Receiving notifications from Airbnb that they might suspend or remove me

[Lisa5430]

I find it hard enough dealing with people demanding discounts for every little thing. Then when I don’t give them what they want they leave me a low rating. Now I am receiving notifications from Airbnb that they might suspend or remove me. It’s starting to be not worth the effort being a host.

Airbnb please support my efforts and not threaten my livelihood!

 [Title updated by OCM to make it relevant to the post]

[Jenny]

Hi @Lisa5430 

I'm so sorry that the notifications you've received have made you feel like that. 

I can see by your reviews that you're a considerate, responsive host, and when faced with guest challenges you've communicated so kindly in your replies to reviews, and detailed ways of putting things right.

I'm going to tag a few of our lovely members,  @Kitty-and-Creek0  , @Clara116, @Joan2709 and @Joelle43 who have an incredible amount of expertise, to see if they can share any experience or advice with you, and hopefully lift your spirits. 

If you'd like to feedback to Airbnb about the notifications, you can do so by heading here, and that way you can make your voice heard directly with the relevant team.

Take care,

Jenny

[Clara116]

@Lisa5430  @Jenny 

Dang I read the review from that guest and that hurts I'm sure....the instant booking thing and someone checking in so quickly seems a disaster wanting to happen...I have a day between bookings so that I'm 100% ready. That you called Airbnb and they didn't support you admin penalty free for extenuating circumstances makes no sense. That should have never happened...that a guest could check in and problems exist or not clean yet is crazy...and Airbnb should fix the situation for ...I think that review should be removed and they surely don't understand how you worked to fix things and it made things worse. I am so sorry....I would hope @Jenny  will have this escalated to have it reviewed by a supervisor at CS....and they back off on you. Wish I could make it better ... sending a hug. Keep me posted. It will get better...and with your record I hope your future guests make you forget all this quickly. Happy retirement💥❤️ Clara @116

[Jenny]

Hi @Clara116 and @Lisa5430 

Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner - I was out of the office yesterday!

I can confirm that I've passed this over to the team and asked if they can review what's been happening, I mentioned the kind and proactive approach taken to any guest issues, and I'm hoping someone will be in touch soon to help get things back on track.

Thanks @Clara116, @Joelle43, and @Joan2709 for your kindness and support.

It'd be great to hear how you're doing @Lisa5430 - feel free to pop back when you can!

Jenny

[Clara116]

@Jenny Thanks for passing this on to give assistance and back up - all host need it, especially these days. 

Many thanks, Clara

[Joan2709]

Hi Lisa!

@Clara116 offered some great suggestions! With three properties to handle, it’s clear you are a hardworking host! Being a host is a lot of work for one property; much less three! This is a large task for just one person. It’s clear you care about your properties and hosting. Some suggestions below. Other experienced hosts can offer ideas as well:

Get Some Help if Possible

It might be a good idea to get another trusted person to help manage the listings. Looks like you don’t have a co-host?

Upgrades, Regular Maintenance, Pest Control

You have nice properties, but you may need to invest some time dealing with upgrading (water issues) and establishing regular pest control from a professional company. Older properties especially require regular maintenance schedules. Some guests complained about pests and cleanliness and that negative review from "H" really hurt you (looks like it was removed?).

You may be able to negotiate a discount if establishing pest control on all 3 properties. You may have to tackle this one property at a time starting with the property that is causing the most issues. This may require you to temporarily block your calendar on the property you are targeting until you can address these issues (or snooze it).

Add More Prep Time/No Same Day Bookings/Turn Off Instant Book

Agree with @Clara116 , I would give yourself more prep time between bookings, don't allow same day bookings (you're spread too thin right now) and turn off Instant Book until you can get some of the on-going issues resolved. 

Hang in there! Let us know how you’re doing! 😊

[Joelle43 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Lisa5430 

Well hats off to you for managing so many properties - how many exactly because it looks like more than 3??  It is obvious how much you care about your guests experience and how welcoming you are so when you receive a bad review, it will hit you very hard.

I didn't find the recent bad review that @Clara116 made reference to but as the others have said, maybe you're spreading yourself a little thin and maybe if you put in a 24 hour leeway before guests can arrive, it will give you just that extra time to make sure that the listings are as they should be.  I'm not on IB - too scary for me as I need to be sure that any future guests have agreed to my house rules - no pets allowed or young children for safety reasons and with IB, I  fear some will slip through the net.  I don't accept same day bookings either as it takes at least 24 hours sometimes to get a reply from guests but feel more serene in doing so.

This year, I've noticed a definite decline in bookings and when I have had requests, the guest is asking for a discount some so huge I burst out laughing when I read what they wanted to pay.  I refused politely and ticked the box "I am not comfortable with the guest".  

From reading on the CC over the years, it seems to be a red flag when guests ask for discounts and then you have another new breed of guests who know how the review system works and who know what to say to CS to obtain a refund or a discount.  There are videos on the net on how to do this😱

Keep your chin up Lisa  - you have some fab reviews so hang on to those when you're feeling low and a helpful co-host might take some of the pressure off🤗

All the best

Joëlle

[Suzanne984]

Your properties look incredible Lisa. Hats off to you, I'm sorry you are dealing with crappy guests.