For the first time ever, unfortunately I have to leave a negative review following an Airbnb stay. I’ll try to be balanced & factual, but overall this property was a disappointment for us - and all because of the way the host (David) communicated though a relatively common mishap (broken toilet). If dealt with differently, the experience could have been so different. Summary of our experience on a brief 1 night stay:
- Toilet not flushing & leaking when we arrived in the early evening. This was clearly a known issue before our arrival, but we weren’t told of this in advance.
- Only after I messaged the host, were we told a plumber had been called but couldn’t make it that day.
- We were given a suggested workaround (having to fiddle with the exposed toilet system plumbing) - but this didn’t really work very well, so we ended up avoiding using the toilet.
- No further communication until a plumber turned up while we were getting ready to leave the following AM. We asked for some more time to pack (20 mins) and the plumber agreed to return then. The plumber never returned and we were accused of turning him away & then asked to pay a late checkout fee for being there past checkout time!?
So David - here’s some friendly advice on how to not let simple mishaps like a broken toilet ruin your Airbnb reviews:
- If you are aware that something as significant as a toilet (the only 1 in the property!) is not working, then inform the guests BEFORE they arrive (a little proactivity shows you care and allows people to plan accordingly)
- If you do have a resolution planned (like the plumber arriving the next morning), then inform the guests so they can know when they can expect to be able to use the toilet properly (that’s the least you could have afforded us - instead of chasing us for late checkout fees)
- Focus on the overall guest experience (you know, the Airbnb way!) instead of treating people like faceless paychecks that are an inconvenience to you.