To have turned away this airbnb guest?

[Hiptrip]

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?

So why not find her and give her 80 quid?! Since it's so kind.

Pengggwyn

People, who have been in education as a child, then student and subsequently been employed as a teacher or lecturer etc do not have much if any experience of how a business operates. It is not a judgment or a criticism. It’s a statement of fact.

If this is not the case, I find your answers all the more difficult to comprehend. I am not bizarre. I was not rude unlike this comment.

Before this thread goes poof! at 1,000 I,would just like to say that I am totally in awe at the the OP's actions. I would have caved and not stood my ground like the OP did. But then I'm a pushover and that is why I could never run a business. This was a case of extreme CFuckery.

Well done OP!

I know loads of people who do small financial favours occasionally, yes

It might be where I live but I can honestly say I don't think I know anyone who does financial favours for other people. Unless you count donating to charity.

Indeed I know nothing about you. You seem to to have taken umbridge at a comment, which was not intended to do so. Unlike your calling me bizarre. I actually said “perhaps”. In no way did I define or criticise you.

But still, the host could, if they wished to, agree to and return the fee. And that is all I was saying, isn't it?
The host does not have the money, Airbnb do
The host can agree for Airbnb to refund the money
The host cannot refund money they never had

There are some astoundingly poor listening skills on this thread.

If you haven't always worked as a teacher how come you can't grasp the fact the money was never in the ops hands?

I think mummyoflittledragon was being particularly kind to you to give you an excuse for having such an issue understanding what dozens of posters have been saying to you

Calling her rude and bizarre was out of order

I think there's an element of women being socialised to be 'kind' ie put other people ahead of themselves even when there is some risk in doing so (losing money, having your time wasted, being robbed or attack) and that's what's driving the virtue signallers.
What makes this an obvious scam is the OP's confirming that there are several places to stay nearby and the woman had a car and a credit card (OK, one or the other or both might have been stolen, I suppose). So why was the woman so insistent about booking a place she had already been informed did not host children? Why did she scream and shout and demand cash? Scammers often start with sob stories then switch to aggression to try to get the mark to cave in: very well done indeed to OP for standing her ground and calling the police.
Add the fact that early January is not a time when hotels/B&Bs, Travelodges etc are fully booked, so it would not have been remotely difficult for a genuine person to book somewhere else that was child-friendly. Even if this was a case of last-minute cancellation by the babysitter, a reasonable, rational person would have rung OP and explained, and if OP stood firm on the no-kids thing, might have politely requested a refund (which OP might have agreed to if the request was politely made) - and looked for somewhere else to stay.

Thanks aaaaarrghhhhhelpme. That’s an awesome name btw. I definitely wasn’t trying to make Peng look stupid. Quite the opposite actually.

How so?!

Explain yourself! Don't just leave tantalising titbits of a post!

Honestly. You wonder why you've gained this reputation

.

4

Pengggwn as an ex teacher, current business owner, can I say please, just stop now ?

As someone said, you should have just held your hands up and acknowledged you didn't know that's how AirBnB works... but you personally would not have been able to turn the CF and her child away.

As it is, congratulations, OP. Glad that one worked out for you

Penggg
She could agree for the money to be returned. She chose not to. I would have done.
On what grounds would you have refunded ?

• the booking was not completed
• the guest had no intention of staying within the contract terms
• the police had to be called

Would you reward such bad behaviour in your class room ?

Parp!

Mummyoflittledragon - I just don't think pengggwn wants to see. I thought you were being helpful. But she calls you bizarre and rude?!

It's like watching someone self destruct.

.