What's the value of a mistake?

[Mary1211]

So, I've been a long term 'casual host,'  which is to say I strive to be a sort of"jetblue," host... a good value for a more low key experience, with fun little perks.  I try to emphasize this in my description, relating that staying with me is like staying with a friend you haven't met yet, chill and casual.

Anyway, I did make a mistake today. I misread my calendar and thought guests were getting here tomorrow instead of today. I had cleaners lined up and everything. 

So, I was startled when I saw my guests had arrived, and the place hadn't been changed over.  Airbnb listed the booking as 'upcoming' so I was hopeful the error was on their end.. nope, totally on mine.   They let me know they couldn't stay if I didn't fix things, and I let them know I was super sorry, I made a mistake, I'd be right there.  This resposne was about 15 minutes after their message, and I got home 35 minutes after they reached out.

No one was home, they hadn't responded, there were no personal items.  I presume they had called airbnb/found an alt arrangement.  The place was fairly clean, the bed was just the pile of sheets atop. 

I took the used sheets, and dropped them off in the basment and grabbed fresh ones.  They still hadn't responded, so I sent them a message guessing they had found a new place but in case they were coming back I set the room up and cleaned things up. 

A couple hours later (around 10 pm) I get a note about how they absolutely cannot stay there because it hadn't been changed over, and they want a full refund. 

I figured I would check with other hosts about what they thought was fair/reasonable, as I appeciate other people's opinions.

Thanks so much!

-Mary

[Gillian19]

@Mary1211 Well I would say they were totally unreasonable. But not everyone is reasonable. (You certainly learn that on Airbnb)  I reckon they would have been pretty challenging guests if that was there attitude to an honest mistake so you are probably better off without them

[Gillian19]

@Mary1211 P.S. I would just let them get whatever refund Airbnb decide - they are likely to refund the whole lot anyway as Airbnb nearly always side with the guests.

[Inna22]

 You responded very quickly and it sounded like they weren’t going to bed immediately and that seems to be the only part that wasn’t truly ready for them. I did make that mistake once (or rather my cleaners) and I guess were pretty understanding. They did ding my stars however did not leave or ask for a refund. That’s a pretty drastic measure for anyone. To just completely leave and change locations just because the bed is not made? I would assume one spends time and effort to find a place they like so to just snap their fingers and leave is just odd erratic behavior.  In any case, now they do have the right to refund no matter how unreasonable they are. I would let Airbnb decide though.  Take pictures of the room as it is right now and it sounds like you have communicated through Airbnb messaging so you would have that record is well. 

[Mary1211]

Aw thank you for the validation everyone.  Indeed, I feel like with airbnb you need to remember that you're dealing with humans who have lives (though from what I understand that is less true over more true these days), and indeed those humans make mistakes sometimes.  That is part of what you get when you're paying like 10-20% of what a hotel may cost you.

The place was relatively clean, it is a private room in a condo I live in. The guest bedroom bed had a pile of used sheets/towels on it from the previous guests, though everything else was relatively orderly (though orderly like one may expect when dropping into a tidy friend's place unannounced), a few dog toys on the floor, a dish in the sink, the pillows not artfully arranged.

I have found AirBnB to, sometimes, be very reasonable.. Other times, not so much.  This seemed to be one of the times they were pretty reasonable. They asked me to snap a photo of the cleaned room.

They let me know the guests wanted a full refund, what did I think was fair.  I said that refunding half the (nominal) cleaning fee was fair, as there were professional cleaners coming the next day of their 4 day stay.  The airbnb rep let me know the guests had a change of heart and would stay afterall (tonight).

Though I'm going to emphasize that they please read the house manual, house rules, etc. I suspect they did not, as they had to message me on how to get in even though I have very clear instructions on entry that they clearly hadn't read. 

Thank you again, everyone!  I def't have a hard time navigating reasonable vs unreasonable guest expectations. 

I, personally, try to be a pretty chill guest, and I generally don't hold my hosts to a higher standard than I would expect from the cheapest oldest motel/hotel that one finds like 45 minutes out of the city.

I did have a host in Chiang Mai who totally hadn't left the keys in the lock box, which could have gone really poorly if I wasn't a savvy traveler who had gotten a working local sim card.. And even that I look at as a hazard of using AirBnB. 

[Susan151]

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@Mary1211 wrote:

In winter, I keep the interior temperature of our house at around 65°F / 18°C during the day, less at night. This is common for the Northeast where energy costs are high and old houses leak heat badly. Everyone here wears sweaters indoors, sometimes two. Please plan accordingly. 

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I am glad that you enjoyed my writing enough to include it in your listing. Talking about indoor temperatures and what we find normal in Boston is hard and yet setting the proper expecttions is critical.

But to your question. I don't know what a mistake will cost you, but it isn't just monetary. When things don't go well at the start of a visit, it sets the tone. May your next four days be better for all of you than I fear.

[TracieandJason0]

@Mary0 Although it was an honest mistake on your end, and personally I would have let it slide and been sympathetic, I think your guests are right to feel upset and ask for a refund. Now that they have expressed their discontentment, stated they wanted a refund but then decided to go through with the reservation, you should be weary of them posting a revenge review based on how their accomdations began. Maybe give them a little praise such as thanking them for their patience and being so understanding, etc. This will slightly switch the narrative of you being an unprepared host in their eyes, to them being great understanding guests. Good luck!

[Mary1211]

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@TracieandJason0 wrote:

" I think your guests are right to feel upset and ask for a refund. Now that they have expressed their discontentment, "

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Thank you for your time in responded.

So, I try to write and angle my listing as not to attract guests who look at this more like a professional service, and are more interested in "living more like a local," if you do have any advice on attracting that kind of guest I'd love to hear it. 

I'm also curious on your thoughts of sort of "equivalent gestures" guests can make, to coming to an airbnb that hasn't been changed over and what options an airbnb host has in that situation.

[Lisa723]

Agree with @TracieandJason0, plus I would proactively refund their first night.

[TracieandJason0]

@Lisa723 I agree, they should be reimbursed for the first night. 

[Mary1211]

Their first night was reimbursed. I didn't personally agree with it, I offered to take half off of cleaning.

I'm generally left wondering what @Lisa723 & @TracieandJason0 both think about what one should expect when picking an AirBnB over a hotel, and vice versa... similarly, picking a place with middling reviews, or not a superhost, vs a superhost/better reviews. 

I do know how I travel may not be how other people travel, and my expectations may be different.. but I have very different expectations at least on AirBnB vs hotels, and I imagine that there probably should be different expectations based on the other aforementioned factors, too.

[Lisa723]

@Mary1211 an expectation that the room is clean and ready with no sign of previous guests is pretty minimal... but my remark was not so much about right/wrong as about expediency-- if anything goes awry I generally try to overcompensate because I am aiming for a steady stream of five star reviews, which enable me to raise prices in the long run. I'd prefer the short-term monetary loss to a bad rating permanently on my listing. So maybe this is not your style, which is fine!

[Susan151]

@Mary1211. I am wondering how their visit is for you? Do they have a dark cloud over their heads or have they moved on to enjoy what you do offer and our fabulous neighborhood?

And today is a two-sweater day! I need some warm slippers as well.

[Mary1211]

@Susan151 Eeeehh.. mixed. I think its clear they didn't really read my listing, and are not super enjoying things that are stated in it (the third person sleeps in the common area, which you know, is a common area where other people may be around). Their personal belongings are around when house rules say personal belongings stay in the room...

and.. check out is 10 am sharp, with a statement that there may be sharp penalties if not adhered to without prior communication in house rules. 

They're still here, locked up in the room, without any responses to my messages about when they may be  leaving, because I need to know how to schedule my day (cleaning, change over), etc.. which feels pretty hypocritical at best. 

Otherwise, they were friendly and they liked the dogs, and we talked a little bit about the dogs names (one of which is Japanese, like the guests), but I'd probably stop hosting real quick if they were the typical guest.

[Kelmany0]

Hi, sounds like it hasn’t gone well after all as I notice you posted they have not checked out. Personally, in experiences like that, I say go find a different place and give them a full refund and move on to bigger and better things. Once you start off bad (in their eyes) they are gonna reveng flog you and make your life hell. First, I can’t grasp people who show up and check in and don’t even bother to communicate. It’s happened twice now and because of it we are not programming locks until we meet the guest. If they can’t look me in the eye and speak to me and show they are gonna respect me before coming in my home they are not getting in. Just something I am now Going to change after 9 months into this. Like you, I am sharing my home. I have a life. I am not at their beck and call unless they wanna pay me to be their full time servant. 

Its best to cut cut the cord. Also, as soon as a guest checks out I go in, strip the bed, use a stiffer to wipe down everything and put new sheets on the bed. That way, it’s always ready, and then I do a deep clean after the fact and fluff everything up in prep for the guest prearranged arrival time. Hope you get this all sorted out. K