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Anyway, you wouldn't catch me dead staying in some strangers home. Just no.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kpl1228
Main reason I did it was for 270$ including taxes I stayed somewhere in a great location I knew well for 10 nights. I was watching the money bigtime over the holidays: not really typical.
Your 76 degree setting for 10 days in Cleveland probably bumped his heating bill by AT LEAST $100.
I live outside of Cleveland and can't afford to have my thermostat above 67 degrees in the winter, and I have decent insulation. Did you REALLY think 76 degrees was normal? I bet the furnace ran 24/7 the entire time you were there.
You were watching YOUR money big time over the holidays, but throwing HIS money down a hole. I would think at 54 you would recognize that.
Your 76 degree setting for 10 days in Cleveland probably bumped his heating bill by AT LEAST $100.
I live outside of Cleveland and can't afford to have my thermostat above 67 degrees in the winter, and I have decent insulation. Did you REALLY think 76 degrees was normal? I bet the furnace ran 24/7 the entire time you were there.
You were watching YOUR money big time over the holidays, but throwing HIS money down a hole. I would think at 54 you would recognize that.
Well, it is not the guest's false that the host house is so poorly insulated and felt too cold. If I pay money, I don't want to be freezing.
Well, it is not the guest's false that the host house is so poorly insulated and felt too cold. If I pay money, I don't want to be freezing.
Are you saying that the OP never left the house the entire time they were in Cleveland? Otherwise, why heat an empty house? Is it ok since someone else has to pay the bill?
IMHO, the owner need a reality check. If he expects to rent out his place, first off he needs to get the shower fixed so it works properly. Second, you don't "welcome" guests into an icebox that's 50 degrees on arrival.
OP stated that even with the thermostat set at 76 the place was still cold and drafty. I realize that comfort is subjective, but maybe the owner needs to mention on his ad that the place "runs a bit cold" in the winter. Or just don't rent it out in the winter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hellob View Post
I seriously don't understand why people choose air bnb over hotels unless you have a big group or want a place with a private pool.
I never even use uber, either. I use NYC cabs.
I don't want to be judged. I just want to pay and be done.
Hotels don't care about the temp you choose or how many hot showers you take.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerFilms
Its called "we're-not-all-rich-business-men-who-can-always-afford-hotels-and-sometimes-we-travel-alone-so-all-expenses-are-on-us."
NYC cabs? I tried that when I lived in Denton, Texas. But they charge a really high fare because of the distance That's why I stuck with Uber and Lyft. 8 dollars to get to work or school? Sweet. I miss fares that low.
Uber is a good comparison to AirBnB in that both companies use an individual to provide a service normally provided by a big company. The concept is great, but both companies are rotten and hard to deal with, and as for the individuals providing the service, you may get lucky or you may not.
Do you realize that Uber uses surge pricing, just like the airlines? So if there is a great demand, prices could skyrocket within a few minutes. Many people recently complained that they had to pay $150 or $175 for a short trip across town, from the East River to the Hudson River. You just happened to get lucky with $8 rides. I wouldn't be caught dead in an Uber. I use a taxi or a bus or the trains.
I've used AirBnB three times and two of the times it took several hours each time to make a simple reservation as I had to keep calling back and forth to the AirBnB headquarters to talk to their dense employees. One of the AirBnBs was dirty, and I could have stayed in a clean mid-priced hotel/motel, or bed and breakfast for the same amount I paid. The other two were spotless clean and very nice, but I could have stayed in an upscale hotel for less money.
OP, You seem to be sweating this a lot for no reason. This bad review is not going to keep you from entering the gates of heaven. It could keep you from future AirBnBs, but that could be a blessing in disguise. I would take some time and write a well thought out rebuttal to his rotten review. Don't attack anyone or anything; just tell it all like you told us, and don't leave anything out. And I would probably send a copy to AirBnB. Not that they would care. Good luck.
Good grief. If the set temperature is THAT IMPORTANT, the owner absolutely needs to have written instructions posted by the thermostat, and also communicated before there's an agreement to rent.
Some people like it warm, and others like it cool. Also, comfort is not as simple as just setting the thermostat. A room that is drafty and has poor windows will feel colder than a room without those problems, even if those two rooms have the same set temperature.
OP here. This is it in a nutshell. Old, drafty, etc. curtains were moving all night. Ancient windows etc.
OP, You seem to be sweating this a lot for no reason. This bad review is not going to keep you from entering the gates of heaven. It could keep you from future AirBnBs, but that could be a blessing in disguise. I would take some time and write a well thought out rebuttal to his rotten review. Don't attack anyone or anything; just tell it all like you told us, and don't leave anything out.
+1
Certainly not worth stressing over this. Post an explanation that you weren't given any instructions except to "turn up the thermostat".
Bear with me....thanks:
So I stayed for the first time as an airbnb guest. Cleveland (my former home), great central location, condo in a old classy apartment building, etc. Owner (med student) was out of town, out of the country actually, until the last day of my stay. Found this out after I booked it, but preferred it for the privacy and not worrying about waking him up, etc. Had my own room in a large apartment. All was good.
The ten days I stayed there went well, but there were small issues that would have deterred others but I rolled with it because of the preferred location. The shower handle was broken and it was impossible to get water without forcing it. I did not want to force anything because I imagined water spraying everywhere out of something I caused, and so I called and emailed. He was in a remote location in Africa and didn't get back to me for some time that day, but he was nice and apologetic and knew about the broken handle but assured me to force it and it would work fine. I forced it and it did. He also offered a full refund if I wanted to leave, before I tried getting the shower going. No need, I assured him. All is well, right? He seemed to appreciate my flexibility.
Cleveland had unbelievably low temperatures during my entire stay....average of 10 degrees. Never got above 20. At night was zero-ish. Upon my arrival, the thermostat was at 50. The condo was FREEZING. There was a note to turn the thermostat on upon my arrival, but no temperature setting was listed for instructions. I bumped it up to 76 to get things warmed up and went to bed.....still a very cold, drafty place. Never truly got "warm."
We had talked back and forth and had been friendly before booking and when I had questions throughout my stay. Super nice and friendly......helping each other really. He arrived the next-to-last day, I was out at dinner, he texted me to say he bumped the thermostat down to 70. I said ok and thanks and that I'd see him in the morning.
Saw him early the next day in the hallway, shook hands, I was very friendly and social, just as we had been. I could tell something was amiss with him. So he started the conversation with "about checkout.....?" I said I'm planning on leaving in a couple of hours, he said ok, very well, and that was that. I took a shower thinking "what's going on?"
Gave him his keys as I left, told him to keep the bottle of detergent and the craft beers in the fridge (I never used anything in the kitchen). He said ok thanks. Never looked up from the computer and fairly cold. I figured it for his personality, shook hands, said thanks with a smile and headed out.
Airbnb wanted me to do a review a few days later, so I gave a brief, positive, non-specific review. All good, good communication, great place etc. After all, I wanted a good review back. And I didn't mention the broken shower etc etc.
A few days after that I was skewered in his review of me. It all dwelled on the temperature of the thermostat, how I was not staying in a personal hotel, how it's someone's house and I need to be more respectful of temperature norms, etc. It went on and on that way, three paragraphs and all about the thermostat. (I think he's STILL writing about it as we speak.). And a backhanded compliment about how I "was probably just new to airbnb and how I will learn." Again, the condo was freezing. Old windows, drafty, etc. And is 76 degrees ridiculous and worth all of this?
I'm older (54), always respectful of others and their property, and would never impose. So part of me wants to reply and say everything that was wrong (small issues that would have bugged others but not me), and part of me wants to take the high road and just let it go. However, this review of me is permanent and so I might want to do airbnb again (although right now I'm asking myself why would I) and me explaining might alleviate fears of renting out their room to me, the guy that can't use a thermostat correctly. Another concern is that if I open up this can of worms he might do something like blame me for his broken shower (which he knew was broken), or something else. Everyone I've talked to says skewer him back. Not my style. And frankly I'm tired of worrying about it.
Next move? thanks all
Just get a hotel room from now on.I don't understand how people can stay in some stranger's home.At least if you stayed at a hotel...you could have turned up the thermostat to however you wanted,complained to the front desk about the bathroom fixture...you see where I'm going with this??Everyone seems to be all about making money off of others and some of those people you meet could be very finiky,weird,short-tempered or moody.Stay in a hotel from now on.
OP here. This is it in a nutshell. Old, drafty, etc. curtains were moving all night. Ancient windows etc.
To address your original concerns.... You may consider responding to the review, but just do so courteously and humbly. Perhaps say things like: "This was indeed my first time as an Air B&B guest, so I admit I have a learning curve. Because the temps outside were so low, and because the apartment itself was very drafty and quite cold, I didn't think it would be such a bad idea to set the thermostat so high. In retrospect, I wish the homeowner had instructed me not to turn the heat up past a certain mark (doing so may have helped me reconsider staying there), or--barring that-- it would have been more productive if he had taken the time to talk to me personally about it when he arrived just a day before my departure. He was very responsive via email about some problems that I encountered with the bathroom during my first day of the stay, so I'm surprised he didn't engage with me face-to-face about the thermostat issue later on. Problems like this are always best resolved as soon as possible instead of after the fact."
Yes, the from the homeowner's perspective, you shouldn't have turned up the heat so high, but seriously, if he didn't address this in his instructions to you (didn't he know that you were a first-timer?), and if he wasn't adult enough to have an honest but friendly talk with you about it later on, he should be called out for it. But nicely. Part of the goal is that, in your words and tone, you want readers (and future homeowners) to see your side of the story and understand that you are not a bad tenant. A courteous and adult reply can go a long way here. For effect, perhaps you can even say something like: "If I had known that the thermostat was an issue, I would have gladly paid some extra money to make things right." (If you might actually have done that.) But ultimately, I think you should respond, but do so in a way that puts you on the "high road."
I bumped it up to 76 to get things warmed up and went to bed...
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That's why I stuck with Uber and Lyft. 8 dollars to get to work or school? Sweet. I miss fares that low.
