Guest cancelled but wants to rebook

[Eleanor180]

I have a guest that is currently staying at my cottage for 2 weeks. She is also booked for another 2 weeks at the end of June. On day 2 of her stay, I received a cancellation for her reservation at the end of the month. I asked her the reason for cancelling. She stated that the grass wasn't mowed and there were spider webs on the patio furniture and she had to clean. 

We have a lakeside property therefore there will always be spiders around. The lawn was mowed 4 days prior to their arrival and all furniture clean. I understand grass grows quickly. It is also clearly written in my house manual that lawn care is done every week on Wednesday or Thursday. Therefore the grass was mowed on their 2nd day.

Now she changed her mind and would like to rebook the same dates. I had a firm cancellation policy - so payout is 50%.

I reached out to airbnb and they have spoken to the guest. Airbnb is asking me if I would like to issue a full refund so the guest can rebook.

I am new to hosting. What are your thoughts?  

[Anonymous]

@Eleanor180   That's easy. Decline.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Eleanor180 Far better would be to send a special offer to the guest reducing the normal price by the money you will receive for the cancellation.

[Anonymous]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Did you read the whole post? This guest is such a princess, she's complaining about the length of the grass and outdoor spiderwebs. The host only has 12 reviews. Accepting the re-book means the whiny guest gets to leave 2 reviews instead of 1. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Anonymous Fair point but surely she wouldn't leave a bad review AND return. Would she?????

[Anonymous]

@Mike-And-Jane0  Yes, I think she would. We're not talking about a reasonable person here. This is someone who books a nice house by a lake but feels aggrieved by the presence of nature outside. I don't think she's capable of restraining herself from unloading petty complaints in two reviews. They might not be bad bad, but they won't be 5 stars. 

[Jenny349]

@Eleanor180

I don’t understand your hesitation here? As @Anonymous says: decline! Actions have consequences as your inconsiderate guest is about to find out.

[Huma0]

@Eleanor180 

I agree with @Jenny349 and @Anonymous . This guest sounds like trouble. She is likely to give you grief with her petty complaints and leave a less than amazing review and low ratings.

If you are still considering it, does this guest have previous reviews? If so, also check out the reviews she has left for other hosts, as these can be quite telling. The last time I had a very picky, demanding guest who rated me down on things already mentioned on the listing, I wish I had paid more attention to the reviews she had previously written as there were red flags there. I let it go because she instant booked and I thought the red flags were not so bad to warrant cancelling her reservation, but boy did I regret that from the moment she arrived!

[Eleanor180]

Thanks for the input. I'm new to hosting and I really appreciate your advice. I've decided not to refund and not rebook the guest. 

[Debra300]

@Eleanor180,

It sounds like this guest is trying to game the system to get a full refund.  If you were to refund her the cancellation penalty after she submitted a new reservation or you approved her request to book, she would have 48 hours to cancel and get a full refund.

• Firm cancellation policy: To receive a full refund, guests must cancel at least 30 days before check-in. They can also get a full refund within 48 hours of booking if the cancellation occurs at least 14 days before check-in. If they cancel between 7 and 30 days before check-in, you’ll be paid 50% for all nights. If they cancel less than 7 days before check-in, you’ll be paid 100% for all nights.