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AIBU?

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Original poster

Upset by a negative Airbnb review. Should I do anything?

291 replies

Daddyjammy · 06/09/2021 14:15

AIBU to be upset by the bad review we've just been given as guests? Worried it will impact on being able to rent other places.

Our family's always had great reviews from our hosts in the past and we try to be as considerate as possible, so this has quite upset me.

We had a lovely stay (won't mention where but in the UK) and left a glowing review of the place, which, to be fair was pretty immaculate when we arrived.

Checkout was supposed to be 10.00 which is at least an hour earlier than we've ever had before and we did try to get up and out in time but with two teenage kids we had managed to get all of our stuff out of the house and by the car by 10.40 and I was just doing final checks, cleaning kitchen and hoovering when the cleaner arrived. She was very curt with me as I was still on the drive but she was able to park on the road just 5 yards away then virtually threw me out of the house before i could even grab the (tied up) rubbish bags to put in the bin and recycling. We had hoovered the night before, cleared away all of our breakfast and generally tidied but apparently didn't put everything back in its right place, "moved artwork" (absolutely no idea what this could be) and left so much dog hair on the sofa it took an extra hour to clean (the dog, which we had checked was ok in advance, was banned from the sofa when we were there but may have got up there when we were out but we certainly didn't notice much hair).

Turns out the cleaner was the owner's mum so I'm guessing I caused offence by mentioning that she was "brusque" with us and maybe they're upset that we broke a dessert bowl, although I left a tenner to cover for this and offered more if I hadn't left enough, or that we accidentally used their Netflix account rather than our own (is that really bad form?).

Genuinely not sure if we sound like really bad guests and need to up our game or if we've come across a particularly picky host who expects too much from guests paying over £1,000 for a week with one bedroom and a sofa bed in a (quite nice) little house.

OP posts:
OverByYer · 06/09/2021 15:10

10am is standard check out time in my opinion.
We recently went to an air b n b with our dog. I took throws to put on the sofas and beds as couldn’t guarantee being able to keep her off 24/7 and I hoovered the sofa before I left. There was dog hair on it but not my dogs!

YAbu

LittleGwyneth · 06/09/2021 15:10

The sofa and the netflix are on them - log out if you don't want other people using it (I'd have assumed it was a perk of the house) and don't permit dogs if you don't want dog hair on the furniture.

Being 40 minutes late out is bad, but breaking a bowl is pretty standard holiday let stuff. All in all I think they've been unfair. Though I don't think it's in response to your comment about the cleaner because they can't see your review until you've both filled one out and posted it.

drpet49 · 06/09/2021 15:11

** The sofa and the netflix are on them - log out if you don't want other people using it (I'd have assumed it was a perk of the house) and don't permit dogs if you don't want dog hair on the furniture.

Being 40 minutes late out is bad, but breaking a bowl is pretty standard holiday let stuff. All in all I think they've been unfair.**

^Yes I agree with this

starfishmummy · 06/09/2021 15:14

I don't think you are totally unreasonable but...

Yes you should have been out. Dog owners rarely notice that the place is covered in dog hairs

But breakages happen and you left money to cover it, and the owner should have secured their Netflix.

Realitea · 06/09/2021 15:15

This is crazy. I’ve run air bnb’s for nearly ten years and none of what the OP has said would bother me. Breakages happen all the time. I’d be grateful if the guests had a tidy up. If you allow pets then hair on the sofa is normal. Everyone uses the Netflix account owned by the owner. I think they’re just nightmare home owners.

starrynight87 · 06/09/2021 15:18

YANU to have given a £10 for the bowl.

YAU to not get teenagers up on time, 10am isn't that late and to complain about a cleaner - they need to do their job on time.

Daisydoesnt · 06/09/2021 15:19

The problem is OP is if you check out nearly an hour late (which it will be, once the cleaner has moved her car into the correct spot once you’ve finally left) is that you give her an hour LESS to get the place ready for the next guests. And moving stuff back to the right place takes time, as does cleaning dog hair off a sofa. I’d have given you a bad review too, so other hosts are warned that you don’t keep pets off furniture and you need reminding on day off check out!

As a by the by, how the hell did you all (adults, two teenagers and a dog) all fit into a one bedroom cottage? Did the owners know that many of you were staying in it?

Stovetopespresso · 06/09/2021 15:20

also on reflection...hmm, would they not have seen your review? I had an air bnb disaster a while back where the neighbours didn't like anyone in the garden, I think they hated air bnb culture in general, it was in Bath. they hurled abuse at us, complained to the host etc, rendering the place pretty horrid tbh.

Anyway i didn't post the negative review oine despite leaving one on their paper form on the kitchen table. mysteriously I wasn't charged the full amount....

I think its a question of don't tell which unfortunately renders the whole review system useless but still.
I wouldn't want to stay there after reading what the owner posted (yes I have a dog and kids who break stuff Grin)

Jerseygirl12 · 06/09/2021 15:20

The late thing would piss me off, the other things sound like small issues. £1000 is a lot of money so the owners should expect some wear and tear.
People should log out of their Netflix.

Original poster
Daddyjammy · 06/09/2021 15:21

Lots of replies here, thanks. No idea what a "reverse" is, by the way.

Can take all of the points about being late. We had got all of our stuff out of the house by 10.00 but I was still cleaning. Points all noted for being a future guest - the reason we are sometimes late leaving is that we're trying to leave a place as clean as we found it and all other bookings I've had have never given us grief for this. I do get the covid points, though.

OP posts:
Disfordarkchocolate · 06/09/2021 15:22

I'd have been annoyed you left so late, teenagers or not.

If I place allows dogs I'd expect to have a throw available to put on the sofa to keep it clean. Was there one that they could just wash?

icedcoffees · 06/09/2021 15:23

the reason we are sometimes late leaving is that we're trying to leave a place as clean as we found it and all other bookings I've had have never given us grief for this.

If you insist on doing that, you need to get up earlier. If they own multiple accommodation and all the guests are out late, that throws the whole day off and makes them late for the next lot who are arriving.

tickledtiger · 06/09/2021 15:24

Did you say the cleaner was brusque in the review? Sounds like a tit for tat situation if that’s the case

CurbsideProphet · 06/09/2021 15:24

If you were still cleaning at 10.40 you must have only started at 10am when you should have been leaving? In future you really need to get up earlier.

Disfordarkchocolate · 06/09/2021 15:24

Netflix wouldn't really have bothered me because I think it's their responsibility to log out as much as its yours to log into your own account.

Lweji · 06/09/2021 15:25

We had got all of our stuff out of the house by 10.00 but I was still cleaning.

How big was this house? And why were you still hoovering 40 min later?
Four people should have been able to clean whatever that really needed cleaning, plus get things out by 10 easily. (Unless you're my DB and family Grin)

ChickenyChick · 06/09/2021 15:26

reverse? This can't be right

Pollaidh · 06/09/2021 15:26

YABU

From a property owner: Many owners have a few properties and the cleaner (mother or not) has a very short time to get them done before next check-in, or she might have needed to get to a hospital appt, or supermarket or whatever. Check-out time is not unreasonable (8am would be, 10am is fairly normal). It's there for a reason. You could have caused a lot of difficulty with the rest of the day/other locations.

As for having teenagers being an excuse... words fail me. Teenagers should be more able, not less able. A reasonable excuse would be perhaps a baby who had had a last minute nappy disaster, or even someone with toddlers I'd be more understanding as they tend to make mess as quickly as you clean up. But teenagers? You set an alarm and you make them tidy up with you. I'd like to see you try that argument with a plane/school etc.

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 06/09/2021 15:26

The 40 minutes is neither here nor there - covid or no covid - it's not going to have a major impact on the time they have to clean and having to wait a couple of minutes while you move the car off the drive is hardly an imposition. They seem to have forgotten who the service provider is - doesn't surprise me - they just see it as money making and don't want the actual graft. That said, using teenagers as a reason to be late is a bit lame. I don't like people being late (see the thread about it) and am generally on time checking out of places but I wouldn't expect to be abused for being late especially with self-catering when the list of jobs guests are expected to do seems to be extremely long!

Not a dog lover but complaining about dog hair when you allow dogs is ridiculous. If they don't want dog hair, don't allow dogs.

I can't' comment on Netflix, but if it's advertised as a service they offer, they can't really moan that you used it. I don't have a Netflix subscription so if I switched on the TV and it was logged in I would expect to be able to use it unless they'd specifically said don't.

All in all it seems like staying in a hotel is much easier! As said above, the "rules" imposed on self-catering guests seem pretty over the top given you are paying for the privilege of staying somewhere (and about three times as much as normal this year).

They don't' want you again OP but you don't want them again either. It doesn't matter.

Original poster
Daddyjammy · 06/09/2021 15:26

I left them a glowing review. Only mentioned the cleaner in personal comments. Chalking it all up to experience

OP posts:
healmebaby · 06/09/2021 15:28

I was so sure this had to be a reverse! You can’t be serious OP

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 06/09/2021 15:28

@CurbsideProphet

If you were still cleaning at 10.40 you must have only started at 10am when you should have been leaving? In future you really need to get up earlier.
Not sure how you work that one out. Given how spick and span self-catering owners expect the place to be, you'd probably have to start at 10pm the night before to please some of them.
Anordinarymum · 06/09/2021 15:28

This is why I would never use Airbnb. Clean up before I leave ? In another life, when my children were tiny and we holidayed by the sea in caravans maybe...........

It was bad enough when we stayed at Center parcs. The stress of getting out on time was too much for me.

If they don't like things being moved and dog hairs then why are they letting their property out to perfect strangers ? Nah.

Farfalle88 · 06/09/2021 15:28

It’s not acceptable to be an hour late checking out. The rest of it seems nit picking.
I think owners can charge you what they like now and a lot of cleaners are taking the piss,
Claiming they have to spend hours cleaning to make extra money. I was really upset when we stayed somewhere where we were told we had
To leave everything as we found it. I got up at 6 am to clean before leaving. Toilets, showers, floors etc. It took me hours. The owners said the cleaners had to spend hours cleaning up after us and tried to charge £150 extra. Total piss take. I loved the house and the location so was absolutely gutted we can’t return . I didn’t pay the extra.

Daisydoesnt · 06/09/2021 15:28

the reason we are sometimes late leaving is that we're trying to leave a place as clean as we found it

Honestly OP that is a waste of time and I speak as a long time term but now ex-Host. Wash and put all your dishes away, and empty the bins, but there is no point in cleaning so it’s “like you found it”…. IF ITS GOING TO MAKE YOU LATE LEAVING. Even if you’ve left it spotless the place will still have to be cleaned top to bottom (especially in COVID days). You being late and therefore the cleaner being late to start is the real problem.