Episode 129 – When Archie Refused to Pay
After ten years of hosting, thousands of guests and pretty much every situation you can imagine, there was still one thing I'd never done: escalated a payment dispute to Airbnb.
Until Archie.
And it was over just £35.
Archie booked my Dome for a romantic night away with his fiancée and asked to use the hot tub — an optional £35 extra clearly stated in the listing. Wanting to add a little Unreasonable Hospitality, I offered him an “I Love You” banner free of charge and even threw in a heart-shaped helium balloon.
Unfortunately, one seemingly harmless word in my message — “it” — created an ambiguity I hadn't anticipated. Archie subsequently claimed he thought the hot tub was complimentary too.
When payment didn't arrive, I asked again. And again. I even raised a £35 payment request through Airbnb to make settling the bill as easy as possible.
Nothing.
No payment or response or denial that he'd used the hot tub. No suggestion that anything had been wrong with it.
So I had a decision to make:
Would I really pursue a guest over £35?
For the first time in ten years, I decided I would.
In this episode, I take you through exactly what happened when I escalated the dispute to Airbnb, the evidence I provided, how quickly Airbnb reached its decision — and whether I got my £35.
More importantly, I look at what I could have done better.
Because this experience highlighted some valuable lessons for any host:
- Why important booking conversations should remain on the Airbnb message thread
- Why you should confirm additional charges explicitly
- How innocent words such as “it” and “they” can create ambiguity
- Why following your established procedures matters even when everything seems friendly
- The importance of checking during a stay that guests are happy with what you've provided
- What happens when Airbnb becomes involved in a payment dispute
- Why an evidence trail can become invaluable if somebody later challenges what happened
Looking back through the message thread made me realise that I'd made life unnecessarily difficult for myself simply by becoming too casual with procedures and language.
This week's Superhost Secret
Casualness creates casualties.
Being professional doesn't mean you can't be friendly, generous or spontaneous.
But don't let being friendly make you casual.
Follow your procedures. Be precise with your language. Keep important communication where it can be referred back to. And if a dispute ever arises, you shouldn't have to explain what happened.
The message thread should do it for you.
🎧 Listen now to discover what happened when Archie refused to pay — and what my first Airbnb dispute in ten years taught me about my own hosting... and did I get my money or not??
Follow me on Instagram @SuperhostNeil for more hosting tips, tricks and a bit of laughter.
And if you'd like to learn how to earn an income by hosting from your own home, you'll find the link below to register for my free live webinar.
Till next time — may your rooms be booked, your reviews 5-star… and all your guests pay for their extras on time!
Register for my next FREE webinar on how to monetize your own home, here - https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/61WTjBMhTF2MPCh_WrcMbA
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