@Catherine-Powell
Airbnb has implemented a policy that suspends listings should they not get consistent 5 star reviews. This policy needs to be cancelled immediately for the following reasons:
When Airbnb suspends the listing there are several flaws:
1. The listing can not be accessed in any way. Meaning it can not be edited or reviewed from both the host and the Airbnb support staff.
2. The review / performance detailed metrics can not be viewed
if the metrics cannot be viewed then there is no way for the host to know what he needs to improve during the 5-day suspension period
3. This seems like an IT oversight
4. This policy seems to have been approved within Airbnb with little thought. Little thought as to why reviews are low, little thought as to how to assess an account or listing. And little thought as to why the policy is in place. This policy does not support the host at all. If hosts are not supported there is no Airbnb.
5. If you look at any website and look at reviews, the overall status may be high, but you will always see bad reviews from some disgruntled customer. (many times just reading the review you can tell that the customer is unreasonable and petty)
6. If Airbnb suspends a listing they are preventing the host from bringing in revenue which in turn prevents Airbnb from bringing in revenue.
7. During the pandemic there are also many variables that lead to poor reviews. (more transients have booked my listings and inevitably I’ve had a higher share of issues such as calling the police or having my cleaners assertively ask someone to leave well past checkout times. I’ve had people steal my keys multiple times… This NEVER happened pre-pandemic because the economy allowed higher prices and that tended to prevent “trouble makers” from booking)
8. There are many first time users who simply leave poor reviews because the Airbnb experience is not like a hotel and that could be negative for some people.
9. People who get last minute affordable deals are likely to leave bad reviews.
10. There are just too many variables to enact a policy like this - makes no sense to suspend accounts based on an arbitrary metric like reviews. There needs to be a more inclusive approach to assure quality assurance. (such as reviewing messaging, reviewing amenities and photos… ) An account should not be suspended simply because of a few lower than 5 star reviews.
11. In summary, this policy or algorithm needs to be eliminated.