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AIBU?

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Original poster

To have turned away this airbnb guest?

999 replies

Hiptrip · 07/01/2018 09:05

I have been doing airbnb for a while and have found it a great way to meet new people, and earn a little extra. That is until last Friday night.

Despite my house rule of no children, a woman wrote to me and asked if I could make an exception, promising that her two-year old son would be very well behaved. My house is not set up for children, and I simply don’t want toddlers here so I replied and said no.

She said that was okay and booked anyway, saying she had to come to my town for a wedding, and that she’d find someone to look after him.

Then she turned up with her child at 9.30pm saying she couldn’t find a sitter, and had hysterics as she pleaded with me on the doorstep, to allow him to stay. I refused and in the end called the police because she said she wouldn’t leave until I gave her, her money back in cash because she needed it to stay elsewhere. As she was starting to cause a nuisance, they got rid of her.

She’s taken this to airbnb. My argument is that she was told she couldn’t bring her child, and did anyway, so she should lose her money. Not unreasonable?

OP posts:
Hortonlovesahoo · 07/01/2018 15:49

OP: completely within your rights and I would even have not given her any money back, telling her to go and register a disagreement with air Bnb. Her behaviour was shocking and lying is the reason that she gives air Bnb tenants a bad name.

ClaryFray · 07/01/2018 15:50

Yanbu - it's sad for the toddler. But it's not the OPs look out of the mother was being an idiot. No kids means no kids.

If you turned up at a nightclub with a toddler you'd be turned away.
If you turned up at a casino you'd be turned away.

The OP has business rules. And she stuck to them. The women is at fault. Not the OP.

Adarajames · 07/01/2018 15:50

Op you weren't even the tiniest little bit unreasonable! I do occasionally Airbnb, thankfully all have been good guests and no horror stories, did have one woman who booked, and then despite my rules also stating no kids and additional payment if wanted to bring a second person, messaged me asking me to let her bring a toddler and stay with her without additional payment! I turned her down, and had she done as yours did and turned up, would've turned away as well! Well done op, way too many cf stories on here where people just let themselves be walked all over, the cfs need to know they can't have it all their own way!

TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag · 07/01/2018 15:54

I’ve just remembered another cautionary tale from my days in hospitality!

We once had a very drunk man in the bar. We refused to serve him any more drinks as he was too drunk, so in retaliation he set off the fire alarms by pressing in the fire alarm button, which then got stuck with the glass pushing it down, so we couldn’t reset it. Woke the whole fecking hotel and then he just sauntered off into the night! Turned out, he wasn’t even a guest, just a really drunk man.

We also once served someone coffee in the bar. I was at reception and the bar man came out to say he just had a feeling this guy might do a runner and to keep an eye out in case he came past on the way out. He did do a runner, but out the back door. Must have known we knew!

Also had people sneak in for breakfast in the restaurant and then fucked off without paying.

I could probably go on, but I won’t (I promise).

One other incident which was scary rather than cheeky, was a man sprinting into the bar and coming behind it and dry heaving as he’d run so fast. He eventually explained someone had been chasing him with a knife along the river! Quite scary. I was at reception so didn’t actually see that one, but I didn’t go for walks by the river again for a long time.

ivykaty44 · 07/01/2018 15:55

These sort of situations - when guests become unruly and knowing how to handle unruly guests to minimise distribution to other guests and keep everyone safe

Pengggwn · 07/01/2018 15:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SuburbanRhonda · 07/01/2018 15:56

I am entitled to my opinion that the OP was being unkind, rather than assuming - as others are doing - that her home is some sort of toddler kryptonite, since she hasn't said anything like that.

No one has assumed anything of the sort and your exaggerations are making you look ridiculous. The OP stated quite clearly that her property is adults-only because the stairs to the room are steep, she doesn’t have stair gates and she doesn’t like children. Those are the reasons and it’s irrelevant whether you accept them or not.

pollythedolly · 07/01/2018 15:57

Sounds like the kind of person who will just turn. If OP was alone that must have been fairly intimidating for her and she did well sticking to her guns.

Tippz · 07/01/2018 15:58

Agree with the poster above saying that if you bend a bit for a CF they will carry on and on and on taking.

The other thing about a CF is when you call them out, they will scream and protest like a toddler that you are in the wrong.

I hope you sort this out with air bnb and I hope the police saw you give her cash. In my view, she has stolen from you twice. 1) she broke your booking rules and therefore she had no right to a refund on the actual day and 2) she stole cash on your doorstep. That was for Airbnb to give her back if they saw fit, not you.

She should be barred from using Airbnb

WAIT, WHAT?! The OP gave the CF CASH? Shock

And yeah I agree that CF's do kick off when called out, as they can't see they are wrong - EVER.

And I also hope this woman is barred from Airbnb.

Feel sorry for the kid actually, having her as a mother.

Pengggwn · 07/01/2018 15:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ivykaty44 · 07/01/2018 16:00

Dailymail

We had sleepwalkers in the nude
An old RAF reunion with an 80 year old man knocking on another ladies door as he always fancied her and wanted to be “friendly” wouldn’t have been so bad but he was naked
Dope smoking - yes everyone can smell it and you are keeping everyone awake

It goes on...

ivykaty44 · 07/01/2018 16:01

How many two year olds don’t wear nappies or have night time nappies

Tippz · 07/01/2018 16:01

She was not unkind. She owed the woman and her child NOTHING.

The woman could have driven to a pub or a maccie d's or let the kid pee on the road.

Hell would have frozen over before I would have let the bloody woman in. She sounded unhinged.

TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag · 07/01/2018 16:03

Oh my Lord @ivy!

The 80yo Casanova sounds like quite the incident! Hope the object of his affection wasn’t too scared!

RhythmStix · 07/01/2018 16:05

Wow this thread has descended into anarchy.

OP you were definitely not unreasonable. A lot of the ridiculous navel gazers on this thread are thoughGrin

expatinscotland · 07/01/2018 16:05

My home is toddler krytonite. It's FULL of stuff on the floor and low down that would be dangerous. I don't care to have toddlers in my home and wouldn't. I wouldn't let in randoms who chapped the door and asked to use the loo either.

And obviously the kid didn't need the toilet that badly if the mum then had time to stand there and kick off enough that the police had to be called and the neighbours came out.

TalkinPeace · 07/01/2018 16:06

The OP did not give the woman cash.
The police sent the woman away.
The OP was entirely reasonable to not allow a screaming stranger into her home.

SuburbanRhonda · 07/01/2018 16:09

And I think the OP was being unkind not to let the child use the toilet, whether you accept this or not.

I have no view about what you think. This thread isn’t about you.

Pengggwn · 07/01/2018 16:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SuburbanRhonda · 07/01/2018 16:14

You don’t get to tell people whether they can post. As I said, this thread is not about you.

sanasa · 07/01/2018 16:16

This thread would make so much more sense to me if I knew what airbnb was ... Blush

BatShite · 07/01/2018 16:16

YANBU. what a cheeky twat.

For this reason alone I would have let them stay. Sure, she was a CF, but to be on the streets in a strange town... I think you were a bit heartless, tbh. This is what she was clearly counting on.

expatinscotland · 07/01/2018 16:17

I hope you got an incident number from the cops, OP, so the CF doesn't get a refund. Given the situation, I doubt AirB&B will give her one. Also hope the card she used for booking isn't dodgy.

magoria · 07/01/2018 16:19

I have been on the other side of this.

We booked a B&B when DS was about 18 months maybe 2 years. Checked with them and they were all yes, yes no problem we have a cot/pull out be we can set up in the room.

There was no room in the room before we got the cot up it was rammed with their home stuff. So we had to climb around things. All their home stuff was in reach of inquisitive fingers. Then the tea/coffee making facilities were in easy reach of DS.

The next morning DS spilt some OJ on the table cloth at breakfast. The eye rolling and tutting was extreme.

They clearly were not set up for children and would have been much better off stating this and we could look elsewhere than saying yes then taking our money for a not very comfortable and nice stay.

Within a few miles of most towns now days is a McD. The CF could have driven DS to one of them if she needed to. Probably quicker than the police turned up because of her behaviour.

CF was the only person to blame for the situation she created.

OP was perfectly clear multiple times about no children. Does this apply to everyone apart from CF?

pollythedolly · 07/01/2018 16:19

Where's OP?

My home is toddler krytonite. It's FULL of stuff on the floor and low down that would be dangerous. I don't care to have toddlers in my home and wouldn't. I wouldn't let in randoms who chapped the door and asked to use the loo either.

Me either!

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