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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:
LostSight · 07/01/2018 10:38

IWasJust...

Many, many people are decent and sensible. It only takes a few months working in a client/customer facing role for you to learn there are a few people who know just that and use it to their full advantage as this woman was trying to do on the OP.

If she was genuine, she would have contacted the OP before leaving home to check. There is no excuse for driving all that way with a child knowing you have no accommodation and no money to pay. The woman’s story just isn’t believable. She is clearly deliberately pushing her luck, presumably becausethe OP’s room is cheaper than she’d have ad to pay to house her and her child.

Bunnyboo88 · 07/01/2018 10:38

In fact if it's a weekend, it often takes longer then 24 hours for the money to come through!

TroysMammy · 07/01/2018 10:38

Reallybadidea the OP said it's an attic room with private bathroom. I would imagine she doesn't have stairgates.

swingofthings · 07/01/2018 10:38

ha ha, no it wasn't me, but I would love to know who OP is to be sure to never book with her!

I suddenly remember, my OH booked a BnB last year for an event and the rules was very clear that he and friend needed to arrive before 8pm. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed and then had problems with the car. They tried to call but neither their phone (work) allowed them to call abroad. They arrived at 10:30 and amazingly, were welcome in and treated very well.

I know posters are going to say I'm making this up now but it really is true, just didn't think because I really can't believe how callous OP was. Even if she couldn't repay her in cash, she could have said she'd transfer the money back.

SuburbanRhonda · 07/01/2018 10:39

I haven't experience this situation specifically, but I've experienced quite a few occasions when 'things' happened and I did get my money back even though the rules said they didn't have to do so.

I see - so based on nothing that is in any way relevant to the situation in the OP.

southeastdweller · 07/01/2018 10:39

YANBU. Not your problem that her and her apparently had nowhere to go. You totally did the right thing.

All payment has to be done with Airbnb otherwise things get very tricky.

What's her Airbnb profile like? Does she seem legit?

Marcine · 07/01/2018 10:39

If you are a lone person running a small business, then you have go stick to 'the rules' or cheeky fuckers take advantage and cost you money you can't afford to lose.
I know childminders who have been badly burned by parents with a sob story, because they were worried about not being nice.

UnicornSparkles1 · 07/01/2018 10:39

Wow, YANBU. She sounds like a slightly unhinged CF. I wouldn't have let her into my house either.

SuburbanRhonda · 07/01/2018 10:40

I suddenly remember

Hmm
Hoppinggreen · 07/01/2018 10:40

Airbnb pay us 24 hours before our guests arrive so OP May have had the money already.
However, as other people have said the room will have been unavailable for anyone else to book on Airbnb so OP could well have lost money
I really hope OP on,y commmunicated via Airbnb as is advised so everything is documented

Fantasticmissfoxy · 07/01/2018 10:41

YWNBU - what sort of weirdo takes a two year old to stay with a complete stranger overnight anyway?? I know she wasn't planning on leaving him but I can't imagine being comfortable with my kids sleeping a house with someone I'd never met?!

Idontdowindows · 07/01/2018 10:42

@swingofthings that is not how AirBnB works! AirBnB holds the money in escrow and hosts are under no circumstances to refund guests in cash outside of the AirBnB system. For goodness sake, how is that unclear?

sabs22 · 07/01/2018 10:43

Are you for real swingofthings???? Wow! Shock

MyDcAreMarvel · 07/01/2018 10:43

Think you were really horrible. No reason at all why thechild couldn't share the bed with their mother.

Marcine · 07/01/2018 10:45

swingofthings - your suddenly remembered story would kind of be similar if your DH had asked in advance if he could arrive at 10.30pm, been told it was absolutely not possible, and turned up at 10.30 anyway.

treaclesoda · 07/01/2018 10:45

A delayed flight in a foreign country where your phone doesn't work is in no way comparable to someone from within the UK, so presumably with access to a phone, turning up at an AirBnB having already been told twice (once in the general T&C, and once by an actual message) that their child can not be accommodated.

BashStreetKid · 07/01/2018 10:45

Pengggwyn, you're not reading the OP's posts. She's said that she's normally fully booked, so it's an extremely strong likelihood that, if this woman hadn't taken the room, OP could have let it elsewhere. Is there any reason at all why she should lose her money? The way airbnb works is that you put in searches for the dates you want - therefore this room wouldn't have come up on people's search for that area and those dates once it was booked. Bear in mind that she would also have incurred trouble and expense in getting the room ready.

echt · 07/01/2018 10:45

Think you were really horrible. No reason at all why thechild couldn't share the bed with their mother

Except that the OP's criteria say no children. Which is the reason.

AstridWhite · 07/01/2018 10:45

I hate people who use the 'rules' to justify making money out of the misfortune of people

What?! You can't be serious. Christ on a bike.

The stupid woman blatantly broke the rules and put the OP in a difficult position hoping she would feel too guilty or too embarrassed to challenge her on it. It backfired. Boo hoo. She arrived by car, she could have just driven home.

The OP has already explained her refund policy, she could not rebook that room for two nights at such short notice and she also had a duty to other guest in the house who had booked believing it to be a child free property.

What kind of a person do you have to be to read all this and still not get it? Hmm

Original poster
Hiptrip · 07/01/2018 10:47

The reason I don’t allow children to stay in the house is because there are no stairgates, and the stairs themselves are steep.

Most of all because I don’t like them. It’s my home and I don’t want them here.

OP posts:
Marcine · 07/01/2018 10:48

MyDC - the reason the child couldn't share a bed with the mother was because (as she had been told) the OP doesn't accept children.
What if she had let them in and then her other guest had complained about being disturbed by a toddler after paying for a child-free environment - should the op just suck up refunding them too?

Whinesalot · 07/01/2018 10:48

If she was that much of a C.F. then I imagine that "well behave child" would probably have gone on the rampage and caused lots off damage. Clearly this woman wasn't beyond stretching the truth a little bit.

Rachie1973 · 07/01/2018 10:48

MyDcAreMarvel
Think you were really horrible. No reason at all why thechild couldn't share the bed with their mother.

As the OP says 'No children'. Believe it or not, some people are not happy to pander and cater for your little darlings.

The lady knew it was a 'no children' establishment and still turned up with one after saying she wouldn't.

I'd say the guest was fairly horrible herself, I wouldn't dream of expecting someone to cater to my children after being told quite categorically that they weren't welcome.

Randomlywondering · 07/01/2018 10:48

I'm torn. She knew you didn't take children but turned up woth one regardless.
I don't think I could've rejected a mother and child at 9.30pm though.

Rachie1973 · 07/01/2018 10:50

Hiptrip

Most of all because I don’t like them. It’s my home and I don’t want them here.

That's a good enough reason. I'm not sure why you have to explain your reasons to be honest. It was clearly stated, and she ignored it. She broke the terms of the contract. You won't be refunding, and rightly so.

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