Beyond Frustrated: Senior CS Manager & Ambassador lying, dodging policy questions, and blocking surveys

[Alex14483]

I’ve reached a dead end with Airbnb Support and need to know how to get an actual human (not a script-reader) to look at my case. Both Kristine (Support Ambassador) and Pulkit (Senior Case Manager) have engaged in what I can only call "support malpractice" to keep a retaliatory review on my profile.  I have a review that is 100% a rant about an active damage claim. It contains zero relevant info about the stay itself (house, amenities, check-in, etc.).

The guest review: 10 days after checkout I received a notification of damages done to the property, host never reached out to me went straight to air b n b for resolution. I reach out to support since host block contact with us. I told support I believe it wasn’t us since there was another party right after us. If it really was would have loved to seen the proved the day of check out not ten days and who knows how many other guest after us. I really do wish communication was better with this host. Beware of this host.

The Documentary Proof I Provided:

• Factual Inaccuracy: The guest claims I waited 10 days to contact them. I uploaded timestamped proof that I filed the AirCover claim on Jan 17 (1 day after checkout).

• Proof of Retaliation: On Jan 26, the guest called me to rant about the claim. 11 minutes later, they posted the review.

The Support Failure:

1. Refusal to Identify Relevancy: I asked Kristine and Pulkit repeatedly: "Which specific part of this review is relevant to the guest's stay?" They ignored the question and sent canned "no violation" templates.

2. Dishonesty: Kristine promised to provide a case number and never did. Pulkit claimed in the ticket that he tried to call me—he never did.

3. Survey Dodging: Pulkit closed the ticket and tagged it as "No Survey," intentionally blocking me from providing feedback on his dishonest handling of the case.

What do you actually do when you’re stuck in this loop of robotic responses and dishonest agents? How do we hold "Senior" managers accountable when they lie about phone calls and hide the survey button?

It’s a sad day when the Host—who provides the actual product—is treated like a nuisance for simply asking for the Review Policy to be enforced. Has anyone successfully broken through this "wall of silence" lately?

[Emiel1]

@Alex14483 

Why did you not contacted the guest about the damages (after check-out? )

Also you blocked communication ?

Guest denies the damages and says he was not informed by you.

WIll be difficult to proceed with this, I fear airbnb wil not remove the review especially not now when the claim is under assessment.(?)

BTW it seems this was a third party booking (guest did not stay himself, but booked for "crew" ?).

Would not accept such bookings anyway, as it violates Airbnb policies.

[Alex14483]

The guest is automatically notified by Airbnb as soon as a formal damage claim is submitted through the resolution center, direct contact is not required and often leads to unnecessary conflict. I made the decision to block the guest immediately after check-out to protect my property and prevent them from booking with me again, which is a standard safety measure when damages occur.

I have adopted this protocol because in the past, direct communication regarding damages has consistently led to guests becoming hostile and offering a complete denial of the claim regardless of evidence. By using the resolution center, I ensure a fair, mediated process. Regarding the booking type, I was fully aware it was for a 'crew' and consented to the third-party arrangement as permitted by Airbnb policy.

However, since Airbnb has already investigated my evidence and reimbursed me for the damage claim, it is clear that the guest’s denial is unfounded. Their review is a clear case of retaliation for being held financially accountable, and its content is irrelevant to the actual stay. It is disappointing that Airbnb support can be unreliable in these cases, as this review does not help future guests choose a property, it only serves as a platform for a guest to vent about a validated damage claim. This lack of protection for hosts who follow the rules significantly diminishes trust in the platform.

[Mary1523]

Well to your original question to hold individual support agents accountable, good luck. How time do you want to waste on this? Honestly Airbnb rarely if ever removes reviews. You got refunded it seems for some damage so there is already upside. Old timer hosts like me of 10 yrs + will tell you support quality has decreased over time and just getting your claim paid out is a win in itself.

To the bigger question, how does this review affect your future bookings? Depends upon the rating rather than the verbal response they gave. Make sure you put a 'Dear Future guest response' to the bad verbal review, not going into drastic detail of what the last guest did wrong, but point out factually and then move onto how you offer a great experience given your other positive reviews.' Future guests want to see how you dealt with a bad review, the response is not for the past guest who will never read it.

I do ask myself if I would do anything different in these cases. What I always say is it has to be really bad for me to file a damages claim. I do let things go cause it is not worth the bad review that can result as you have experienced. I might rate them down in house rules to a 3 or 4 instead of 5 instead. If I have to file a damages claim or extra cleaning, I wait until the 14th day of the review period so that there is very little time for them to file a negative review back. Most of the time guests are oblivious or think they will get away with it, so they will post a positive review in that 14 day period. That's how I deal with these things. Can't get too upset about too many little things.

All the best, regs MK