Super strange message/accusation from guest

celeste
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Posts: 30

Super strange message/accusation from guest Apr 26, 2016 21:08:34 GMT

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Post by celeste on Apr 26, 2016 21:08:34 GMT

So we hosted 2 ladies for 3 nights. Someone in a local facebook group was asking for a reasonable place for them to stay and I offered to provide 2 rooms for the price of one, to support their humanitarian work.
We checked them in on Thursday and they were very nice. They said they would be leaving early Sunday and be leaving town straight from their event they were here for. After checkout, everything looked good and we thought we'd never see them again.
Then Sunday evening around 5:30/6:00 (5-6 hours after checkout) a car comes barreling down our driveway with no warning. I was outside and know my husfriend is barely dressed and am trying to call and warn him. They had borrowed a pot and stuff from our kitchen and were returning it. He said one of them was ranting on her phone and got out of the car loudly talking and did not make eye contact while the other hurriedly returned the kitchen items. Was quite strange, as they gave us no warning, but whatever, no harm done. (But what if we had had new guests check in and they had invaded their privacy? We didn't though, so whatever.)

Anyway, we forgot about it, but then we get a message from her on Airbnb saying that when they returned the pots, she noticed pictures were taken of her and she doesn't know why but wants them to not exist (UMMM

... HUH

)

<Mind : Blown>

So now it's all awkward & weird feeling and we're wondering of that will reflect in her review. And not sure about what to say to review them. They were totally fine, except - this - is. so. weird. LOL

Our messages:

Hi, just checking on you guys. Hope you're having a great stay. Let us know if you need anything

Last Saturday at 8:55 PM

Thanks so much. Everything is great

Last Saturday at 9:08 PM

Thank you both again for the accomodations. They worked out and were helpful for our stay in Asheville. I did my best to return everything the way we found it. Hope it was alright. I noticed when we returned the pot there were a couple of photos taken of myself. I'm not sure the reason, but would greatly appreciate if they no longer existed. Thanks again for the accommodations. Take care and best regards.

Yesterday at 5:55 PM

We're really glad you had a good stay, we loved having you

But we have absolutely no idea what you're referring to about photos of yourself?

Today at 12:48 AM

Ok no problem. Thanks again for you opening your space to us. Take care.

Today at 6:41 AM

You're welcome

The only thing we can think of is you thought pictures were being taken of you while we were using the phone? We've never had guests return after checkout time and we had no idea you'd borrowed kitchenware and no idea you would be returning, so when you returned Sunday evening we were surprised/caught off guard and did not know who was driving on our property, so we were on the phone with each other about someone being here. If you thought pictures were being taken of you while we were on the phone, please be 1000% assured that no pictures were taken of you whatsoever. We honestly thought you were long gone and that we would not being seeing anyone for the rest of the day and were actually barely decent -which is why we were using the phone to communicate about surprise company.

As you may have noticed, you did not see us your entire stay as we very highly respect all of our guests complete and total privacy.

Hope that helps put any fears to rest

(Or did you mean you left some photos? Lol (this is confusing). If that's what you meant, we did not find any photos, but if we do, we can dispose of them or send them back to you

Today at 12:52 PM

So she said "Ok no problem" - but it still feels WEIRD. What in the world?

High Priestess
Administrator

Posts: 9,110
Gender: Both and all -- I like all the choices!

Super strange message/accusation from guest Apr 26, 2016 21:40:31 GMT

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Post by High Priestess on Apr 26, 2016 21:40:31 GMT

Hi Celeste
There seems to be a lot of lack of courtesy in what you describe.

First, it seems they removed items from your property without having the courtesy to ask for your permission to do so. At least they did return them, but when returning them, they again behaved without courtesy, engaging loudly in another conversation while doing that, and doing so hurriedly. That seems rude to me.

Finally the accusations about taking photos of them, were rude to make. I can imagine it felt awkward to you. If they wondered if you had taken photos of them, the appropriate thing to do would be to ask, rather than to accuse. The statement about wanting the photos not to exist shouldn't have been made, without first ascertaining that photos of them were in fact made.

THen finally once you sought to engage them in communication to put to rest any misunderstandings, it seems that they were not willing to admit that they had jumped to conclusions , and didn't apologize for a rash accusation.

As far as a review -- did you give them permission to take your pots off your property? If not, then that would be something to mention in the review. I have a house rule that guests may not take my belongings off my property for any reason. If you did give them permission to do that or aren't concerned about that, I would not mention anything in their review about any of this. Yes, they were not so courteous, but unless that was something that actually effected their stay itself, I would let it go, just to avoid being petty. My own preference in writing reviews is that I like to let things go and not mention an issue with a guest if it happened only once and was not characteristic of their stay, or if it does not seem too important eg in terms of rule violations. But each host has their own style.

celeste
Moderator

Posts: 30

Super strange message/accusation from guest Apr 27, 2016 3:17:31 GMT

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Post by celeste on Apr 27, 2016 3:17:31 GMT

It's so strange and perplexing! Does she think everyone everywhere is taking pictures of her with their phones?

Another thing to add to the mountain of silly house rules that should be common sense: "No removing our personal belongings off property without permission". And also maybe "No surprise arrivals after checkout -please let us know if you need to return".

We keep joking that we have every right to keep any imaginary pictures we took on our own property, lol.

High Priestess
Administrator

Posts: 9,110
Gender: Both and all -- I like all the choices!

Super strange message/accusation from guest Apr 27, 2016 3:37:38 GMT

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Post by High Priestess on Apr 27, 2016 3:37:38 GMT

IT's true, Celeste -- that most every hosts' house rules are all nothing but common sense! THe fact that we have to state about 5 to 25 things that are common sense just testifies to the lack of common sense in human beings.

And so we get these odd juxtapositions -- one guest will say oh it's so easy to follow the rules, they are all common sense, while another you have to talk to about 6 or 7 different times, asking them again and again to follow the rules, because they dont' have common sense and so even when told, things are not sinking in.

Maybe this woman has had situations in the past where people would harass her by photographing her with their phones. So now she is "wired" to be on the lookout for phones that seem aimed in her direction. You never know....

helgaparis
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Posts: 676

Super strange message/accusation from guest Apr 30, 2016 5:08:37 GMT via mobile High Priestess likes this

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Post by helgaparis on Apr 30, 2016 5:08:37 GMT

That reminds me of a thing that happened 25 years avo, long before mobile phones were common and when many households had no camera. Police called my boss because of photographing someone. "What? Whom? ... Whom??? ... When should that have happened?"
It turned out he was driving on an Austrian highway, probably fast as always and had doubled another car with a refugee from a communist country in it. Doing it, he had not only managed to be faster than the other car, even though that guy had tried to flee, he had also taken pictures out of the side window whilst doubling. The guy was in panic to be shot and still worried to be only photograped and had stopped at the police station to alert them.
My boss was nearly 60 years old and not even a fan of action movies. He had his 5 year old daughter in the car, who may have waived on cars they passed.

Some people have their worries- seems she accepted the explanation.

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Post by celeste on Apr 26, 2016 21:08:34 GMT

Post by High Priestess on Apr 26, 2016 21:40:31 GMT

Post by celeste on Apr 27, 2016 3:17:31 GMT

Post by High Priestess on Apr 27, 2016 3:37:38 GMT

Post by helgaparis on Apr 30, 2016 5:08:37 GMT