Post by High Priestess on Oct 12, 2015 18:18:20 GMT
Whiny, whiny, complaining guest!
Fiona shared on Oct 12 2015:
Fiona
Are nightmare guests stereotypical?
This is my home run very much BnB style..no kitchen access which is on my profile. Kitchen door has "Staff Only" sign on it
They all have a fridge/microwave/kettle in room. Cheap supermarket 2 mins walk away. Most people are short term workers - out early morning, back late evening. This guest is a lone traveller...has been nightmare from day 1 - asked to change original booking, asked for discount, blah blah. I'm becoming quite adept at sticking to my guns and refusing. Once here, she told me she had put an ice pack in freezer (needed for an injury) which I of course obliged. She came down the other night, retrieved her ice pack, then picked up a bag of crisps (potato chips) off the kitchen top. I came in and she said "ha ha I found the potato chips!" and walked back to her room with them! I was dumbfounded and wrote a polite message saying Kitchen out of bounds as per Airbnb profile, please don't help yourself to our food as I have 2 kids to feed etc. She has now become very frosty (I couldn't care less) but is insisting my airbnb profile says "kitchen access" otherwise she wouldn't have come. I have looked on both my profile and as a guest and it doesn't. She is now complaining of cold. Its not that cold, I do put heating on morning and eve, but she has been staying in all day (not sure why she's even here?) and is threatening to buy a space heater. She's only here for a couple more days but I don't want her running a space heater at my expense when other guests have their windows open!! Do I suggest she leave if she turns up with one, or what to do?
Queenie & Ted (queenie&ted)
Send her a message via airbnb that reiterates your house rules regarding no kitchen access and specifically no eating of the food that you have purchased for your family. Also tell her what times and what at temps heat is provided - with the expectation that guests will be out sightseeing or working or being fully dressed during the rest of the day. And tell her that space heaters are not allowed in your listing even if she purchases it herself. That as a matter of fact, should she purchase one, her stay will be terminated immediately. Let her know that if she finds these conditions unsatisfactory, that you will gladly contact airbnb to have her re-homed.
What a nerve!
nathalie
I agree with that taking the chips without permission was not polite and you did well to remind her the limits. Now, if you place is under 20 degrees celcius during the day , she has the right not to freeze. She booked the whole days (not the night only). If some windows are opened, maybe they shoild be shuted. There is no necessity to keep windows opened all day in autumn.
Fiona
Thank you Ladies! I can see that this is going nowhere as she doesn't seem to understand no. I have taken your advice Queen and sent a message explaining that space heaters cost too much and pose a fire risk so cannot be allowed. I have offered her a refund for the remaining nights if she wants to relocate. She has been here the entire day, asking for this, that and the other. Argh. It's my day off and I don't need to be mollycoddling her! Then she came in with a fresh pineapple and said "I bought this before you made the no kitchen rule so I need to cut it." I told her by all means she could cut the pineapple (which was obviously only just bought). She was in the kitchen cutting said pineapple when my son arrived home from school. He couldn't get to cupboards to get his snack etc. She then started peeling brussel sprouts?! Then said "it will be ok to boil the sprouts". I said "Actually no. My son is home from school and we need the kitchen which is precisely why I don't give kitchen access'. She started shouting "its no big deal so don't get so stressed". She took her brussel sprouts and left the kitchen.
Nathalie don't worry she's not freezing;) The temperature is set at a balmy 19/20 and the heating would come on. I have to disagree with you about the all day situation. As explained, this is my home, run as a typical BnB which means "room for a night and breakfast". People stay here to go to work, tourist etc and as Queenie says are normally out all day. If someone rents out an entire apartment then that's different. Her being here during the day, apart from driving me mad, is costing me money and I'm now worried about going out to work tomorrow as I don't particularly want her here. I'm also getting slightly concerned as she has told me about some court case she's involved in back home. She has asked me to print some stuff off for her (which I am charging her for) and its quite legal looking. I'm getting concerned that she has left her country and actually is here avoiding consequences at home as she doesn't seem to be doing the tourist thing. Maybe I'm just getting completely paranoid now.
nathalie:
i do understand you do not click with her. But a bed&breakfast run like a hotel. If it is many days, the room (not the kitchen is rented 24/24. To host a place inside a home is not easy (this is why i don't do it) because if the guests wants to stay all day, he has the right to do so (it is his place for the time he paid for).
Andrew: (andrew)
I don't think you're paranoid at all, Fiona. Her reasons for being there could be benign, but her presence in your house is not. She's rude, disrespectful of your rules and of your family, and unsuitable to a shared household. This is a situation that is best to terminate before it escalates.
What I would do is enlist Airbnb's assistance in terminating the booking, effective immediately, on the grounds that she is persistently violating your rules. (You can submit an alteration yourself but a backdoor cancellation will prevent her from leaving a damaging review). Grant a refund for all remaining days, including tonight (in fact I'd be inclined to refund the entire stay if that helps) and explain as calmly as possible that the accommodation is unsuitable for her needs and that you are not comfortable with continuing it.
I don't recommend elaborating beyond that in your discussion with the guest. Her visits to the kitchen exceeded what you agreed upon, but she was technically their with your permission. The House Rules don't explicitly state anything about the restrictions on what guests can and can't do there, so it's hard to make a strong case about that. As for being in the house all day - it's undesirable, sure, but it's also true that the guest is paying for the room for the entire day and is entitled to have access to it for the entire period between checkin and checkout. Some hosts use text like "this accommodation is best suited to active travelers with plans during the day." But that's a preference, rather than a boundary - if guests are denied access to the property at any point in their visit they have sufficient grounds for a 100% refund. The best we can do on that front is correspond with each guest about the plans and intentions for their visit before accepting their bookings.
Joseph:
I checked the Listing for Affordable room,
There is nothing in the listing to indicate that there is no Kitchen access or use for guests , also it is not said in the House Rules.
"House Rules
Please do not smoke in the house (illegal in the UK to smoke in a public building) and do not bring any pets along with you. We expect the room to be left in the condition you find it, and any damages will need to be paid for. "
You should update it so it reads you are unable to offer Kitchen access to guests
but are more then happy to store or keep some items for the guests
Especially if you don't want Food in the rooms !!!
Guests , are allowed to stay in their rooms all day if they wish , they have paid for it , even if it makes you feel uncomfortable about the fact .
Unless it interferes with how you run the household or do the cleaning , you should expect some guests do want a getaway and just want a simple stay that doesn't want a full tourist experience or they may want a place to work or write while staying with you .
Not all guests are nightmares or cause issues .
This guest does seem to be problematic
Fiona:
Thank you for all your comments. Joseph - under Airbnb listed amenities Kitchen is not 'checked' on any of my 3 rooms. When you look under amenities as a guest, kitchen is crossed off. Each room has a microwave, fridge, kettle etc, indicating self sufficiency. In 18 months and over 100 guests, it's never been a problem. I have also followed the letter of the law to a T here in the UK when running a BnB - followed all fire/safety requirements etc. If you google the phrase BnB - it is a "room for a night". If I allowed guests to cook here, that would invalidate the insurance and become a fire hazard. Hotels provide 3 meals a day so a BnB is not at all the same. However, that is not the problem here and obviously, having done this for 18 months I don't throw them out on the street at 9am (tempting though it is in this case!). I've had guests who have asked in advance that they will "work from home" somedays, or guests here for 2 weeks, not working the weekend etc. However, this guest sold herself as a tourist "want to visit Windsor Castle" she asked proximity to London etc. She has been here 4 days and done neither. I don't care what she does when she's here, and if she wants to sit in her room all day that's entirely her choice. However she seems to want to "lodge" here; use kitchen, printing things, has asked for laundry facilities (which I charge for), etc. How many travelling tourists peel & boil brussel sprouts, and peel a fresh pineapple?! She hasn't as yet bought a space heater, which was my concern as I thought she'd be running it 24/7 which simply would make the situation untenable as she'd then be costing me more than I am earning from her. If I had given her all the other extras she'd asked for free then again it would have been very expensive from my point of view. Thank you for your advice Andrew. I think if the space heater arrives I will consider terminating but for now I'm probably going to have to grin and bear it as technically she hasn't done anything wrong.My kids don't normally come into contact with guests and they've had their fill of this one! I quite understand that not all guests are nightmares, I just wonder why some guests "get it", whilst others don't. I feel quite sad that these ones "take advantage" of our good nature. Would they ask a hotel for a discount, free printing, free laundry etc? It seems that the nicer or more accommodating you are in the beginning, the more they ask. It saddens me to have to be ruthless, but I guess you learn the hard way.
Fiona shared on Oct 12 2015:
Fiona
Are nightmare guests stereotypical?
This is my home run very much BnB style..no kitchen access which is on my profile. Kitchen door has "Staff Only" sign on it
They all have a fridge/microwave/kettle in room. Cheap supermarket 2 mins walk away. Most people are short term workers - out early morning, back late evening. This guest is a lone traveller...has been nightmare from day 1 - asked to change original booking, asked for discount, blah blah. I'm becoming quite adept at sticking to my guns and refusing. Once here, she told me she had put an ice pack in freezer (needed for an injury) which I of course obliged. She came down the other night, retrieved her ice pack, then picked up a bag of crisps (potato chips) off the kitchen top. I came in and she said "ha ha I found the potato chips!" and walked back to her room with them! I was dumbfounded and wrote a polite message saying Kitchen out of bounds as per Airbnb profile, please don't help yourself to our food as I have 2 kids to feed etc. She has now become very frosty (I couldn't care less) but is insisting my airbnb profile says "kitchen access" otherwise she wouldn't have come. I have looked on both my profile and as a guest and it doesn't. She is now complaining of cold. Its not that cold, I do put heating on morning and eve, but she has been staying in all day (not sure why she's even here?) and is threatening to buy a space heater. She's only here for a couple more days but I don't want her running a space heater at my expense when other guests have their windows open!! Do I suggest she leave if she turns up with one, or what to do?Queenie & Ted (queenie&ted)
Send her a message via airbnb that reiterates your house rules regarding no kitchen access and specifically no eating of the food that you have purchased for your family. Also tell her what times and what at temps heat is provided - with the expectation that guests will be out sightseeing or working or being fully dressed during the rest of the day. And tell her that space heaters are not allowed in your listing even if she purchases it herself. That as a matter of fact, should she purchase one, her stay will be terminated immediately. Let her know that if she finds these conditions unsatisfactory, that you will gladly contact airbnb to have her re-homed.
What a nerve!
nathalie
I agree with that taking the chips without permission was not polite and you did well to remind her the limits. Now, if you place is under 20 degrees celcius during the day , she has the right not to freeze. She booked the whole days (not the night only). If some windows are opened, maybe they shoild be shuted. There is no necessity to keep windows opened all day in autumn.
Fiona
Thank you Ladies! I can see that this is going nowhere as she doesn't seem to understand no. I have taken your advice Queen and sent a message explaining that space heaters cost too much and pose a fire risk so cannot be allowed. I have offered her a refund for the remaining nights if she wants to relocate. She has been here the entire day, asking for this, that and the other. Argh. It's my day off and I don't need to be mollycoddling her! Then she came in with a fresh pineapple and said "I bought this before you made the no kitchen rule so I need to cut it." I told her by all means she could cut the pineapple (which was obviously only just bought). She was in the kitchen cutting said pineapple when my son arrived home from school. He couldn't get to cupboards to get his snack etc. She then started peeling brussel sprouts?! Then said "it will be ok to boil the sprouts". I said "Actually no. My son is home from school and we need the kitchen which is precisely why I don't give kitchen access'. She started shouting "its no big deal so don't get so stressed". She took her brussel sprouts and left the kitchen.
Nathalie don't worry she's not freezing;) The temperature is set at a balmy 19/20 and the heating would come on. I have to disagree with you about the all day situation. As explained, this is my home, run as a typical BnB which means "room for a night and breakfast". People stay here to go to work, tourist etc and as Queenie says are normally out all day. If someone rents out an entire apartment then that's different. Her being here during the day, apart from driving me mad, is costing me money and I'm now worried about going out to work tomorrow as I don't particularly want her here. I'm also getting slightly concerned as she has told me about some court case she's involved in back home. She has asked me to print some stuff off for her (which I am charging her for) and its quite legal looking. I'm getting concerned that she has left her country and actually is here avoiding consequences at home as she doesn't seem to be doing the tourist thing. Maybe I'm just getting completely paranoid now.
nathalie:
i do understand you do not click with her. But a bed&breakfast run like a hotel. If it is many days, the room (not the kitchen
is rented 24/24. To host a place inside a home is not easy (this is why i don't do it) because if the guests wants to stay all day, he has the right to do so (it is his place for the time he paid for).Andrew: (andrew)
I don't think you're paranoid at all, Fiona. Her reasons for being there could be benign, but her presence in your house is not. She's rude, disrespectful of your rules and of your family, and unsuitable to a shared household. This is a situation that is best to terminate before it escalates.
What I would do is enlist Airbnb's assistance in terminating the booking, effective immediately, on the grounds that she is persistently violating your rules. (You can submit an alteration yourself but a backdoor cancellation will prevent her from leaving a damaging review). Grant a refund for all remaining days, including tonight (in fact I'd be inclined to refund the entire stay if that helps) and explain as calmly as possible that the accommodation is unsuitable for her needs and that you are not comfortable with continuing it.
I don't recommend elaborating beyond that in your discussion with the guest. Her visits to the kitchen exceeded what you agreed upon, but she was technically their with your permission. The House Rules don't explicitly state anything about the restrictions on what guests can and can't do there, so it's hard to make a strong case about that. As for being in the house all day - it's undesirable, sure, but it's also true that the guest is paying for the room for the entire day and is entitled to have access to it for the entire period between checkin and checkout. Some hosts use text like "this accommodation is best suited to active travelers with plans during the day." But that's a preference, rather than a boundary - if guests are denied access to the property at any point in their visit they have sufficient grounds for a 100% refund. The best we can do on that front is correspond with each guest about the plans and intentions for their visit before accepting their bookings.
Joseph:
I checked the Listing for Affordable room,
There is nothing in the listing to indicate that there is no Kitchen access or use for guests , also it is not said in the House Rules.
"House Rules
Please do not smoke in the house (illegal in the UK to smoke in a public building) and do not bring any pets along with you. We expect the room to be left in the condition you find it, and any damages will need to be paid for. "
You should update it so it reads you are unable to offer Kitchen access to guests
but are more then happy to store or keep some items for the guests
Especially if you don't want Food in the rooms !!!
Guests , are allowed to stay in their rooms all day if they wish , they have paid for it , even if it makes you feel uncomfortable about the fact .
Unless it interferes with how you run the household or do the cleaning , you should expect some guests do want a getaway and just want a simple stay that doesn't want a full tourist experience or they may want a place to work or write while staying with you .
Not all guests are nightmares or cause issues .
This guest does seem to be problematic
Fiona:
Thank you for all your comments. Joseph - under Airbnb listed amenities Kitchen is not 'checked' on any of my 3 rooms. When you look under amenities as a guest, kitchen is crossed off. Each room has a microwave, fridge, kettle etc, indicating self sufficiency. In 18 months and over 100 guests, it's never been a problem. I have also followed the letter of the law to a T here in the UK when running a BnB - followed all fire/safety requirements etc. If you google the phrase BnB - it is a "room for a night". If I allowed guests to cook here, that would invalidate the insurance and become a fire hazard. Hotels provide 3 meals a day so a BnB is not at all the same. However, that is not the problem here and obviously, having done this for 18 months I don't throw them out on the street at 9am (tempting though it is in this case!). I've had guests who have asked in advance that they will "work from home" somedays, or guests here for 2 weeks, not working the weekend etc. However, this guest sold herself as a tourist "want to visit Windsor Castle" she asked proximity to London etc. She has been here 4 days and done neither. I don't care what she does when she's here, and if she wants to sit in her room all day that's entirely her choice. However she seems to want to "lodge" here; use kitchen, printing things, has asked for laundry facilities (which I charge for), etc. How many travelling tourists peel & boil brussel sprouts, and peel a fresh pineapple?! She hasn't as yet bought a space heater, which was my concern as I thought she'd be running it 24/7 which simply would make the situation untenable as she'd then be costing me more than I am earning from her. If I had given her all the other extras she'd asked for free then again it would have been very expensive from my point of view. Thank you for your advice Andrew. I think if the space heater arrives I will consider terminating but for now I'm probably going to have to grin and bear it as technically she hasn't done anything wrong.My kids don't normally come into contact with guests and they've had their fill of this one! I quite understand that not all guests are nightmares, I just wonder why some guests "get it", whilst others don't. I feel quite sad that these ones "take advantage" of our good nature. Would they ask a hotel for a discount, free printing, free laundry etc? It seems that the nicer or more accommodating you are in the beginning, the more they ask. It saddens me to have to be ruthless, but I guess you learn the hard way.