.
Youve earned superhost status which also speaks to your integrity and so does the full refund you provided when these guests cost you the profit on the night’s booking and you could have argued it.
Abusive behavior should never be tolerated. As a fellow host, I would hope ABB would discourage such negativity amongst its membership. I want fair warning about these guests and would likely choose not to host them if I knew who they were...which leads to your concern about reviews...
If they do leave you a review, and it’s negative, you have the right to reply with calm facts about which behaviors inspired alarm, then to cancel their booking and remove them from your home. It will be connected to both of your profiles, thier negative review will stand out as a reflection upon thier character and conduct and seem out of character given your 100% positive reviews otherwise.
Thus was thier first stay. your honest review will inform their future as ABB guests far more than theirs will your future here.
This just happened, and of course you’re upset...but you’ve had a couple of days to get grounded and now you have something in writing as support for your concerns.
That last disparaging message they sent you could be termed harassment and is a testament to the integrity and poor communication skills of the guests. When combined with your calm, factual presentation to a Superhost Supervisor, that message sent by them in anger and disrespect could very well become good cause for any negative marks for that cancellation upon you removed and be cause for administrative review for the continued ABB membership of the guest.
Rude, disrespectful, inappropriate behavior and communication is not about race, it’s about character and personal choice.
As a host who might receive an inquiry from these guests some day, I hope you do review these guests honestly, and as a host, guest, and community member, I hope ABB will review this and focus on keeping this community safe for all of us by banning guests who show such disregard for safety, courtesy, and the good will this community was founded upon.
Best wishes,
Susan
