Post by High Priestess on Aug 23, 2016 3:49:22 GMT
SEe this post on the CC
community.airbnb.com/t5/Hosts/DEALING-WITH-BAD-GUESTS-Don-t-Hold-Your-Breath/m-p/175784#M44835
DEALING WITH BAD GUESTS – Don’t Hold Your Breath.
John
The Airbnb system does not filter guests well and troubled people may fall through the cracks. When we open our home to strangers we are gaining new experience, making a little extra money; but exposing our family to danger as well. If the Airbnb team does not offer us timely and caring help, we will be under risks and sustain damages while defending ourselves right in our home territory. I am sharing a true story in hope to stimulate host exchanges for meaningful ideas that may help Airbnb make changes in the prompt resolution of unfortunate situations.
I have maintained my super host status since the beginning, took my job seriously, and cared about all my guests. I enjoyed many pleasant experiences but encountered two exceptions, so far. The first bad experience was a drug addict who smoked pots in my home, opened and searched all the drawers; but refused to leave when the contract was expired. In the second case, there was no indicator from the website enabling me to second guess a family from China. Within one week of serving them, we knew we were in deep water and the scary feeling may last a long time.
My house rule states clearly that guests should not enter our family room and kitchen area unless invited by us. It is our place to sleep and rest. However, they repeatedly entering this area with Zimo (the husband) violated it when my wife and I were not fully dressed. We finally bought a room divider that blocked their entrance. They simply do not respect rules and reminders mean nothing to them.
They lacked common sense --used a Chinese hot water pot (220 volts) and inserted into our electrical outlet (120 volts) while running multiple appliances. They overloaded the electrical circuit, burnt the fuse, offered no apology; but blamed our US electrical circuits not up to par. We connected electric lines from other rooms so they could have full electricity and maintained the same level of comfort. However, they not just refused to pay the repair fee; but demanded monetary compensation of two times the daily rent.
Our contract does not provide kitchen. They wished to cook Chinese food and agreed to infrequent preparation of mild food. Out of kindness, my wife turned her laundry room into a small kitchen for Wendy (the wife) to cook, free of charge. She made a big mess of the room by splashing food and cooking oil all over the floor. She also prepared smelly food (using onions, garlic and spice...) from 6:30 AM to 10 PM. I am allergic to strong smells as such food caused me running nose and coughs. When we explained to them on food odor and cleanliness, they yelled, turned unfriendly and escalated into full confrontations; backed with threats.
Our 2nd bedroom is normally NOT for rent. As a friendly gesture, we allowed them to sleep in the 2nd room. They used it as their extra bedroom, dining room, utility room and made a big mess of it. They carried food from down stair to upstairs and stained our carpets.
We received two letters indicating that Zimo and Wendy applied for two bank accounts with Bank of America using our home address without prior agreement. This was unacceptable and rather peculiar.
They said they are Chinese policemen with military background. Regular policemen receive a salary of about US $10 - $20 daily. Chinese government is clamping down the Yuan flooding out of China and has strict rules that limit its withdrawal to 100,000 Yuan (US$15733) per year using UnionPay bank card. This family can hardly speak English, bought a large BMW SUV X5 immediately after they moved in (The auto dealer, Ivan, using the VIN number confirmed that they paid about $45000). They have no US credits per se and must use cash. They sent their daughter, Emma, to our local private school at an annual fee of $30,000. They were looking for an apartment to stay for half a year while shopping around daily for a million dollar house. The estimated rent, food and necessities may cost another $25,000. Somehow, they managed to transfer over a million US dollars from China to US in just a few days while the Chinese government prohibits such practices. We naturally were alerted by their extraordinary behavior. We concerned about our own safety, reported to Airbnb, and wished the guests could leave our home ASAP. For three days, I spoke to about ten Airbnb operators (855-424-7262) and begged for their help into mid-nights. They played shuffle balls with me, offered little help, and referred my case to the Trust and Safety team. Said team then turned me over to the Travel Experience team. Only after I wrote an urgent letter suggesting police protection that one case manager kindly stepped forward and negotiated with the guests. She offered monetary refund, relocation options, and set a firm date to vacate at 11AM. I followed with an “Alteration Request” for an earlier departure date; but the guests must concur. When the guests did not agree with the Alteration, my case manager disappeared and never returned again.Upon further questioning, one staff advised me to directly choose the “Cancelation Request” which will cancel the contract by imposing a monetary penalty on me and having my calendar blocked. I refused to take such action since it subjected me into an unfair settlement. Then another staff said if my safety was in danger, I should do whatever is the best for me that included having a police to intervene; but without support from Airbnb. On the very last day at 11AM, I gave Airbnb my final notice prior to police intervention. All of a sudden, a new case manager was assigned who offered “real help” in re-negotiating with the guests and effectively closing the case. It seemed to me Airbnb could provide me with a responsible case manager from day one, promptly settled the situation; but this was not my experience. All hosts in our global community may eventually face similar episodes so this topic should not be sneered at.
community.airbnb.com/t5/Hosts/DEALING-WITH-BAD-GUESTS-Don-t-Hold-Your-Breath/m-p/175784#M44835
DEALING WITH BAD GUESTS – Don’t Hold Your Breath.
John
The Airbnb system does not filter guests well and troubled people may fall through the cracks. When we open our home to strangers we are gaining new experience, making a little extra money; but exposing our family to danger as well. If the Airbnb team does not offer us timely and caring help, we will be under risks and sustain damages while defending ourselves right in our home territory. I am sharing a true story in hope to stimulate host exchanges for meaningful ideas that may help Airbnb make changes in the prompt resolution of unfortunate situations.
I have maintained my super host status since the beginning, took my job seriously, and cared about all my guests. I enjoyed many pleasant experiences but encountered two exceptions, so far. The first bad experience was a drug addict who smoked pots in my home, opened and searched all the drawers; but refused to leave when the contract was expired. In the second case, there was no indicator from the website enabling me to second guess a family from China. Within one week of serving them, we knew we were in deep water and the scary feeling may last a long time.
My house rule states clearly that guests should not enter our family room and kitchen area unless invited by us. It is our place to sleep and rest. However, they repeatedly entering this area with Zimo (the husband) violated it when my wife and I were not fully dressed. We finally bought a room divider that blocked their entrance. They simply do not respect rules and reminders mean nothing to them.
They lacked common sense --used a Chinese hot water pot (220 volts) and inserted into our electrical outlet (120 volts) while running multiple appliances. They overloaded the electrical circuit, burnt the fuse, offered no apology; but blamed our US electrical circuits not up to par. We connected electric lines from other rooms so they could have full electricity and maintained the same level of comfort. However, they not just refused to pay the repair fee; but demanded monetary compensation of two times the daily rent.
Our contract does not provide kitchen. They wished to cook Chinese food and agreed to infrequent preparation of mild food. Out of kindness, my wife turned her laundry room into a small kitchen for Wendy (the wife) to cook, free of charge. She made a big mess of the room by splashing food and cooking oil all over the floor. She also prepared smelly food (using onions, garlic and spice...) from 6:30 AM to 10 PM. I am allergic to strong smells as such food caused me running nose and coughs. When we explained to them on food odor and cleanliness, they yelled, turned unfriendly and escalated into full confrontations; backed with threats.
Our 2nd bedroom is normally NOT for rent. As a friendly gesture, we allowed them to sleep in the 2nd room. They used it as their extra bedroom, dining room, utility room and made a big mess of it. They carried food from down stair to upstairs and stained our carpets.
We received two letters indicating that Zimo and Wendy applied for two bank accounts with Bank of America using our home address without prior agreement. This was unacceptable and rather peculiar.
They said they are Chinese policemen with military background. Regular policemen receive a salary of about US $10 - $20 daily. Chinese government is clamping down the Yuan flooding out of China and has strict rules that limit its withdrawal to 100,000 Yuan (US$15733) per year using UnionPay bank card. This family can hardly speak English, bought a large BMW SUV X5 immediately after they moved in (The auto dealer, Ivan, using the VIN number confirmed that they paid about $45000). They have no US credits per se and must use cash. They sent their daughter, Emma, to our local private school at an annual fee of $30,000. They were looking for an apartment to stay for half a year while shopping around daily for a million dollar house. The estimated rent, food and necessities may cost another $25,000. Somehow, they managed to transfer over a million US dollars from China to US in just a few days while the Chinese government prohibits such practices. We naturally were alerted by their extraordinary behavior. We concerned about our own safety, reported to Airbnb, and wished the guests could leave our home ASAP. For three days, I spoke to about ten Airbnb operators (855-424-7262) and begged for their help into mid-nights. They played shuffle balls with me, offered little help, and referred my case to the Trust and Safety team. Said team then turned me over to the Travel Experience team. Only after I wrote an urgent letter suggesting police protection that one case manager kindly stepped forward and negotiated with the guests. She offered monetary refund, relocation options, and set a firm date to vacate at 11AM. I followed with an “Alteration Request” for an earlier departure date; but the guests must concur. When the guests did not agree with the Alteration, my case manager disappeared and never returned again.Upon further questioning, one staff advised me to directly choose the “Cancelation Request” which will cancel the contract by imposing a monetary penalty on me and having my calendar blocked. I refused to take such action since it subjected me into an unfair settlement. Then another staff said if my safety was in danger, I should do whatever is the best for me that included having a police to intervene; but without support from Airbnb. On the very last day at 11AM, I gave Airbnb my final notice prior to police intervention. All of a sudden, a new case manager was assigned who offered “real help” in re-negotiating with the guests and effectively closing the case. It seemed to me Airbnb could provide me with a responsible case manager from day one, promptly settled the situation; but this was not my experience. All hosts in our global community may eventually face similar episodes so this topic should not be sneered at.
