"Would you host this guest again?" - Changing my answer from 'yes' to 'no'

[Chris1492]

I am a Superhost in the UK. I have just received a 3 star review from a 'newbie' guest, i.e. I am their first Airbnb experience. 

I gave them 5 stars all round (their first review) and said nice things about them. I replied 'yes' to the question 'Would you host this guest again?'

This was before  I read their review (of me). Having read it, I emailed them and asked for clarification regarding their overall 3 star review (which I view as super-harsh). I got a prompt reply saying that was due to the cleanliness of the grouting in the shower. I have to say, we are talking really minimal stuff here folks, not what such a comment would cause you to imagine... (I'm really confident on this point, as I have just installed a new shower cubicle and they were the first guests to use it - a point they knew in advance. It's brand new, sparkling clean. It's as if they went looking for faults... you know the type...)

They may well pass my way again (to visit family) and to be frank, I don't want their repeat business - not when they're (a) that picky and (b) that unbalanced in their response. 

With regards to the 'would i host again' question,  am I able to change my initial response from 'yes' to 'no'? I would greatly prefer it if I simply did not appear in their search returns (which I understand is what happens when a host responds 'no' to said question). 

[Currently, I do *not* have Instant Booking on, so they would have to send an enquiry, but I rather just not have to deal with them.]

Thank you in advance for your thoughts/comments/suggestions.

Chris 

[Emiel1]

@Chris1492 

Once your review is published there is nothing you can change on it.

(But on request Airbnb can remove the review)

But as you are not on IB, they can not book again without your confirmation.

Is is always disappointing receiving such a low rating, as the review text from M.  is OK.

IMO the whole rating system must be changed, it is out dated and confusing.

[Chris1492]

Hi @Emiel1 - thanks. I understood that my review cannot be changed. I was hoping that this referred to the public-facing part of the review and that the "would you host again" question might be treated separately - apparently not.

[Lisa723 · Accepted solution]

@Chris1492 you can block them from contacting you again, if that feature is currently working. In your message thread with the guest, click on the flag next to one of their messages, then proceed to report them for "being offensive". In the text box you can explain that you don't want them to be able to book with you again as they don't understand Airbnb's review system. Then (again, if the feature is currently working) you will have the option to block them from contacting you.

@Emiel1 

[Chris1492]

@Lisa723 Ah.... that's something I didn't know. Thank you. Sounds a little like the 'nuclear option', but do I really care if I don't want to host them again anyway? Good option to consider. It would certainly deal with having to turn them down should they attempt a future booking. Thanks - learn something new every day. (I was in two minds as to whether to write this post - glad I did now.) 

[Mark116]

@Chris1492  People who give 3 stars for random, small issues that they never bother to complain about in real time are absolutely no one anyone wants to ever host.  But, what are the odds they would want to rebook in the future?  Probably slim.  And if they ever do try to rebook, you might have to waste a decline on them, but you could have the satisfaction of explaining, professionally, of course,  why you will never host them again.

[Chris1492]

@Mark116 - they have family in the area - I would say chances of a rebooking are certainly >50%.

I like the way you express it though,  "People who give 3 stars for random, small issues that they never bother to complain about in real time are absolutely no one anyone wants to ever host". I hadn't thought of it that way, but that's exactly my point, thank you for clarifying it for me.

[Helen3]

Why would a guest who gave you 3 starts want to book with you again. I agree with others. Just block them. Particularly when you called them out on their low review 🙂

[Chris1492]

Fair point @Helen3 , thank you. I think that's what I'll do.

FYI: As to they would want to book again: (1) I'm near their family, so super-convenient, and (2) as they are newbies to Airbnb they probably think they are being fair... 

...why this second point? They left a nice review text online and said lovely things in the Visitors' Book. I could believe that they think 'all is well'

Anyway, I feel my first 'blocking' coming on...

[Chris1492]

Hi @Lisa723 I took your advice (and that of the others who backed you up) and blocked the guest. As you suggest, it's not easy - Airbnb would clearly much ratherthat hosts didn't do this (as they just want 'heads in beds', as has been pointed out elsewhere in this thread).

As a resource for everything else, this is exactly want I did and want happened (I have screenshots of the whole process, step-by-step):

1. Click the flag next to the message (or you can 'report the user' via a link in their profile. Both take you to the next step).
2. You get a pop-up window with 3 choices: (a) I think they are spamming me, (b) They're bing offensive, (c) Something else.
3. Select 'They are being offenssive'
4. Next pop-up asks you specify what's hppening - again you have 3 choices (a) They being discriminatory, (b) ...inappropriate, (c)...abusive or hostile.
5. Select '...abusive or hostile'.
6. You then get a window into which you can type your report. Do that and carry on...
7. You get a pop-up that confirms your report and been delivered and you are then given another 3 choices - the first of which is 'Block this person'
8. Select 'block' and the system presents tries its best to discourage you. Proceed with clicking the 'Block' button
9.  Pop-up confirms that you blocked them: 'This person will no longer be able to send you messages on Airbnb'
10. Went you go back and look at you inbox message thread you'll see a red flag showing that you've blocked the guest. You're also given the opportunity to 'undo' (an option I won't be selecting).

Thanks all for your assistence. Chris 

[Kenji22]

Chris,

Thank you for your detailed information on how to Block a Guest.  I totally feel for you, after doing everything you can to maintain your Superhost status and then you get one guest who gives you a low rating for something minor which can effect your overall rating.  

I had the same issue with a last minute booking who said he was an "easy" guest and definitely wasn't, but we did everything to accommodate all his "requests", even though this was over the Thanksgiving holiday and he didn't adhere to our House Rules.  In the end, we gave him a good review to be nice, since it was the holidays, and in turn, he gave us a low rating after bending over backwards for him.  From that, we never want to host him again and  after reading your conversation, I plan to block him from ever trying to request our space again.

Jackie

Los Angeles, CA

[Sarah977]

@Kenji22  "In the end, we gave him a good review to be nice, since it was the holidays"

Please do not ever do this again. Reviews are meant to be honest, they aren't about being nice. 

You had a guest who was a pain to host, broke your house rules, aand who you would never have again, to the point that you want to block him, yet you misled other hosts into thinking he was a good guest. This is the opposite of nice- you lied to other hosts, which is how these bad guests keep getting accepted and passed around. 

Why would you be "nice" to a guest who wasn't at all nice and give him an undeserved good review?

And never bend over backwards trying to please a bad guest. As you found out, it won't help you get a good review. Demanding, commplaining guests need to be dealt with in a polite but firm manner, not scurrying  around trying to accommodate them. 

"I'm sorry, but it's very clear in our listing infomation that we don't offer washing machine use nor do guest's laundry. There's a laundromat 2 blocks down the street. If that's not acceptable to you, I suggest we shorten this booking to end today so you can find another place that meets your needs."

[Colleen253]

@Chris1492 I can’t add anything more than what other hosts have already said. But to clarify, when you choose ‘would not host again’ it doesn’t prevent your listing from showing in the guest search. It only means they can’t instant book with you and must send a request. 

[Chris1492]

@Colleen253  - thanks for your clarifiaction - greatly appreciated. I've noted *much* confusion here regarding the impact of a 'no' answer to the 'would you host again' question. For example:

1) Means your listing isn't shown to guest anymore.

2) Blocks Instant Booking.

3) Triggers Airbnb to send an email to the guest explaining how to be a better guest.

4) No idea - Airbnb deliberately keep it secret and won't tell us hosts.

I've found all four of the above in discussions here in the Community. I thought (1) was most likely and seems to be a (very) common belief in the community.

You're saying (2) is correct, and I'm happy to believe that: thank you.

I'm highlighting (3) and (4) because they are both 'out there'.

It would be super-useful for Airbnb themselves to make a very clear statement on this - not because I don't believe you - simply to clarify the great confusion that clearly exists.

Thanks again for your help - appreciated.

[Colleen253]

@Chris1492 #2 is the only one that has been born out in actual experience, afaik (#3… as if…🤣)

Consider that Airbnb’s priority is bookings. Any booking. Anytime. Any price. Any guest. The last thing Airbnb is interested in doing is discouraging a booking, even one that is not in a particular hosts best interest. That’s why a Request can still come through from a ‘would not host again’. Because maybe, just maybe, you will reconsider and say yes this time. After all, it’s a paying customer, right? And you’d have to waste a decline on them. And it’s awkward. And maybe they’ve improved….

🙄