Guests leaving things behind!

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Guests leaving things behind!

Hello,

 

how do you hosts handle different guests seemingly repetitively leaving behind items? I have shipped things ranging from a pair of stiletto heels, to a cell phone charger with cord.  I don't ask the guest for shipping, but the last two back-to-back guests have left behind items and I have had to ship them back.  Is this typical? We are new hosts.

 

granted it is only $10-$20 for Shipping charges so far for each time, but it seems to be pretty constant for us now. We don't have a high level of profit, so the trips to the UPS and the additional shipping charges, although not the end of the world, are eating into our small profit.

 

what are your guys/gals thoughts?

 

thanks!

1 Best Answer
Tom794
Level 3
Palo Alto, CA

Guests leaving stuff behind is really painful and costs not just money, but also the time and hassle to post the item back to them. So what I do now is add to my Check-out rules a comment for Guests to double check to ensure they have all their belongs. However if they do realize they have left something of value behind, then they must contact me ASAP. Next I have the next line that states we are not responsible for any items left behind, but if they are left behind, there is no guarantee we can get it back to them, however if it is possible, I state we charge a $20 handling fee, plus the postage and any other costs involved in getting the item back to them. Now my Check-out rules are in my user manual and I've also printed them out, put them in a picture frame, and hung this picture frame next to the front door. And guess what? ... No items left behind for a few months now 🙂 I know this may seem a little strict, but it's such a drain on time to post items back and now with this strategy in place, seems to be working well!

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49 Replies 49

To add- we have thought about leaving a sign on the door, or elsewhere, reminding guests to be sure to pack all their items. 

 

We have even thought about adding to the sign that we are not responsible for things left behind, but think this is kinda harsh?

 

 

Renee31
Level 2
Louisville, KY

Hello,
I would see if you could charge the shipping cost to their total bill at the end of their stay as an agreed upon added expense and use the post office as it is cheaper for small parcels under 20 lbs. I saw an option to add expenses when I went to do the guests review.
Best,
Renee

I'm pretty sure that you can ship COD via USPS or UPS.

I communicated with guests about an entire cupboard of clothing left behind.  They finally replied and asked that I ship the items C.O.D.  I did (cost 47.96) and sent them an email confirming arrival date and payment details on Monday 7/3.  They thanked me, via email, then sent an email 7/6 indicating that they had unexpected health issues and could not afford to pay for their returned clothing.  Suggested I throw out the clothing because they did not know when they would be able to pay for it. I noticed on Facebook that they got engaged on 7/6.  The most irritating guests we have ever had, but I gave them a neutral positive review.  Wish I had gone with my instrincts and written an honest review. Very frustrating experience.  In the future, I will determine C.O.D costs upfront, request reimbursement before shipping items of any quantity. 

Jiw0
Level 10
Chiang Mai, Thailand

First of all let me state that I love it when guests leave things behind, especially when it's useful stuff. 😉

 

More often than not it's intentional, they bought some book or kitchen utensil and then just leave it behind:  great, thank you.

 

Accidentally leaving something behind happened a couple times for us in three years, or it happened that guests had something shipped to the listing's address but it arrived only after they checked out.   In that case I'm happy to send it after them, and they're typically happy to pay for shipping costs.  (I charged the actual postage, not for the effort of driving to the post office and shipping it, and guests can just transfer some money to my PayPal account.)

 

And they tend not to be very valuable items so mostly guests don't worry about it.  (Exception:  a girl who forgot her teddy bear and was extremely grateful for me racing after them and getting it to them at teh train station in time before departure.   So, yeah, I will go above and beyond in some cases, but mostly it's not a big deal either way. 🙂 )

If you are owner occupied, you could offer to give a quick look around to make sure nothing is left behind. For shipping costs and time, use the resolution center to request shipping costs. Seems like this is eating up your time and profits. Put something in your house rules, that if items are left behind, shipping and handling will need to be paid in advance.

Great idea!

Lisa40
Level 6
Edgewood, WA

I have also done like you have and paid to mail things back. I even had a guy leave his wedding band! I think I will still foot the bill if it's reasonably priced and if it is an item that isn't easily or cheaply replaced. I won't even mention cheap items anymore. I had a guy leave behind a baseball hat and a whole box of business cards. I paid to ship them to him and he left me 3 stars for value! You'd think that would have earned me five!
Andrea9
Level 10
Amsterdam, Netherlands

@Dan-And-Melissa0

 

If they want anything sent back you can find out what it costs and message them that once they accept to pay the amount through the resolution center you'll be happy to return it to them. 

Melanie58
Level 10
Boise, ID

Almost every time someone leaves something behind.  Usually something quite random and inconsequential - the toothpaste, a loofah - this kind of stuff.  So if I am home when they leave I go down to the room the moment they leave and check for left behind things.  I call immediately if I find something.  This is the best defense against forgotten things.

 

If I am not home, I guess this makes me kind of awful, but after trying to discern whether people want stuff and like you not really wanting to just charge shipping because my time is valuable - I just don't say anything.  You leave a loofah, sorry, to the trash can with it.  So, I suppose I do now have a harsh no return policy, it's just not posted.  If someone left diamond earrings, of course I would offer to return those.  But I just feel like the discussion would get to awkward if I'm like "hello - I just found your soapy  loofah.  I can return it to you for $20/hr for my time plus additonal shipping costs".  And since it is so frequent, and I only have so many "kind acts of humanity" in me per day, I don't want to waste them all on offering to ship stuff for free.

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

Mobile phone chargers!!! Shoes! Single socks! I bin the socks etc, and send on the rest. Have done it for free so far, but shoes are heavy. I go up to clean as soon as guests are gone and race through to look for losts, and call asap. Hopefully they are still around and can pick it up. It doesn't happen often enough to be an issue, and I think your two back to backs were just unfortunate.

 

Zandra0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

I've contacted the guest and asked if they want their stuff returned, explaining there will be a cost involved.

That's the point they decide they don't need it usually 🙂

Have sent back many things left behind and have: 

1. reached out via the Airbnb portal to ask if they want it (record of the person saying yes they want it) 

2. had them agree re-imburse me for the cost of sending the item back (record of the guest saying yes they will pay) 

3. then sent them an off-portal text telling them the total along with the addition of my time added into the mix ($15/hour - so it's just a few bucks) along with a picture of the tracking number 

4. When they ask how I would like to be paid, I offer to use the Resolution Center or ask them to send me a Starbucks gift ecard to cover the costs (comes via email).  100% send me the gift card plus a little extra.  

Airbnb has no policies governing the return of items left behind or receiving payment for such.  They do encourage guests to pony up money to get their items back. 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1421/what-should-i-do-if-i-forgot-something-at-a-place-i-stayed

 

You DO NOT have to pay for someone else leaving things behind at your home.  Personally, I'd go back to the ones you've shipped things for and ask for the funds to be reimbursed, but hey, that's just me.  

 

 

Maria-Lurdes0
Level 10
Union City, NJ

I have guests leave stuff behind all the time and for me, it's a massive hassle.  I am busy all day and packing up the item, getting to the post office, finding a place to park, waiting in line, filling out customs declaration forms and finally paying the cost of shipping - makes me crazy.   Before we even go that far, I had to figure out the cost of shipping so that the guest could assess whether it's worth it.  THey couldn't even help that much.

 

Of course there is a cost involved, but the actual cost of shipping is the least of the concerns for me, it's all the other bother around it.   Just last week I had a guest leave a plastic cup (like something you'd get at a picnic, not a good plastic drinking glass) FULL of M&M's in the freezer.  It was murderously hot outside, so I have to go to the apartment, put the cup in my car, cover it with something so the chocolate doesn't melt,  go to the post office and all the other blah blah.  The total cost to ship the candy was $17, and it was probably $5 worth of candy. Shipping from USA to Canada.

 

The guest has still not paid the shipping charges, this was three weeks ago.

 

I admire hosts who go so far out of their way to return things, I'm moving towards telling the guest they can arrange for picking it up and shipping it.  I'll put the item in a box and seal it.  That's it.