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NRV Runner

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Just finished our fourth month of running a B&B. Learning lots but still have a LOT to learn.
Guest books on Expedia and upon arrival, complains about finding a hair in her sheets. We promptly change the sheets and apologize. I don't think we verified seeing it. She also complains about the parking (every guest has a spot, but at times it's a tight fit if someone has a large car).
Fast forward a week later and we get a call from Expedia saying that the guest is demanding a full refund because she had a terrible experience. General manager issues a refund and the guest leaves tells us she's happy and leaves a glowing five-star review. The whole episode left me feeling bleh.
Which leads me to my question ... what is your current refund policy? How would you have handled this situation?
 
NRV Runner said:
Which leads me to my question ... what is your current refund policy? How would you have handled this situation?
We have a different style operation, don't use OTA's, don't have staff, everything is DIY, but expect we have all had those guests that taught us lessons.
Sounds like this guest took advantage of your good nature, sounds like she liked your place well enough to stay, just not didn't want to pay, all a game for some folks. Look at it as advertising, you paid for a good review, but yes folks like that make you feel ill.
My feeling, you stay, you pay. I try to operate a top quality place at a reasonable cost and as you did if a guest has an issue I'll do my best to solve the issue, but I don't play those sorts of games very well.
Chalk this us as a learning experience, part of your innkeeping education, there will be other lessons to follow, hopefully as years pass we learn, both to solve issues like your parking or somehow make guests aware of the issue in advance to avoid a problem and also to spot the guests that will try to take advantage of your good nature.
 
NRV Runner said:
Which leads me to my question ... what is your current refund policy? How would you have handled this situation?
We have a different style operation, don't use OTA's, don't have staff, everything is DIY, but expect we have all had those guests that taught us lessons.
Sounds like this guest took advantage of your good nature, sounds like she liked your place well enough to stay, just not didn't want to pay, all a game for some folks. Look at it as advertising, you paid for a good review, but yes folks like that make you feel ill.
My feeling, you stay, you pay. I try to operate a top quality place at a reasonable cost and as you did if a guest has an issue I'll do my best to solve the issue, but I don't play those sorts of games very well.
Chalk this us as a learning experience, part of your innkeeping education, there will be other lessons to follow, hopefully as years pass we learn, both to solve issues like your parking or somehow make guests aware of the issue in advance to avoid a problem and also to spot the guests that will try to take advantage of your good nature..
JimBoone said:
My feeling, you stay, you pay.
I agree. It's like people who clean their plate at a restaurant then complain and want a full refund. It's a game to them.
 
This smacks of the old "fly in my soup", TA blackmail scams.
She got her refund and wrote a great review. But wait a minute - I just reread your post - how long did she stay? 1 night or 1 week? A full refund for 1 week is ridiculous, Even for 1 night, OK, a partial - maybe. She sounds like one of those people who travel on the dime of the lodging by complaining about something enough to get a full refund of their stay. Makes for cheap vacations for them.
I have never had one of these thankfully, but my policy on reviews is publish and be damned. I respond to all reviews with a commercial for my Gillum House either so sorry you missed _____ or so happy you liked______. Next time hope you get to experience ___.
 
How long was the stay? For a whole stay... NO! If you didn't like it, you should have left.
I would put her name on the International DNB/DNR list. And I would have a LONG discussion with X asking if she had done this before and if she will be blacklisted from bookings in the future because of this. At least on BK, you can actually report the guest and get them put on a DNB list.
 
Whether and how much of a refund we might offer all depends on the details of the situation -- I'm talking about things like major plumbing issues or the like .... In the situation you describe, there is not enough there in my mind to warrant any kind of refund.
 
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