Post by High Priestess on Oct 1, 2015 23:00:31 GMT
I shared in Sept 2015:
Awkward .. guest in pyjamas one hour after check out time!
I just had a guest stay for a month, overall very pleasant and friendly, clean and respectful. No problems until 4 days before he was due to leave, I got a big package in the mail for him. I don't allow guests to receive mail at my house and had had him read the house rules before he booked, and he'd confirmed that he read them.
I contacted him and reminded him of the rules, and notified him I'd be returning the package to the mail carrier as stated in my house rules, "Unauthorized mail will be returned to the mail carrier." He pled that the package was something he ordered that he could not get in his native country, and that he was having another package to be delivered here too. He said he hadn't realized no mail, and would have followed instructions if he had known. He was quite profusely apologetic about this boo-boo, which I appreciated.
Well, hmmm, how'd he go wrong then when asked to read the house rules and confirming he had read them?
Fast forward to check out day, he's now had 2 unauthorized packages delivered here that I did decide to let him keep since I thought it would be mean to send them back and then he'd be unable to recieve the materials. I give him instructions on where to leave the key after check out, and an hour after check out I go look,no key. I think he's taken the key with him, but then I go to his room, and find him there in pyjamas, very comfortable, no sign he's packing up!
I ask what's going on, say that check out was 1 hour ago. He looks at me a bit crossly, says he does NOT want to be rushed in his departure, really scolding me, and I wonder what to do. If he had not been a generally decent guest for a month I would have said no sorry you have to go NOW, and gone in and begun cleaning. But I wanted to accomodate somewhat, and I was also quite taken aback at the INSISTENCE on staying beyond check out. So I bargained -- I said I would be back later after my bike ride to clean the room, and he offered to launder all the linens and dust and vacuum. Okay sounds like he is cooperative so I'll allow it. I thought well since he knows he's an hour late hopefully he'll just take one more hour.
Fast forward again, I come back after my bike ride, and 4.5 hrs after he is due to check out there he is still in the room! He still has his suitcases open and putzing around. I say, "You CANNOT still be here! I have my next guest arriving in 30 minutes!" He frowns and then begins to pack up, seems irritated, says he will be out in 5 minutes, cuts me off when I try to talk about it. Now I am not feeling so generous any more, so I decide I will after all mention something about it in the review. WRote this review --
"D___ was a pleasant guest, a friendly person who helped keep common areas clean, and left the room in great condition. There were a couple misunderstandings about house rules and I would suggest he read host's rules more carefully, particularly in regards to taking note of check out time. Awkwardly, D___ insisted on staying beyond check out time saying he didn't want to be rushed. In an effort to accomodate, I offered some additional time. More than four hours after check out time, D____ still hadn't departed, though she did he generously help to clean the room prior to the arrival of the next guest, who arrived minutes after he left. I do however recommend D____ to other hosts, as he is overall a considerate person, and trust that these were simply misunderstandings of someone new to using AIrbnb."
Thoughts? Similar stories?
Fiona: (fiona)
Wow. I'd take out the word "generously" but other than that think it's a fine review.
Linda:
Similar story - started out a terrific guest, but last two weeks he pressed the envelop, breaking rules such as turning thermostat to 67 when I told him no lower than 72 (with note on thermostat), then had to let him know not to park car on grass which could annoy neighbors, and lastly, he pellet me with text messages because I would let him stay past check out. I was so angry at the time of the review that all I could write was that he was too high maintenance for my modest home. I should have gotten counseling from this forum.
C C: (CC)
Wow, Linda! I do love that--too high maintenance for my modest home!! What a lot of meaning is packed into that concise statement!! I'm torn myself as to whether to leave details in a bad review or be cryptic. So far I've been leaving details. I wouldn't mention the bad things at all if I didn't think they were useful, so why not spell them out? You had to be dragged out of the shower...you waited till after check out to say you stayed in the wrong room (psycho anyway)...you chided me for not having a dryer, while leaning on my new $700 dryer...you had to be told repeatedly to turn off your loud media till 4am...you said you didn't know where another guest's bike had gone, but when you opened your door, I saw it in your room....
Linda:
OMG - I actually love your details because it brings with it comic relief. Love love your details!
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Gosh, CC, that's a good line, "you chided me for not having a dryer, while leaning on my new $700 dryer...." Loud media until 4am...stayed in wrong room? Was that a guest or a _____?
C C: (CC)
Deborah, I'm just short of getting what you're asking me...sorry to be dense....
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Blank line is sort of like @#$@#*($&@#(&
Ernest: (josh)
I'd have mentioned the fact that he stated he had read the rules when he either hadn't or had not read them carefully enough to prevent him from breaking the rule about packages followed by a very late check-out with an attitude. That wouldn't fly with me. Rules are meant to be be followed, that's why we insist they confirm that they have been read AND understood.
Andrew: (andrew)
That is a completely fair review - probably more compassionate than the one I would've left. I can't stand people with entitled attitudes like his, and no amount of politeness can overcome the sheer disrespect he demonstrated.
I get the impression that after a certain amount of time guests will come to regard their departure more as a move-out than a check-out. After calling somewhere home for a month, it might feel counterintuitive for them to switch back to hotel-like protocol and make a punctual exit. That's no excuse at all for what he did, but it's one of the reasons I prefer not to take guests for such long stays. I like for people to feel relaxed and comfortable here, but not so much that they forget it's my home and not theirs.
Serafina: (Serafina)
I'd be flabbergasted at his refusal not to be rushed on checkout.
Is it possible that the mail thing could have been a misunderstanding? Packages sent UPS or FedEx aren't technically mail so that rule might not have been filed in the guest's brain in the spirit that you meant it. Package delivery might feel more like a pizza delivery to some.
Anastasia:
I've been flabbergasted a lot LOL
Raymond & Elaine: (elaine)
My french husband had never heard that word before he met me and we very rarely hear it now. He gets mixed up and says Flaggerbasted
I would not only take out the word "generously" as Fiona suggests but also " I do however recommend D____ to other hosts, as " and just leave in "he is overall a considerate person, and trust that these were simply misunderstandings of someone new to using AIrbnb."
Evelyn:
Would you host him again? Was it really a misunderstanding of the mail? You're generous on your review.
Deborah: (High Priestess)
I think I would only host him again if he and I were able to have a long talk about what happened regarding the check out situation and he apologized. I would need him to confess that he had failed at his responsibility to adequately assimilate house rules. If he were able to do that, I would perhaps host him again. BUt I did decide to remove the recommendation from my review. The mail -- he claimed it a "misunderstanding" and yet I think it was more like, "well, I cant' be bothered to really read all these rules, I just assume everything will be common sense and if I do what seems right I should be fine." He said that he noticed i had a sign by my door about package delivery and thought that meant he could have stuff delivered. No, that refers to MY packages, not guests. I do recieve packages at my house -- guests do not. Me --- owner of house, you ---not owner of house, you get? Comprendo? Verstehen Sie?
Sheryl:
I like your direct approach to stating the issues but suggest a more concise version. After a certain point, the details mattered less to me, as a prospective host of this guest, than your overall impressions. So, here's my suggested redraft.
"D___ was a pleasant guest, a friendly person who helped keep common areas clean, and left the room in great condition. However, he did not follow house rules: He had mail delivered to my home on multiple occasions and failed to leave at check out time causing delay in my preparation for the next guest."
Jessa: (jessa)
Well on mail... I still get maternity info packages from the mathematicians who kept a mountain leopard in their room one year ago (yes, no joke, that animal was the size of a labrador and the woman was 7 months preggers and I'd just gotten my 2 month old kittens. Yuri would still chase the beast and steal his food everytime they opened their door. I think that is why he is so dominant now I'm writing this as he is trying to topple the pc. Mountain cat was not allowed in common areas but would slink out and poop on the floor every day. A castrated cat they said they'd bring, lesson learnt). Then I kept getting mail from the psychiatric ward and in the end debt collectors for another guest - thank the heavens I started opening those letters (they had uni hospital psych ward stamped on them so it felt awkward...) and told them she doesn't live here because otherwise I'd have had the state collectors break and enter and confiscate my stuff (in this country you have to be proactive if someone accuses you or your address of something...). Those are my mail stories, no more mail here that is for sure, our mountain leopards or any pets other than mine.
Andrew: (andrew)
Wow, just when I thought I'd seen it all...
Evelyn:
Jessa - mountain leopards.. that's a good one. what in the world did you say when you saw it?
Fiona: (fiona)
This will haunt my dreams tonight Jessa. Thanks for that.
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Jessa you have the kinds of amazing stories that are VERY suitable for regular blogging about your hosting experiences! INcredible! I guess things are a bit different when you are a host in Africa, compared to some urban setting in the US! I do have a blog board set up so feel free to contribute...I'm sure many readers would be riveted by such tales!!
Linda :
Amazing and frightening Jessa !
Jessa: (jessa)
My first reaction was "Wow is he a cat?" (followed by the thought can I kick a pregnant lady out) - I think it was an American lynx, size of a Cheetah but with the looks of a really rough tabby house cat. I really love animals so my concern was with the animal not exactly being potty trained - spent some 10 hours cleaning that room after they left - (eventhough they'd already bleached the floor) and other guests noticing the wild animal in the house. But you can't kick a pregnant lady out now can you? (or can you... yes I guess you can...) A friend of mine saw it one time it escaped and she had a panic attack. But I just adored that huge animal... There's a picture of 9 week old Yuri chasing him which is priceless. This was in boring old Belgium. I'm expecting my first guests in Africa over the holiday season. They are bringing a blind labrador.
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Sheryl, I really like your short, concise version. I started to feel that my longer version was too shaming -- felt that, although he didn't follow house rules, I did not want to "overdo" the critical remarks in the review, so I have just edited my review to say essentially what you wrote. The only difference was that the last line I changed to: ."...and four hours after check out time he had still not departed, causing delay in preparation for my next guest." I do want other hosts to know that this wasn't just a matter of a few minutes late after check out time, it was HOURS beyond check out time.
Jackie:
I read this a lot on this forum...'stayed after checkout time'. I'm going to remember to always, always speak to my guests the day BEFORE they are due to leave to make sure they understand!
Rick:
I was flabbergasted!! Who are you & what have you done with our no- nonsense Deborah?? I've never seen you take flack like this from a guest! Are you mellowing after years of hosting? :-)
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Rick, I think this was probably the only time that I had actually forgotten to email the guest the night before and remind them that tomorrow was check out day, and that check out time was 11am. So, because I had forgotten to send that email to the guest, I felt partly responsible for the problem that arose. So, I felt that I needed to compromise a bit -- and allowed him what I thought would be a little extra time, but turned into a lot more time. Also, I was feeling rushed -- I could have trotted out a copy of the guests's reservation, and shown them on it exactly where the check out time was indicated ,e tc, but I needed to get out for a bike ride and didn't want to belabor the conversation. Just goes to show the kinds of problems that can potentially arise if we don't remind guests about check out time and day!!
Fleur: (fleur)
oh i just think he wanted to stay with you forever! take it as a compliment.
Awkward .. guest in pyjamas one hour after check out time!
I just had a guest stay for a month, overall very pleasant and friendly, clean and respectful. No problems until 4 days before he was due to leave, I got a big package in the mail for him. I don't allow guests to receive mail at my house and had had him read the house rules before he booked, and he'd confirmed that he read them.
I contacted him and reminded him of the rules, and notified him I'd be returning the package to the mail carrier as stated in my house rules, "Unauthorized mail will be returned to the mail carrier." He pled that the package was something he ordered that he could not get in his native country, and that he was having another package to be delivered here too. He said he hadn't realized no mail, and would have followed instructions if he had known. He was quite profusely apologetic about this boo-boo, which I appreciated.
Well, hmmm, how'd he go wrong then when asked to read the house rules and confirming he had read them?
Fast forward to check out day, he's now had 2 unauthorized packages delivered here that I did decide to let him keep since I thought it would be mean to send them back and then he'd be unable to recieve the materials. I give him instructions on where to leave the key after check out, and an hour after check out I go look,no key. I think he's taken the key with him, but then I go to his room, and find him there in pyjamas, very comfortable, no sign he's packing up!
I ask what's going on, say that check out was 1 hour ago. He looks at me a bit crossly, says he does NOT want to be rushed in his departure, really scolding me, and I wonder what to do. If he had not been a generally decent guest for a month I would have said no sorry you have to go NOW, and gone in and begun cleaning. But I wanted to accomodate somewhat, and I was also quite taken aback at the INSISTENCE on staying beyond check out. So I bargained -- I said I would be back later after my bike ride to clean the room, and he offered to launder all the linens and dust and vacuum. Okay sounds like he is cooperative so I'll allow it. I thought well since he knows he's an hour late hopefully he'll just take one more hour.
Fast forward again, I come back after my bike ride, and 4.5 hrs after he is due to check out there he is still in the room! He still has his suitcases open and putzing around. I say, "You CANNOT still be here! I have my next guest arriving in 30 minutes!" He frowns and then begins to pack up, seems irritated, says he will be out in 5 minutes, cuts me off when I try to talk about it. Now I am not feeling so generous any more, so I decide I will after all mention something about it in the review. WRote this review --
"D___ was a pleasant guest, a friendly person who helped keep common areas clean, and left the room in great condition. There were a couple misunderstandings about house rules and I would suggest he read host's rules more carefully, particularly in regards to taking note of check out time. Awkwardly, D___ insisted on staying beyond check out time saying he didn't want to be rushed. In an effort to accomodate, I offered some additional time. More than four hours after check out time, D____ still hadn't departed, though she did he generously help to clean the room prior to the arrival of the next guest, who arrived minutes after he left. I do however recommend D____ to other hosts, as he is overall a considerate person, and trust that these were simply misunderstandings of someone new to using AIrbnb."
Thoughts? Similar stories?
Fiona: (fiona)
Wow. I'd take out the word "generously" but other than that think it's a fine review.
Linda:
Similar story - started out a terrific guest, but last two weeks he pressed the envelop, breaking rules such as turning thermostat to 67 when I told him no lower than 72 (with note on thermostat), then had to let him know not to park car on grass which could annoy neighbors, and lastly, he pellet me with text messages because I would let him stay past check out. I was so angry at the time of the review that all I could write was that he was too high maintenance for my modest home. I should have gotten counseling from this forum.
C C: (CC)
Wow, Linda! I do love that--too high maintenance for my modest home!! What a lot of meaning is packed into that concise statement!! I'm torn myself as to whether to leave details in a bad review or be cryptic. So far I've been leaving details. I wouldn't mention the bad things at all if I didn't think they were useful, so why not spell them out? You had to be dragged out of the shower...you waited till after check out to say you stayed in the wrong room (psycho anyway)...you chided me for not having a dryer, while leaning on my new $700 dryer...you had to be told repeatedly to turn off your loud media till 4am...you said you didn't know where another guest's bike had gone, but when you opened your door, I saw it in your room....
Linda:
OMG - I actually love your details because it brings with it comic relief. Love love your details!
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Gosh, CC, that's a good line, "you chided me for not having a dryer, while leaning on my new $700 dryer...." Loud media until 4am...stayed in wrong room? Was that a guest or a _____?
C C: (CC)
Deborah, I'm just short of getting what you're asking me...sorry to be dense....
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Blank line is sort of like @#$@#*($&@#(&
Ernest: (josh)
I'd have mentioned the fact that he stated he had read the rules when he either hadn't or had not read them carefully enough to prevent him from breaking the rule about packages followed by a very late check-out with an attitude. That wouldn't fly with me. Rules are meant to be be followed, that's why we insist they confirm that they have been read AND understood.
Andrew: (andrew)
That is a completely fair review - probably more compassionate than the one I would've left. I can't stand people with entitled attitudes like his, and no amount of politeness can overcome the sheer disrespect he demonstrated.
I get the impression that after a certain amount of time guests will come to regard their departure more as a move-out than a check-out. After calling somewhere home for a month, it might feel counterintuitive for them to switch back to hotel-like protocol and make a punctual exit. That's no excuse at all for what he did, but it's one of the reasons I prefer not to take guests for such long stays. I like for people to feel relaxed and comfortable here, but not so much that they forget it's my home and not theirs.
Serafina: (Serafina)
I'd be flabbergasted at his refusal not to be rushed on checkout.
Is it possible that the mail thing could have been a misunderstanding? Packages sent UPS or FedEx aren't technically mail so that rule might not have been filed in the guest's brain in the spirit that you meant it. Package delivery might feel more like a pizza delivery to some.
Anastasia:
I've been flabbergasted a lot LOL
Raymond & Elaine: (elaine)
My french husband had never heard that word before he met me and we very rarely hear it now. He gets mixed up and says Flaggerbasted
I would not only take out the word "generously" as Fiona suggests but also " I do however recommend D____ to other hosts, as " and just leave in "he is overall a considerate person, and trust that these were simply misunderstandings of someone new to using AIrbnb."
Evelyn:
Would you host him again? Was it really a misunderstanding of the mail? You're generous on your review.
Deborah: (High Priestess)
I think I would only host him again if he and I were able to have a long talk about what happened regarding the check out situation and he apologized. I would need him to confess that he had failed at his responsibility to adequately assimilate house rules. If he were able to do that, I would perhaps host him again. BUt I did decide to remove the recommendation from my review. The mail -- he claimed it a "misunderstanding" and yet I think it was more like, "well, I cant' be bothered to really read all these rules, I just assume everything will be common sense and if I do what seems right I should be fine." He said that he noticed i had a sign by my door about package delivery and thought that meant he could have stuff delivered. No, that refers to MY packages, not guests. I do recieve packages at my house -- guests do not. Me --- owner of house, you ---not owner of house, you get? Comprendo? Verstehen Sie?
Sheryl:
I like your direct approach to stating the issues but suggest a more concise version. After a certain point, the details mattered less to me, as a prospective host of this guest, than your overall impressions. So, here's my suggested redraft.
"D___ was a pleasant guest, a friendly person who helped keep common areas clean, and left the room in great condition. However, he did not follow house rules: He had mail delivered to my home on multiple occasions and failed to leave at check out time causing delay in my preparation for the next guest."
Jessa: (jessa)
Well on mail... I still get maternity info packages from the mathematicians who kept a mountain leopard in their room one year ago (yes, no joke, that animal was the size of a labrador and the woman was 7 months preggers and I'd just gotten my 2 month old kittens. Yuri would still chase the beast and steal his food everytime they opened their door. I think that is why he is so dominant now I'm writing this as he is trying to topple the pc. Mountain cat was not allowed in common areas but would slink out and poop on the floor every day. A castrated cat they said they'd bring, lesson learnt). Then I kept getting mail from the psychiatric ward and in the end debt collectors for another guest - thank the heavens I started opening those letters (they had uni hospital psych ward stamped on them so it felt awkward...) and told them she doesn't live here because otherwise I'd have had the state collectors break and enter and confiscate my stuff (in this country you have to be proactive if someone accuses you or your address of something...). Those are my mail stories, no more mail here that is for sure, our mountain leopards or any pets other than mine.
Andrew: (andrew)
Wow, just when I thought I'd seen it all...
Evelyn:
Jessa - mountain leopards.. that's a good one. what in the world did you say when you saw it?
Fiona: (fiona)
This will haunt my dreams tonight Jessa. Thanks for that.
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Jessa you have the kinds of amazing stories that are VERY suitable for regular blogging about your hosting experiences! INcredible! I guess things are a bit different when you are a host in Africa, compared to some urban setting in the US! I do have a blog board set up so feel free to contribute...I'm sure many readers would be riveted by such tales!!
Linda :
Amazing and frightening Jessa !
Jessa: (jessa)
My first reaction was "Wow is he a cat?" (followed by the thought can I kick a pregnant lady out) - I think it was an American lynx, size of a Cheetah but with the looks of a really rough tabby house cat. I really love animals so my concern was with the animal not exactly being potty trained - spent some 10 hours cleaning that room after they left - (eventhough they'd already bleached the floor) and other guests noticing the wild animal in the house. But you can't kick a pregnant lady out now can you? (or can you... yes I guess you can...) A friend of mine saw it one time it escaped and she had a panic attack. But I just adored that huge animal... There's a picture of 9 week old Yuri chasing him which is priceless. This was in boring old Belgium. I'm expecting my first guests in Africa over the holiday season. They are bringing a blind labrador.
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Sheryl, I really like your short, concise version. I started to feel that my longer version was too shaming -- felt that, although he didn't follow house rules, I did not want to "overdo" the critical remarks in the review, so I have just edited my review to say essentially what you wrote. The only difference was that the last line I changed to: ."...and four hours after check out time he had still not departed, causing delay in preparation for my next guest." I do want other hosts to know that this wasn't just a matter of a few minutes late after check out time, it was HOURS beyond check out time.
Jackie:
I read this a lot on this forum...'stayed after checkout time'. I'm going to remember to always, always speak to my guests the day BEFORE they are due to leave to make sure they understand!
Rick:
I was flabbergasted!! Who are you & what have you done with our no- nonsense Deborah?? I've never seen you take flack like this from a guest! Are you mellowing after years of hosting? :-)
Deborah: (High Priestess)
Rick, I think this was probably the only time that I had actually forgotten to email the guest the night before and remind them that tomorrow was check out day, and that check out time was 11am. So, because I had forgotten to send that email to the guest, I felt partly responsible for the problem that arose. So, I felt that I needed to compromise a bit -- and allowed him what I thought would be a little extra time, but turned into a lot more time. Also, I was feeling rushed -- I could have trotted out a copy of the guests's reservation, and shown them on it exactly where the check out time was indicated ,e tc, but I needed to get out for a bike ride and didn't want to belabor the conversation. Just goes to show the kinds of problems that can potentially arise if we don't remind guests about check out time and day!!
Fleur: (fleur)
oh i just think he wanted to stay with you forever! take it as a compliment.