Refund for non working A/C

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zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

AndrewH wrote
Hello lucywho. The A/C was missing for almost the whole time in just one bedroom out of three. With only 4 people staying you wonder how much use that bedroom got. However, to my mind that is not really the point. If you book fully air conditioned accommodation then that is what you are paying for, and that is what you can expect. Summer temperatures in Turkey must be very high, so A/C is a 'must' if you want to be comfortable.

How much to refund to these guests is subjective and opinions will vary. If it were me in these circumstances, I would be offering a painful 25% refund.
I think some people may be missing AndrewH's very valid points about the particularly high temperatures and also later about looking good in respect of your reputation and other bookings.

I would also be inclined to refund more than the actual cost of the AC, but then I do not want any disgruntled or unhappy guests!
Another factor is also how "high end" the property is, as then expectations are higher.
If the same happened in a hotel and the AC was not able to be quickly fixed, guests would probably demand a full refund! (Not that I think that is right).

Perhaps Lucywho could come back to us and let up us know what she offered and what guests were expecting??
Sam V
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Post by Sam V »

I had the same situation a couple years ago with a short stay booking through Airbnb.

The air con had broken a few days before guests arrived and we expected it to be repaired by the time of their arrival, but it wasn't but fans were supplied. The actual temps at the time were cooler than the UK, 25 degrees during the day and down to 17/18 at night. Guests complained bitterly (young son was bitten badly by mosquitoes during the night with the doors left open, he was also sensitive to mosquito bites)

On my pricing Airbnb air con is factored into the price to keep it simple, but ordinarily it's an extra charge of £7 per day. Airbnb awarded a 50% refund for the stay.
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kg1
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Post by kg1 »

Sam V wrote:I had the same situation a couple years ago with a short stay booking through Airbnb.

The air con had broken a few days before guests arrived and we expected it to be repaired by the time of their arrival, but it wasn't but fans were supplied. The actual temps at the time were cooler than the UK, 25 degrees during the day and down to 17/18 at night. Guests complained bitterly (young son was bitten badly by mosquitoes during the night with the doors left open, he was also sensitive to mosquito bites)

On my pricing Airbnb air con is factored into the price to keep it simple, but ordinarily it's an extra charge of £7 per day. Airbnb awarded a 50% refund for the stay.
Wow 50% was a bit harsh! At 17/18C at night there's no way I would have wanted aircon or a fan. Those temps are a normal sunny day on the UK. Bet that hurt you.
COYS
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Post by COYS »

Sam V wrote:I had the same situation a couple years ago with a short stay booking through Airbnb.

The air con had broken a few days before guests arrived and we expected it to be repaired by the time of their arrival, but it wasn't but fans were supplied. The actual temps at the time were cooler than the UK, 25 degrees during the day and down to 17/18 at night. Guests complained bitterly (young son was bitten badly by mosquitoes during the night with the doors left open, he was also sensitive to mosquito bites)

On my pricing Airbnb air con is factored into the price to keep it simple, but ordinarily it's an extra charge of £7 per day. Airbnb awarded a 50% refund for the stay.
Seriously??
Has rental world gone completely nuts?
What if the tables were turned & guests abused &/or caused a breakdown through misuse during their stay - would ABB give you a 50% additional rental surcharge. No chance, this compensation culture is getting out of hand. And there are plenty that are playing the game.
One more reason why I wouldn't touch ABB with a sh*tty stick.

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Marks
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Post by Marks »

It's just easy for AirBnB, they don't want to be messing around with complaints so bung the guests a suitcase full of dosh and move on to the next. Doesn't cost them anything, the compo claiming guest gets dizzy with excitement every time AirBnB is mentioned and plan their next compo claim.

Like COYS if AirBnB were the last listing site in the world I still wouldn't put my apartment there.
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ianthy
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Post by ianthy »

Mouse wrote:We charge £100 extra for a/c.....we have 4 bedrooms and the lounge with a/c. So if one of the new rooms didn't have it for the week that would be £20/25 if you exclude the lounge. I might bump it up to £40/50 but no more.

I have had this happen to villas I managed, thankfully never us, and went all out to equip the room with standalone a/c unit (too noisy to have in the bedroom) and 2 quiet fans. Also a bottle or two of wine as a 'sorry'.
Personally I think that's all you can do. These things happen and they're a nightmare but unless you can magic a part out of thin air you can do no more.

Mouse
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+1
I agree with Mouse - 25% seems high. I am reading this post with interest as we are in the process of installing A/C this year. Lots of benefits but also the downside if it breaks down and disgruntled guests ;-(. Airbnb has been mentioned with 50% refund but they are always super generous with guest refunds and hosts money when dealing with valid complaints.

Reminds me of the year we booked an AC room on the Cinque Terra, Italy for a week in August. Steaming hot and peak rate, when we turned up it was a ceiling fan.
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NeatandPicky
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Post by NeatandPicky »

We refunded £50 for non-working bedroom A/C last season.

Long story... problem exacerbated by manager who only tried one engineer (not realising he was in the UK at the time) and refused to retrieve our fan for guests (too busy) when it turned out she had one of her own to lend. Guests had no A/C for 3 nights, fan provided for 1. Engineer (booked by us from UK) fixed it first thing Mon morning. Guests did not fuss or ask for compensation - which made us more inclined to up the gesture.

They've rebooked for this season, so all ended happily.

As bedroom space is limited, we bought a tower fan for guests not realising it has a 2h timer. We've also moved our pedestal fan from loft to shed (combination padlock) so guests can retrieve it if necessary, without involving our (not always helpful) manager!
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