I got the wackiest text message, sent to me at 2 am.  It was from a past guest in my short-term rental property (think Airbnb, VRBO) from five months ago.  It chastised me for my poor reviews of guests who resisted meeting me personally, upon check-in.

I believe I did that once, several years ago. It was my response to a guest’s long list of complaints. (My reviews–both by me and of me– in general are overwhelmingly positive, five stars.)  But this guest went off about a cracked light fixture, some alleged crumbs on a countertop, and the design of the back yard.

My response to his review was that some people seem born to complain. Such is invariably true when someone resists meeting me after check-in. (That is extremely rare.) Mr. 2 am initially resisted, but then capitulated.  He wasn’t even around when I stopped by. I chatted briefly with a relative, and everything seemed fine.

Then I get that crazy text months later.  I responded, reminding him that my review of him was positive, five stars all around.  And that I need to verify that incoming guest parties “match” what they claimed in their reservation.  Which is one reason to meet. Another is just to say a friendly hello.

This dude had nothing better to do at 2 in the morning than to blast off a nasty message about something that upset him, what wasn’t directly about him. Like I said about the meetup resistors.  Born to complain.