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Post by jessa on Dec 7, 2015 11:56:48 GMT
A guest "doing a PhD in an obscure field of Latin" verbatim guest (very odd and quirky guest, 60+ years old) left the room filled with bananas (dozens) and tissues (my mind is obviously wandering into obscure places) he also left booze in there and pretty much rearranged all the small decoration items and movable furniture. Also a picture frame fell of the wall and cracked. It could have fallen by itself, I wouldn't rule out the possibility but if he was getting drunk in there and the furniture shoved around, I'd imagine he bumped into it. Next my upstairs toilet is not working. I had problems with water running through it and having to open the tank and adjust this thingy the past 2 weeks to make the water stop running (had two plumbers over, first looked 5min said nothing is wrong and billed 500 euro that I'm never paying, 2nd refused to look at the toilet and wanted 1670 euro to replace it and started threatening me then left a 200 euro bill I'm not paying either so I'm desperately looking for a plumber but that is a different topic) anyways my guess is he cut off the water pipe because water was running but this is an assumption and not a fact. Then there is a hole in the wooden floor the size of a 2 euro coin and the depth of the floorboard. Again I am assuming he made the hole with something sharp like a nordic walking stick or something. So the dilemma here is the damages are assumptions, I cannot prove beyond reasonable doubt he did these things - what is the best strategy in terms of confronting him? I'm letting out multiple rooms hence host protection does not apply unless a guest confesses or there is convincing truth a specific guest did something but he was the only one on the top floor so I do believe he caused these issues. What is a smart way to get him to talk? He has reviewed me I've not yet reviewed him, that might factor into the strategy
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Post by High Priestess on Dec 7, 2015 16:38:23 GMT
HI Jessa,
I posted this response on the old New Hosts FOrum but will post it here too:
That is a tricky situation, and an odd one, Jessa. You have the most unusual stories there, coming from guests at your place!
I can't quite tell from what you are describing, what the problem is with the toilet. From the first description, it sounded like a "running toilet" by which I mean, water keeps running from the tank to the bowl, because the flush valve is stuck open or the fill valve is letting too much water in and won't shut off (flush valve and fill valve are the two parts inside the toilet tank). BUt then you say you think someone cut off the water pipe. What do you mean by that, do you mean they shut off the water from going to the toilet, or that they literally cut the pipe? Cutting a pipe with water in it will result in a massive flood as water will continually pour out, which it doesn't sound like that is happening there. If someone shuts off a valve on a water pipe, no water will run through, yet you are having water running,so I don't understand what the problem is.
Finally you describe a hole in the floor -- is that related to the toilet malfunction, or is it something else entirely?
Then also, you describe the room that the guest left -- so it sounds like the guest has already left and so you wouldn't be able to talk to the guest, at least not at the premises. For this kind of situation, to get the guest to talk honestly about what is going on there with the toilet, I think the best approach is to avoid making any accusations at all, but simply mention to the guest that you noticed the toilet isn't working right and ask them if they noticed that too, or what they did notice. THis will give the guest a chance to tell their story about it. They may start out talking about a problem they experienced with the toilet, and once they do that, you can ask if by chance they did anything, took any steps to try to correct the problem themselves. You're going to learn more from such a conversation with a guest, either by talking in person, or by talking on the phone, since that way you will see their facial expressions, read nonverbal cues, or at least hear their tone, their pauses, and be able to get a sense if they are telling the truth, or fabricating a story. You want to avoid accusations and suggesting that damage was done to the toilet when you start this conversation, because if you start out that way, the guest is likely to clam up and claim they know nothing. Better to talk about it as if you really just want to get the toilet fixed and need help with observations on what was wrong with it.
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Post by jessa on Dec 7, 2015 17:27:25 GMT
Thanks! The plot thickens and I feel bad for having assumed it was the nutty old PhD student. Lesson learnt, never make assumptions. In short, I've been with my grandmother the past 5 days and a friend took care of the airbnb. Obscure PhD student was actually a very interesting character in person, according to him. Now obscure PhD student checked out yesterday morning so I never personally met him. In the afternoon a 41 year old French-Belgian woman checks in, my friend handled her check in because I arrived in the late afternoon. Turns out he checked her into the wrong room, the obscure nutty old PhD students room (glad I met with friend before speaking to PhD man). I met the woman and she seemed kind, though I could tell she has it rough in life. Last night I didn't figure out she was in the wrong room. Saw the room this morning in it's total state of chaos and booze. Jumped to conclusion it was the nutty man. Fast forward to meeting friend I figure out the woman had checked into that room due to his mistake. I figure she is still living in there and will hopefully clean it up. 30 minutes later my doorbell rings, it is the 41 year olds' mother (who looks rather classy and looks the same age as the 41 year old, they both looked 50). The mother tells me the woman is missing, asks me to let her know if she makes contact. Two hours later she returns, by now this is a missing persons case with the local police, she checks the room, hurridly sweeps liquor bottles into her purse, makes worried small talk, tells me her child grew up in Morocco and is cosmopolitan like me (I'm thinking privileged hippie parents moving around the world and hoping I do not turn out like that when I'm 41). By now I've counted my keys and the woman has one. No clue if she is coming back or not or what domestic mess I got myself into here, waiting for police to come by... my friends think I subconciously select these odd guests to turn my life into a tv show. I really hope this one is ok though...
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Post by jessa on Dec 7, 2015 19:29:30 GMT
Oh my... talking to the two hosts who hosted her before - why why why did they leave good reviews? this is from her last host:
I understand completely !
Inge wa very strange. She wants to come back and she harass me a lot after. She come with a homeless in my home.
She don't want that I leave a comment on her profile..
I have her Facebook if you want
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Post by High Priestess on Dec 7, 2015 23:49:58 GMT
It's sad, the hosts who don't have the guts to tell the truth, and thereby help get other hosts into messes....even a review expressing a certain "ambivalence" about a guest, could be a good clue to a host, who could then contact previous hosts and get the whole story.
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