After receiving a damage claim, the following is my reply to the claim support rep.
Hope this reveals what kind of host she is.
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Hi, Sxxxxx.
I am very sad to have to deal with a situation like this and want nothing but a fair resolution with your help.
Let me tell you what has happened in chronological order.If you have access to our messaging, you can see exactly what we conversed using the Airbnb app. If you don't, I can send you screen captures.
By the way, my two daughters (both college students) stayed there 4 nights, Jan 8 - 12.
1/11 1:36PM (my kids were still staying there and they were out)
She sent me a message saying that she entered the room and found her marble tray "permanently damaged" by spills from my kid's facial oils.I asked for the product info so that I could find its fair value on the web but she claimed that she bought it at a store in London for $150 + tax.She wanted $150 in cash and I was willing to pay. But when I told her my kids didn't have enough cash, she even asked me if they had an ATM card, which they didn't.Finally she accepted the idea of me sending her money via PayPal and gave me her phone# and email address.
Then I told her that I wanted to take the "permanently damaged" tray since I am paying for it. I was going to use a marble oil stain remover hoping to remove the stains and use it.
As soon as I mentioned this, she said she's going through Airbnb all of sudden.
Then she claimed that, though she paid $150 for it, the tray's real value is $450.(her exact words: "I got it on mark down but the value is $450 because of the gold and marble") Very interesting logic!
And then she started sending me some photos of a torn pillow.I checked with my kids and they had no idea how a pillow could become like that after simply sleeping on it a few nights unless it was in a vulnerable condition in the first place. It is also suspicious that she brought this up only after she decided that she couldn't get $150 from me.
The next day (on the 12th) she sent me more photos, this time ones of the bed sheet, and told me "they also stained the duvet cover with chocolate and a pen". So what? The sheet was slept in for four straight nights and it's time to wash it.
Sxxxxx, it's very simple.She initially just wanted easy $150 in cash.When it turned out she couldn't get it, she's now requesting $668.22.
When I declined her request, I wrote back the following for the three items she's claiming "damaged". See if it makes sense to you.
Marble tray: this kind of trays are intended for such things as cosmetics and it's common that oil based cosmetic items leak a little. If she placed the tray in the guest room, she should've predicted this and applied a protective coating or something. I do this for all my marble surfaces if I think they are worth protecting. If she didn't want to bother, she should NOT have placed it there in the first place.
Pillow: The pillow ended up like this after my kid slept on it four nights. She didn't do pillow fights or anything rough with it. I am very certain that it was in a very vulnerable condition from the beginning. I need proofs that it was in a perfect condition before the check-in.
Duvet cover: My kids used the sheet for four nights. How many nights and guests does she use the sheet without changing? Wash it with good detergent. If we use things, they get stained and that's why we wash them periodically.
Overall I am very suspicious of this host.It did bother me that she entered the guest room repeatedly during my kids' stay while they were out and it didn't feel safe for my kids. Her house rules spelling out that no room service is provided during the stay, why should she intrude the guest's privacy without permission like this? Looking for damages on a daily basis?
I have a gut feeling that she's made damage claims way more than average hosts.
Also, if you go through her reviews, you'd find similar concerns to mine without much trouble.
To be honest, I had no idea when some people told me that they never use Airbnb. It's a great business model and even saves me some money for lodging. I even considered being a host someday. However, after experiencing a host like the one I am dealing with right now, I begin to understand what they meant. Now I am telling my daughters to avoid Airbnb.