Post by High Priestess on Jan 12, 2016 2:09:48 GMT
Ruby posted Jan 11 2016
Help!
Hi I'm having issues with my guest at the moment and not sure what I should do I wonder if anyone can help.
I have a young lady staying with me for 3 weeks at the moment, obviously very bright and clever because she just graduated and became a doctor but seems to have no common sense in daily living activities. Example: she tried to open a can of lentils with a knife, obviously didn't and never will work. I showed her that a can opener exists, told her not to stab cans with a knife again as it will damage the knives and her respond was "well that never worked anyway"....... I did find it abit stranger when she first arrived she had her uncle with her. Her uncle "escorted" her to the UK from Romania just to make sure she's ok and he flew back the next day. I have the impression that she's very protected and doesn't have to do (email hidden)>
The main issue however is heating. Temperature in the UK has been around 3-6 degrees Celsius. She finds this country very cold. Since she arrives she has kept the heating on on full blast, even at night time. I tried to explain to her that it will cost me a fortune if she keeps the heating on all the time (she's at home after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends) and that I don't think any household can afford to keep their heating on all day and night (although we'd all like to!). Despite this she ignored me anyway and this weekend we've been adjusting the thermostat like a yo-yo...... me turning it down while she keeps turning it up. The flat was so warm that I felt suffocated with no fresh air in. It's 5am now and I am awake because of the heat.
She came to me last night and said she will pay me whatever extra cost there is for the heating if I can let her keep the heating on at a temperature thats she wants as she finds it really cold and "that's just me".
I'm not sure what I should do. On the one hand I feel bad if i do charge her extra because I do want my guest to feel comfortable and don't want to appear "mean and tight" by not keep guest warm; but on the other hand I do worry about the heating bill and I do find the flat too warm to the point that it's uncomfortable. I gave her a 15% discount on top of the discounted weekly rate I do. Perhaps it was my own fault that I didn't take the weather and the increase cost of fuel into consideration before offering discount......
I would be grateful for any advice on how I should manage this. Thanks in advance!
11 comments
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Guan
Guan19 hours ago
Hi Ruby, sorry to hear that.........yup sometime over the rainbow you do bounce into some non common sense ppl.
What can you do? Try call US Airbnb first and explore their suggested option. Let say you decide cancel their booking for example. Ask what is the consequences. Or just take it and swallow it. Learned from mistake for future booking.
By the way, Is there a main suis or something you can just off it completely?
Reply Like 1 reply
helga
helga11 hours ago
Guan, nice to see you here! Happy New Year to you !
Donna
Donna19 hours ago
Hi Ruby, I find that Airbnb helps with all issues. I would call them and ask for help, they have helped me many times. I'm so sorry that this is happening,
Reply Like
Lili
Lili17 hours ago
I had guests from Finland , during the summer they were cold , they said in Finland they keep their homes all year round at 82 with heaters.
This was summer in Southern California and they were 'freezing' at night. They requested I put extra weather stripping in the windows and doors.
All very strange, I thought they coming from extreme cold they would be fine during warm summer nights
They turned the heater all day long during summer days.
Reply Like
helga
helga16 hours ago
Ruby, I have a clause in full apartment rentals that electricity is included up to an amount (a third over my average winter consumption) and extras have to be paid. In the shared living situation there are limits. Sometimes I get a freezing anorexic girl and a women with the heat waves afterwards. You can't adapt to alm of this, it's bad for your health and for the apartment too (I have another clause requesting fairly constant temperature).
I'd suggest to write her via the message thread that her temperature level is a health risk for you, impacting your sleep rhythm, creating hypertension and affects your wellbeing in your home. If she wishes to stay in the UK, she should slowly adapt to the conditions in the country. You suggest a maximum temperature level of x per day and y at night. That is the maximum you can do and will cost ---. If that is ok, yoy will send her a booking amendment (liok up the term, I'm on a French version). Include electricity and ice cream for you in the amount. Besides, get a good extra cover and a plaid or west to lent her and maybe an extra rug for under her table or thick socks. Mention that too, it shows good will and will always serve.
Reply Like 2 likes
helga
helga16 hours ago
This night, switch off electricity, take out the safety. "Oh, the overconsumption lets flip the safety! I told you not to touch the thermostat, my wires are not made to run a factory. They are made for Normal English use". - I had that problem frequently, people running all machines and heating with open doors. ;-)
Reply Like 1 like
Donna
Donna11 hours ago
Yes, I'm shocked to hear of the "yo-yo" behavior of a guest over ruling your temperature settings in a shared home. I would not allow this bullying. Slap a plastic, locked cover over the setting box and do not give her access. My position would be that if she wants to bring her climate with her, she should have found a whole house listing that she could do that with.
Reply Liked 3 likes
helga
helga11 hours ago
Ruby, I had a look at your listing and your rules. You should remove the "sorry"s from your rules. Your rules are your rules, that's your way of life, you do not have to excuse yourself for them. Someone who does not like them should not book. You seem to be way to nice to your guests ;-)
Reply Liked 1 reply•1 like
Ruby
Ruby7 hours ago
Good advice thanks helga. I suppose I was just trying to be nice and show respect hoping they will do the same but yes I think you are right- setting some ground rules and be firm doesn't mean I'm unfriendly or disrespectful!
Lili
Lili11 hours ago
The problem are the reviews these capricious people can write
I do not see a solution to that
Reply Like 2 replies
helga
helga10 hours ago
They can write them and you can only hope that they are either too ashamed to mention it or they exxagerate in a ridiculous way so you can simply write half a line as answer to defuse the bomb. Like :"i was freezing the whole stay and got frostbites!" - "one night, I collapsed at 29C but normally allowed 25 C ". As long as you don't answer "I prefer 15 C" all is fine. - even rehousing them, they can review for the partial stay.
Ruby
Ruby7 hours ago
To be honest I'm all ready and prepared for a bad review on this one. We hardly talk to each other and she's selfish, inconsiderate (an example is how she removed a bag clip from my cereal and clipped it to her own! If she asked I have plenty in the drawer!) and quietly happily squeeze into the kitchen to cook while I'm cooking (personally I'd try to minimise interrupting others) but hey you do get the odd strange ones. I think I'm going to have to put up with this for another 2 weeks.....
Ruby
Ruby7 hours ago
Hey thank you all for your advice they are really helpful. I'm just home (sorry an oven) to roast myself.....
Reply Like
helga
helga7 hours ago
Ruby, you have a spoiled brat at hand. Either you suffer or you educate. I discovered that I won't suffer quietly. I snap orders. "Don't take my stuff! Don't interfere with my belongings! Don't touch that." Drill sergent. But they make their bed now (I hate seeing rumpled beds), leave much less mess, ask politely if they can take something from the fridge when I'm standing before it (very small place). I had to ask one person to leave a day early, poor kid, but I could not bear him. He did not review. The others review, the more you drill them the nicer the review. But I put a 7 days maximum on the shared living situation.
Reply Liked 5 replies•2 likes
Ruby
Ruby6 hours ago
Spoiled brat! Exactly her. I told my boyfriend she has "princess syndrome" .... obviously been treated like a princess at home now expect this from the outside world too!
Ruby
Ruby5 hours ago
Oh Helga you'll like this one - princess just came to me and said "do you have any paracetamol or decongestion tablets I've come up with a cold because I'm cold all the time" ...... I handed her the paracetamol but was speechless.....
helga
helga3 hours ago
Ryby, she must have booked your place as your profile says you are a nurse. Help in any situation !Maybe you should consider her like a geriatric patient, who has no longer all his means. Friendly but firmly to contain the danger ;-)
helga
helga3 hours ago
Maybe you should tell her, if she gets a cold even if it is hot inside, there is no use to heat, as she will get a cold anyway, whilst keeping the temperature lower will keep you from getting sick. So by logic deduction, keep the temperature down to have at least one person healthy.
C C
C Can hour ago
Helga's really right about this. My rules, which seem normal to me, are seen as severe to draconian to others--and people book because of those rules, not in spite of them, because they know they're safe with someone who doesn't play.
Ruby
Ruby6 hours ago
Wow helga good on you! I have to say I'm not sure if I have the courage to confront most of the time. Having said that this is the first bad one I've come across in the 14 months that I've hosted. There were a couple of borderline ones but nowhere near as bad as this. All I ask for is them to leave the common areas tidy and clean up after themselves.....I have to say I do like long term stay guests as it's less hassle in terms of turning the room around and meet & greet etc but when I learnt from this experience that when you get a bad one your stuck! She just told me she wants to stay for another week....no way!!!!
Help!
Hi I'm having issues with my guest at the moment and not sure what I should do I wonder if anyone can help.
I have a young lady staying with me for 3 weeks at the moment, obviously very bright and clever because she just graduated and became a doctor but seems to have no common sense in daily living activities. Example: she tried to open a can of lentils with a knife, obviously didn't and never will work. I showed her that a can opener exists, told her not to stab cans with a knife again as it will damage the knives and her respond was "well that never worked anyway"....... I did find it abit stranger when she first arrived she had her uncle with her. Her uncle "escorted" her to the UK from Romania just to make sure she's ok and he flew back the next day. I have the impression that she's very protected and doesn't have to do (email hidden)>
The main issue however is heating. Temperature in the UK has been around 3-6 degrees Celsius. She finds this country very cold. Since she arrives she has kept the heating on on full blast, even at night time. I tried to explain to her that it will cost me a fortune if she keeps the heating on all the time (she's at home after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends) and that I don't think any household can afford to keep their heating on all day and night (although we'd all like to!). Despite this she ignored me anyway and this weekend we've been adjusting the thermostat like a yo-yo...... me turning it down while she keeps turning it up. The flat was so warm that I felt suffocated with no fresh air in. It's 5am now and I am awake because of the heat.
She came to me last night and said she will pay me whatever extra cost there is for the heating if I can let her keep the heating on at a temperature thats she wants as she finds it really cold and "that's just me".
I'm not sure what I should do. On the one hand I feel bad if i do charge her extra because I do want my guest to feel comfortable and don't want to appear "mean and tight" by not keep guest warm; but on the other hand I do worry about the heating bill and I do find the flat too warm to the point that it's uncomfortable. I gave her a 15% discount on top of the discounted weekly rate I do. Perhaps it was my own fault that I didn't take the weather and the increase cost of fuel into consideration before offering discount......
I would be grateful for any advice on how I should manage this. Thanks in advance!
11 comments
Follow
Like
Guan
Guan19 hours ago
Hi Ruby, sorry to hear that.........yup sometime over the rainbow you do bounce into some non common sense ppl.
What can you do? Try call US Airbnb first and explore their suggested option. Let say you decide cancel their booking for example. Ask what is the consequences. Or just take it and swallow it. Learned from mistake for future booking.
By the way, Is there a main suis or something you can just off it completely?
Reply Like 1 reply
helga
helga11 hours ago
Guan, nice to see you here! Happy New Year to you !
Donna
Donna19 hours ago
Hi Ruby, I find that Airbnb helps with all issues. I would call them and ask for help, they have helped me many times. I'm so sorry that this is happening,
Reply Like
Lili
Lili17 hours ago
I had guests from Finland , during the summer they were cold , they said in Finland they keep their homes all year round at 82 with heaters.
This was summer in Southern California and they were 'freezing' at night. They requested I put extra weather stripping in the windows and doors.
All very strange, I thought they coming from extreme cold they would be fine during warm summer nights
They turned the heater all day long during summer days.
Reply Like
helga
helga16 hours ago
Ruby, I have a clause in full apartment rentals that electricity is included up to an amount (a third over my average winter consumption) and extras have to be paid. In the shared living situation there are limits. Sometimes I get a freezing anorexic girl and a women with the heat waves afterwards. You can't adapt to alm of this, it's bad for your health and for the apartment too (I have another clause requesting fairly constant temperature).
I'd suggest to write her via the message thread that her temperature level is a health risk for you, impacting your sleep rhythm, creating hypertension and affects your wellbeing in your home. If she wishes to stay in the UK, she should slowly adapt to the conditions in the country. You suggest a maximum temperature level of x per day and y at night. That is the maximum you can do and will cost ---. If that is ok, yoy will send her a booking amendment (liok up the term, I'm on a French version). Include electricity and ice cream for you in the amount. Besides, get a good extra cover and a plaid or west to lent her and maybe an extra rug for under her table or thick socks. Mention that too, it shows good will and will always serve.
Reply Like 2 likes
helga
helga16 hours ago
This night, switch off electricity, take out the safety. "Oh, the overconsumption lets flip the safety! I told you not to touch the thermostat, my wires are not made to run a factory. They are made for Normal English use". - I had that problem frequently, people running all machines and heating with open doors. ;-)
Reply Like 1 like
Donna
Donna11 hours ago
Yes, I'm shocked to hear of the "yo-yo" behavior of a guest over ruling your temperature settings in a shared home. I would not allow this bullying. Slap a plastic, locked cover over the setting box and do not give her access. My position would be that if she wants to bring her climate with her, she should have found a whole house listing that she could do that with.
Reply Liked 3 likes
helga
helga11 hours ago
Ruby, I had a look at your listing and your rules. You should remove the "sorry"s from your rules. Your rules are your rules, that's your way of life, you do not have to excuse yourself for them. Someone who does not like them should not book. You seem to be way to nice to your guests ;-)
Reply Liked 1 reply•1 like
Ruby
Ruby7 hours ago
Good advice thanks helga. I suppose I was just trying to be nice and show respect hoping they will do the same but yes I think you are right- setting some ground rules and be firm doesn't mean I'm unfriendly or disrespectful!
Lili
Lili11 hours ago
The problem are the reviews these capricious people can write
I do not see a solution to that
Reply Like 2 replies
helga
helga10 hours ago
They can write them and you can only hope that they are either too ashamed to mention it or they exxagerate in a ridiculous way so you can simply write half a line as answer to defuse the bomb. Like :"i was freezing the whole stay and got frostbites!" - "one night, I collapsed at 29C but normally allowed 25 C ". As long as you don't answer "I prefer 15 C" all is fine. - even rehousing them, they can review for the partial stay.
Ruby
Ruby7 hours ago
To be honest I'm all ready and prepared for a bad review on this one. We hardly talk to each other and she's selfish, inconsiderate (an example is how she removed a bag clip from my cereal and clipped it to her own! If she asked I have plenty in the drawer!) and quietly happily squeeze into the kitchen to cook while I'm cooking (personally I'd try to minimise interrupting others) but hey you do get the odd strange ones. I think I'm going to have to put up with this for another 2 weeks.....
Ruby
Ruby7 hours ago
Hey thank you all for your advice they are really helpful. I'm just home (sorry an oven) to roast myself.....
Reply Like
helga
helga7 hours ago
Ruby, you have a spoiled brat at hand. Either you suffer or you educate. I discovered that I won't suffer quietly. I snap orders. "Don't take my stuff! Don't interfere with my belongings! Don't touch that." Drill sergent. But they make their bed now (I hate seeing rumpled beds), leave much less mess, ask politely if they can take something from the fridge when I'm standing before it (very small place). I had to ask one person to leave a day early, poor kid, but I could not bear him. He did not review. The others review, the more you drill them the nicer the review. But I put a 7 days maximum on the shared living situation.
Reply Liked 5 replies•2 likes
Ruby
Ruby6 hours ago
Spoiled brat! Exactly her. I told my boyfriend she has "princess syndrome" .... obviously been treated like a princess at home now expect this from the outside world too!
Ruby
Ruby5 hours ago
Oh Helga you'll like this one - princess just came to me and said "do you have any paracetamol or decongestion tablets I've come up with a cold because I'm cold all the time" ...... I handed her the paracetamol but was speechless.....
helga
helga3 hours ago
Ryby, she must have booked your place as your profile says you are a nurse. Help in any situation !Maybe you should consider her like a geriatric patient, who has no longer all his means. Friendly but firmly to contain the danger ;-)
helga
helga3 hours ago
Maybe you should tell her, if she gets a cold even if it is hot inside, there is no use to heat, as she will get a cold anyway, whilst keeping the temperature lower will keep you from getting sick. So by logic deduction, keep the temperature down to have at least one person healthy.
C C
C Can hour ago
Helga's really right about this. My rules, which seem normal to me, are seen as severe to draconian to others--and people book because of those rules, not in spite of them, because they know they're safe with someone who doesn't play.
Ruby
Ruby6 hours ago
Wow helga good on you! I have to say I'm not sure if I have the courage to confront most of the time. Having said that this is the first bad one I've come across in the 14 months that I've hosted. There were a couple of borderline ones but nowhere near as bad as this. All I ask for is them to leave the common areas tidy and clean up after themselves.....I have to say I do like long term stay guests as it's less hassle in terms of turning the room around and meet & greet etc but when I learnt from this experience that when you get a bad one your stuck! She just told me she wants to stay for another week....no way!!!!
