Post by High Priestess on May 29, 2016 22:13:57 GMT
kat shared on Hosting 911
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-101203
Hello and a question
Hi,
Good to know about this forum!
I won't go into the specifics here but I posted a message on the Hosting Stories thread before being directed to this one. I've only had positive experiences with guests before but while I was out of town, I had a last minute booking from a guest who was not honest about the number of people in her party (which exceeded my maximum); they then showed up and left the next day, justifying it with crazy claims, threatening to take me to court if I don't refund her money. The truth is, I suspect, that she simply found something more suitable for her large party and now doesn't want to pay the penalty. (I find MANY people keep shopping, even after you've pre-approved their request -- which is crazy-making).
I believe AirBnb has "arbitration only" clauses in their terms. And I am under the impression that they will handle all refund requests so I don't have to deal with this kind of nastiness. Is that correct, or can these individuals (law students, wouldn't you know?) in fact come after me in court? They would have no case, but they could cause a good deal of inconvenience.
Thanks.
20 comments
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Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
Hi Kat, I see you are in cali. Anyone for any reason can file a lawsuit.
That being said, ensure you keep all documents, and all communications on airbnb platform to cover your behind.
Have you been in contact with airbnb by phone? If not I would suggest it.
I had a very strange, irrational, guest once in two years. She and her husband were very odd, and flat out refused to communicate with myself, or airbnb. On the third day she wanted to cancel, trumped up some strange story, finally airbnb got through on her phone where she accused us of all sorts of things.
They were told to vacate by airbnb over 10 times, and refused because they were being charged that day.
After having my car pinned in my driveway for 6 hours, and talking with airbnb several times, I marched right into my guesthouse and told them to leave immediately. I informed them they were trespassing and that police had been called. They left. 3 hours after departing the lady threatened me with lawsuits and a few other things if I didn't refund her 3 days (partial) and airbnb fully comp-ed 2 days and the remaining days of their trip.
I haven't heard from them since. I think that ppl will try to get what they want at all cost.
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
Ohmigosh, Ron (Nicole?) -- what an awful story! I am surprised AirBnB agreed to comp them. I would think they would be kicked off the site and not allowed to inflict themselves on another host. Was this taken from the fees due you or did you get paid for the time they stayed?
Reply Like
Susan
Susana year ago
they're blowing smoke, they broke your listing accommodation rules and then left. leave a very negative public review. unless there is egregious damage, you're not entitled to anything. report their actions to airbnb and do not respond to any further communications with them
Reply Like 1 reply
Susan
Susana year ago
also, they must cancel their reservation to receive any sort of refund under your cancellation policy, airbnb will tell them that.
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Yes, people can indeed file a lawsuit over anything, but if the amount they are asking for is $10,000 or less in California that means filing in small claims court. So, for a reservation worth $10k or less (which most are) that goes in small claims, most realistically, and a case like this they would lose in small claims so they are be hugely wasting their time. If they are wanting a refund that the refund policy doesn't allow, they would not be suing you anyway, they would be suing Airbnb, since AIrbnb is the one which provides refunds.
A lot of people are bullies by nature and just love to do wrong to others and then threaten to sue them, so this can happen with guests. Probably in most cases, as with Ron and Nicole, the threat is empty and is just being used to intimidate.
In my post on "red flags for hosts" , I do caution hosts about taking guests who are involved in the legal profession where they do work where they may tend to sue property owners. I have had several guests who were lawyers or law students who were just fine, but you can bet that I asked them what their field of law was before I accepted their booking. I would not accept a law student or lawyer who did not respond when asked what their field of law was. Given that SOME (not all!!) people become lawyers because that field of work allows one to bully others around to an extent unknown in many other fields, it pays to watch out for people who might do that.
Reply Like 3 replies
Leah
Leaha year ago
My husband deals with sidewalk lawyers all the time. He said it gets tiring when law students are trying to rattle off things their professors lectured them about while trying to weasel out of a ticket. They rarely win because they don't know what the heck they are talking about yet.
kat
kata year ago
Thanks, Deborah. These people are from out of state. Will AirBnB be the one to deal with potential litigation? I just find it odd that they didn't call me until after the funds transferred into my account. They waited four days to get back to me. Is there a tactical reason for that?
Susan
Susana year ago
if they're from out of state that indicates they're just bullying you because they must file in the state/county where the action took place and they'll have to return for a court appearance. this is airbnb's issue and not yours so let airbnb handle it (no doubt they'll refund the $ to the guests out of their pocket)
Susan
Susana year ago
your accommodations are absolutely fantastic HOWEVER you should state Guest criteria in your listing description and put it in the House Rules, while the description is fine, you could let the photos speak for the accommodations and add further criteria in your listing description to address specifically (a) for whom the accommodations are best suited (b) specific Guest criteria and the penalty for breaking that criteria (c) reiterate the cancellation policy. The listing description and House Rules, and the cancellation policy, are the documents that one uses to rebut any crazy Guest claims/complaints.
Reply Like
Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
Kat, airbnb made certain I was paid in full for their entire reservation. The guest only forked out 90$ for their whole 7 days in state, which they stayed with me 2 1/2 days. The rest of their stay elsewhere was comp-ed by airbnb.
I was frankly very upset at airbnb because for 48 hours they kept up with the "lets wait", and hear back. The original issue was they booked for two. They arrived as 3 people. When I inquired at check in I made sure to again go over our rules, and stated only listed guests are allowed on the property and having the third person was not really allowed. They stated he was just helping them settle. But... He stayed overnight too. I know because my gh is on my property. When I went to address it the next morning they refused to answer the door, and refused to speak with us while leaving for the day.
The day they finally cancelled and finally spoke with airbnb they kept telling the airbnb assistant that they were in process of leaving. Yet, they were hold up, blocked my car, and would not leave. It got really ugly.
Deborah is correct, it would be small claims. You must look out for the crazy though. To file in Az in small claims it cost $40 so, while most people are blowing smoke, others may just file to be spiteful.
Ugh! So sorry that happen kat!
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
Hi Susan,
Thanks for the compliment. I see we're fellow Angelenos. What type of rules do you insist on? I'm revising mine now.
I finally spoke with the AirBnB trip experience rep today and they asked me if I would give these dishonest bullies a refund. They recognized that I did nothing wrong; that these people were breaking the terms of their agreement, and yet they asked me to refund them -- despite the fact that I bent over backwards to offer them a last minute booking when someone else cancelled on them, that I overlooked certain public records that I should not have (in retrospect), that they lied about who would be there, that they had no grounds for cancellation, that they insulted me and my home, that they cost me money by blocking that time so that I couldn't rebook, that they left the beds unmade and the place untidy so now I DO have to hire someone while I'm away to go in and clean if I'm to book someone else for the remainder of my time away --- all of it really left me feeling vulnerable. I feel like I'm being insulted, scammed and coerced by these people and rather than getting back to me right away and saying, "Don't worry, we have your back. You don't owe them anything. Let us deal with this" -- they let it drag on for several days, then tried to get me to offer a refund.
My hope was that they would say to these people, "Read the terms of your agreement. These are the terms that justify a cancellation. None of those terms were met here. You did not cancel. You have no grounds for a refund. We are blocking you from future use of the site."
I recognize that sometimes for a company, it's easier to make peace than stand your ground, even when you're correct. Still, it chagrins me that they will allow these dishonest, arrogant, and adversarial people to come back another day and do this again to another host.
Reply Like 1 reply•1 like
Susan
Susana year ago
word to the wise here, note that airbnb caters to the guest over the Host almost all the time. I would not give a refund whatsoever and would let airbnb know that and if they'd said that to me I would have asked for a supervisor to speak with.
Susan
Susana year ago
OK, have them cancel, their refund will be in line w/your cancellation policies. Stand firm, no refunds. Call back to airbnb and ask for a supervisor to review the situation. See my listing descripton, but understand that I reside in the accommodations. Chin up, this too will pass. Know to learn to be selective when accepting a booking. Be picky, better to refuse a booking than go thru this type of sitaution.
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
They asked me not to communicate with them directly again. I assumed AirBnB would advise them that in order to get a refund, they had to cancel the booking. They still have not. I don't know that this is worth the trouble anymore. I have reason to believe these are vindictive people who may try to cause problems for the company and for me personally in the future. The irony is, they maintain my place didn't live up to their high standards because of her husband's profession; yet they are doggedly fighting over a relatively small sum of money.
Reply Like
Susan
Susana year ago
They're wierdos. Just forget it. Be prepared for a negative review
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
No, I don't think they're weirdos. They just have a strong sense of entitlement and are vindictive and litigious. I also have my listing on Craigslist and in all the years I've posted there, I have never had a post removed. Now, all my listings are flagged for removal and taken down the moment I post them. I've re-listed them several times in the last 24 hours and no sooner do I post them, than they are flagged and removed. I can only assume it's them. So they are not only impinging on my ability to make up for the lost income they want refunded after booking and blocking out my place for a week, but they are making it impossible to book anyone else in there for the remainder of the time I am away. This pettiness does not portend well.
I am trying to ascertain what AirBnB told them/agreed to. At this point, I just want them to go away. If AirBnB wants to refund them, that's their call. Their bad karma will come back to them.
Reply Like 1 reply
Susan
Susana year ago
vindictive and litigious certainly are NOT normal, they're wierdos. craigslist is taking down your listings, not airbnb.
kat
kata year ago
PS: Happy new year, all. ;-)
Reply Like
Leah
Leaha year ago
Does your CL ad direct people to book via airbnb? Maybe change it up a bit so it isn't the same wording
Reply Like 3 replies•1 like
kat
kata year ago
Hi Leah, No, the two accounts are not linked in any way. I'm guessing they may have come across it when they were searching. I did change it up and re-posted and it disappeared again. Several times. Craigslist removes anything that anyone flags -- there are clear parameters about what constitutes violations for flagging, but there is no protocol where you have to justify your flag. It's all automatic.
Leah
Leaha year ago
Yeah, that sucks for flagging. I have heard other hosts having issues with posting their airbnb ads on CL and CL trolls deleting ads cause they are offended at short term rentals. I would imagine once these folks calm down, they will have something better to do with their time than flag CL ads.
kat
kata year ago
Leah, from your lips to God's ears! I hope they grow weary of harassing me! Like, in 5 minutes! ;-) Thanks for your concern.
Susan
Susana year ago
Kat, review your listing description add (1) what type of guests (describe) would enjoy the premises and in that paragraph state that a max of 3 are allowed and (2) what are the penalties for allowing additional guests beyond 3 (I reserve the right to terminate the reservation immediately) and (3) what behavior is absolutely unacceptable and describe it clearly ("leave the place as you found it" is just too general, describe exactly how you wish the premises to be at check out and place in house rules and explain at check in) and state what the penalty will be if not (I'd raise your cleaning fee too to probably $100 which should offset dirty dishes, garbage left out etc). Really write your listing description to attract, not to the general masses, but to the type of guest you'd like to have.
Reply Like 2 replies
Susan
Susana year ago
make that cleaning deposit $225
kat
kata year ago
Thanks, Susan. I had it at $85, then raised it to $125. I only noticed recently most people in LA seem to charge more.
kat
kata year ago
Is there a forum where hosts can make suggestions to AirBnB about improvements -- ways they can make hosting more pleasant, easier, etc. I think they would benefit from the experience of hosts who have these bad experiences that may turn them off the idea of hosting at all.
I know in LA the city council is considering legislation that would bar people from renting out short term via sites like AirBnB. The company is very active in trying to advocate on their behalf. In order to be more effective, they will need to address these kinds of horror stories. While they are the exception, they are enough to turn sentiment. Every host who is dragged to court by a contentious guest is one less testimony to the merits of the enterprise.
Like Uber, it's a wonderful idea that can go terribly wrong if protective measures aren't taken, so I think the company might be interested in feedback from hosts. If such a forum exits, please point me to it.
Thanks! It has been really helpful to have the benefit of everyone's experience here.
Reply Like 1 reply
Leah
Leaha year ago
There is one called product updates and improvement but I am not sure if any of the ideas ever reach the higher powers that be. Mostly other hosts giving suggestions to the cosmos
Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
Honestly it sounds like petty jerks, just trying to weasel you out of cash. Just ask for a supervisor through airbnb. Explain your very concerned, and ask them to stand by you. Host guarantee:)
These ppl will be wieners for a while, but will go away.
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
I even went to the trouble of creating a new account on Craiglist, changing up the photos, wording and title -- and that was flagged and removed as well. This has to be these people. Don't they have anything better to do with their time?
Reply Like
Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
They will stop. It could also be someone else doing it too. Like competition from another rental nearby.
I personally do not list on craigs. I find that airbnb and flip key are sufficient for me.
Maybe if you stop listing on cl for a week, it will stop.
Reply Like 1 reply
Julie and Eric
Julie and Erica year ago
FlipKey is about 10% of my business and their new dashboard change (and lack of app change to the new iOS) has been horrible - I no longer receive text/push notifications and can't get them to work. How has it been for you in the past month?
Leah
Leaha year ago
When I had my cottage listed on CL for a regular rental, I had one troll email me and just be rude, insulting, said I was greedy and no better than the other over priced rentals on CL. Sorry, I am not a charity and if people take offense, it is only because they cannot afford it and are jealous of the haves/have nots. My price was a steal compared to airbnb.
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
I don't rent that often. It's only available for another couple of weeks, so if I stop listing for a while, it's tantamount to forfeiting the chance of a rental. Yes, CL does tend to attract the budget-minded, but I've also heard from professionals as well there. Ron, how do you like FlipKey?
Reply Like
Deborah
www.airbnb.com/groups/content/content-101203
Hello and a question
Hi,
Good to know about this forum!
I won't go into the specifics here but I posted a message on the Hosting Stories thread before being directed to this one. I've only had positive experiences with guests before but while I was out of town, I had a last minute booking from a guest who was not honest about the number of people in her party (which exceeded my maximum); they then showed up and left the next day, justifying it with crazy claims, threatening to take me to court if I don't refund her money. The truth is, I suspect, that she simply found something more suitable for her large party and now doesn't want to pay the penalty. (I find MANY people keep shopping, even after you've pre-approved their request -- which is crazy-making).
I believe AirBnb has "arbitration only" clauses in their terms. And I am under the impression that they will handle all refund requests so I don't have to deal with this kind of nastiness. Is that correct, or can these individuals (law students, wouldn't you know?) in fact come after me in court? They would have no case, but they could cause a good deal of inconvenience.
Thanks.
20 comments
Following
Like
Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
Hi Kat, I see you are in cali. Anyone for any reason can file a lawsuit.
That being said, ensure you keep all documents, and all communications on airbnb platform to cover your behind.
Have you been in contact with airbnb by phone? If not I would suggest it.
I had a very strange, irrational, guest once in two years. She and her husband were very odd, and flat out refused to communicate with myself, or airbnb. On the third day she wanted to cancel, trumped up some strange story, finally airbnb got through on her phone where she accused us of all sorts of things.
They were told to vacate by airbnb over 10 times, and refused because they were being charged that day.
After having my car pinned in my driveway for 6 hours, and talking with airbnb several times, I marched right into my guesthouse and told them to leave immediately. I informed them they were trespassing and that police had been called. They left. 3 hours after departing the lady threatened me with lawsuits and a few other things if I didn't refund her 3 days (partial) and airbnb fully comp-ed 2 days and the remaining days of their trip.
I haven't heard from them since. I think that ppl will try to get what they want at all cost.
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
Ohmigosh, Ron (Nicole?) -- what an awful story! I am surprised AirBnB agreed to comp them. I would think they would be kicked off the site and not allowed to inflict themselves on another host. Was this taken from the fees due you or did you get paid for the time they stayed?
Reply Like
Susan
Susana year ago
they're blowing smoke, they broke your listing accommodation rules and then left. leave a very negative public review. unless there is egregious damage, you're not entitled to anything. report their actions to airbnb and do not respond to any further communications with them
Reply Like 1 reply
Susan
Susana year ago
also, they must cancel their reservation to receive any sort of refund under your cancellation policy, airbnb will tell them that.
Deborah
Deboraha year ago
Yes, people can indeed file a lawsuit over anything, but if the amount they are asking for is $10,000 or less in California that means filing in small claims court. So, for a reservation worth $10k or less (which most are) that goes in small claims, most realistically, and a case like this they would lose in small claims so they are be hugely wasting their time. If they are wanting a refund that the refund policy doesn't allow, they would not be suing you anyway, they would be suing Airbnb, since AIrbnb is the one which provides refunds.
A lot of people are bullies by nature and just love to do wrong to others and then threaten to sue them, so this can happen with guests. Probably in most cases, as with Ron and Nicole, the threat is empty and is just being used to intimidate.
In my post on "red flags for hosts" , I do caution hosts about taking guests who are involved in the legal profession where they do work where they may tend to sue property owners. I have had several guests who were lawyers or law students who were just fine, but you can bet that I asked them what their field of law was before I accepted their booking. I would not accept a law student or lawyer who did not respond when asked what their field of law was. Given that SOME (not all!!) people become lawyers because that field of work allows one to bully others around to an extent unknown in many other fields, it pays to watch out for people who might do that.
Reply Like 3 replies
Leah
Leaha year ago
My husband deals with sidewalk lawyers all the time. He said it gets tiring when law students are trying to rattle off things their professors lectured them about while trying to weasel out of a ticket. They rarely win because they don't know what the heck they are talking about yet.
kat
kata year ago
Thanks, Deborah. These people are from out of state. Will AirBnB be the one to deal with potential litigation? I just find it odd that they didn't call me until after the funds transferred into my account. They waited four days to get back to me. Is there a tactical reason for that?
Susan
Susana year ago
if they're from out of state that indicates they're just bullying you because they must file in the state/county where the action took place and they'll have to return for a court appearance. this is airbnb's issue and not yours so let airbnb handle it (no doubt they'll refund the $ to the guests out of their pocket)
Susan
Susana year ago
your accommodations are absolutely fantastic HOWEVER you should state Guest criteria in your listing description and put it in the House Rules, while the description is fine, you could let the photos speak for the accommodations and add further criteria in your listing description to address specifically (a) for whom the accommodations are best suited (b) specific Guest criteria and the penalty for breaking that criteria (c) reiterate the cancellation policy. The listing description and House Rules, and the cancellation policy, are the documents that one uses to rebut any crazy Guest claims/complaints.
Reply Like
Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
Kat, airbnb made certain I was paid in full for their entire reservation. The guest only forked out 90$ for their whole 7 days in state, which they stayed with me 2 1/2 days. The rest of their stay elsewhere was comp-ed by airbnb.
I was frankly very upset at airbnb because for 48 hours they kept up with the "lets wait", and hear back. The original issue was they booked for two. They arrived as 3 people. When I inquired at check in I made sure to again go over our rules, and stated only listed guests are allowed on the property and having the third person was not really allowed. They stated he was just helping them settle. But... He stayed overnight too. I know because my gh is on my property. When I went to address it the next morning they refused to answer the door, and refused to speak with us while leaving for the day.
The day they finally cancelled and finally spoke with airbnb they kept telling the airbnb assistant that they were in process of leaving. Yet, they were hold up, blocked my car, and would not leave. It got really ugly.
Deborah is correct, it would be small claims. You must look out for the crazy though. To file in Az in small claims it cost $40 so, while most people are blowing smoke, others may just file to be spiteful.
Ugh! So sorry that happen kat!
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
Hi Susan,
Thanks for the compliment. I see we're fellow Angelenos. What type of rules do you insist on? I'm revising mine now.
I finally spoke with the AirBnB trip experience rep today and they asked me if I would give these dishonest bullies a refund. They recognized that I did nothing wrong; that these people were breaking the terms of their agreement, and yet they asked me to refund them -- despite the fact that I bent over backwards to offer them a last minute booking when someone else cancelled on them, that I overlooked certain public records that I should not have (in retrospect), that they lied about who would be there, that they had no grounds for cancellation, that they insulted me and my home, that they cost me money by blocking that time so that I couldn't rebook, that they left the beds unmade and the place untidy so now I DO have to hire someone while I'm away to go in and clean if I'm to book someone else for the remainder of my time away --- all of it really left me feeling vulnerable. I feel like I'm being insulted, scammed and coerced by these people and rather than getting back to me right away and saying, "Don't worry, we have your back. You don't owe them anything. Let us deal with this" -- they let it drag on for several days, then tried to get me to offer a refund.
My hope was that they would say to these people, "Read the terms of your agreement. These are the terms that justify a cancellation. None of those terms were met here. You did not cancel. You have no grounds for a refund. We are blocking you from future use of the site."
I recognize that sometimes for a company, it's easier to make peace than stand your ground, even when you're correct. Still, it chagrins me that they will allow these dishonest, arrogant, and adversarial people to come back another day and do this again to another host.
Reply Like 1 reply•1 like
Susan
Susana year ago
word to the wise here, note that airbnb caters to the guest over the Host almost all the time. I would not give a refund whatsoever and would let airbnb know that and if they'd said that to me I would have asked for a supervisor to speak with.
Susan
Susana year ago
OK, have them cancel, their refund will be in line w/your cancellation policies. Stand firm, no refunds. Call back to airbnb and ask for a supervisor to review the situation. See my listing descripton, but understand that I reside in the accommodations. Chin up, this too will pass. Know to learn to be selective when accepting a booking. Be picky, better to refuse a booking than go thru this type of sitaution.
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
They asked me not to communicate with them directly again. I assumed AirBnB would advise them that in order to get a refund, they had to cancel the booking. They still have not. I don't know that this is worth the trouble anymore. I have reason to believe these are vindictive people who may try to cause problems for the company and for me personally in the future. The irony is, they maintain my place didn't live up to their high standards because of her husband's profession; yet they are doggedly fighting over a relatively small sum of money.
Reply Like
Susan
Susana year ago
They're wierdos. Just forget it. Be prepared for a negative review
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
No, I don't think they're weirdos. They just have a strong sense of entitlement and are vindictive and litigious. I also have my listing on Craigslist and in all the years I've posted there, I have never had a post removed. Now, all my listings are flagged for removal and taken down the moment I post them. I've re-listed them several times in the last 24 hours and no sooner do I post them, than they are flagged and removed. I can only assume it's them. So they are not only impinging on my ability to make up for the lost income they want refunded after booking and blocking out my place for a week, but they are making it impossible to book anyone else in there for the remainder of the time I am away. This pettiness does not portend well.
I am trying to ascertain what AirBnB told them/agreed to. At this point, I just want them to go away. If AirBnB wants to refund them, that's their call. Their bad karma will come back to them.
Reply Like 1 reply
Susan
Susana year ago
vindictive and litigious certainly are NOT normal, they're wierdos. craigslist is taking down your listings, not airbnb.
kat
kata year ago
PS: Happy new year, all. ;-)
Reply Like
Leah
Leaha year ago
Does your CL ad direct people to book via airbnb? Maybe change it up a bit so it isn't the same wording
Reply Like 3 replies•1 like
kat
kata year ago
Hi Leah, No, the two accounts are not linked in any way. I'm guessing they may have come across it when they were searching. I did change it up and re-posted and it disappeared again. Several times. Craigslist removes anything that anyone flags -- there are clear parameters about what constitutes violations for flagging, but there is no protocol where you have to justify your flag. It's all automatic.
Leah
Leaha year ago
Yeah, that sucks for flagging. I have heard other hosts having issues with posting their airbnb ads on CL and CL trolls deleting ads cause they are offended at short term rentals. I would imagine once these folks calm down, they will have something better to do with their time than flag CL ads.
kat
kata year ago
Leah, from your lips to God's ears! I hope they grow weary of harassing me! Like, in 5 minutes! ;-) Thanks for your concern.
Susan
Susana year ago
Kat, review your listing description add (1) what type of guests (describe) would enjoy the premises and in that paragraph state that a max of 3 are allowed and (2) what are the penalties for allowing additional guests beyond 3 (I reserve the right to terminate the reservation immediately) and (3) what behavior is absolutely unacceptable and describe it clearly ("leave the place as you found it" is just too general, describe exactly how you wish the premises to be at check out and place in house rules and explain at check in) and state what the penalty will be if not (I'd raise your cleaning fee too to probably $100 which should offset dirty dishes, garbage left out etc). Really write your listing description to attract, not to the general masses, but to the type of guest you'd like to have.
Reply Like 2 replies
Susan
Susana year ago
make that cleaning deposit $225
kat
kata year ago
Thanks, Susan. I had it at $85, then raised it to $125. I only noticed recently most people in LA seem to charge more.
kat
kata year ago
Is there a forum where hosts can make suggestions to AirBnB about improvements -- ways they can make hosting more pleasant, easier, etc. I think they would benefit from the experience of hosts who have these bad experiences that may turn them off the idea of hosting at all.
I know in LA the city council is considering legislation that would bar people from renting out short term via sites like AirBnB. The company is very active in trying to advocate on their behalf. In order to be more effective, they will need to address these kinds of horror stories. While they are the exception, they are enough to turn sentiment. Every host who is dragged to court by a contentious guest is one less testimony to the merits of the enterprise.
Like Uber, it's a wonderful idea that can go terribly wrong if protective measures aren't taken, so I think the company might be interested in feedback from hosts. If such a forum exits, please point me to it.
Thanks! It has been really helpful to have the benefit of everyone's experience here.
Reply Like 1 reply
Leah
Leaha year ago
There is one called product updates and improvement but I am not sure if any of the ideas ever reach the higher powers that be. Mostly other hosts giving suggestions to the cosmos
Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
Honestly it sounds like petty jerks, just trying to weasel you out of cash. Just ask for a supervisor through airbnb. Explain your very concerned, and ask them to stand by you. Host guarantee:)
These ppl will be wieners for a while, but will go away.
Reply Like
kat
kata year ago
I even went to the trouble of creating a new account on Craiglist, changing up the photos, wording and title -- and that was flagged and removed as well. This has to be these people. Don't they have anything better to do with their time?
Reply Like
Ron and Nicole
Ron and Nicolea year ago
They will stop. It could also be someone else doing it too. Like competition from another rental nearby.
I personally do not list on craigs. I find that airbnb and flip key are sufficient for me.
Maybe if you stop listing on cl for a week, it will stop.
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Julie and Eric
Julie and Erica year ago
FlipKey is about 10% of my business and their new dashboard change (and lack of app change to the new iOS) has been horrible - I no longer receive text/push notifications and can't get them to work. How has it been for you in the past month?
Leah
Leaha year ago
When I had my cottage listed on CL for a regular rental, I had one troll email me and just be rude, insulting, said I was greedy and no better than the other over priced rentals on CL. Sorry, I am not a charity and if people take offense, it is only because they cannot afford it and are jealous of the haves/have nots. My price was a steal compared to airbnb.
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kat
kata year ago
I don't rent that often. It's only available for another couple of weeks, so if I stop listing for a while, it's tantamount to forfeiting the chance of a rental. Yes, CL does tend to attract the budget-minded, but I've also heard from professionals as well there. Ron, how do you like FlipKey?
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Deborah