Threatened suspension of listing

[Priscilla416]

Hi,

I am a co host for a listing in India,

The owner has only one property.

-Some months ago we had a  nightmare guest who was rude, demanding and did not accept or comply with the house rules.

She damaged property,  wiped dirty shoes on curtains, requested a fixed wall mirror be moved and when refused detached it from the wall, demanded different breakfasts from the advertised fixed breakfast, demanded daily cleaning for a short stay then checked  out of the property at 5am leaving  without advising the owner, presumably before the damage could be discovered.

After her 1 star review, and the host's response, Airbnb asked if we wanted to escalate but we declined as we did not expect to be successful in getting compensation.

-The second problem was different. The group of guests, who were nice people and did not complain or raise any issues during their stay were allowed to check in early.

They left a 3 star review criticising the location of the property, being inconvenient and the fact that there was no kitchen in the apartment - both these aspects hyad been clearly stated in several places in the description and house rulles and was obvious from the photographs. It appears they did not bother to read anything before booking, even though they were asked to review the listing and adk any questions.

Result is that the listing may be suspended!

I have no idea how to address these issues, as Airbnb has requested.

Rarely, but sometimes, guests are just bad inconsiderate people and write revenge reviews.

We cannot change the stated aspects and amenities of the property and should not have to suffer consequences if the guest does not bother to read.

Does anyone have any suggestions of how to avoid these situations?

[Bhumika]

Hi @Priscilla416 , I'm so sorry to hear of your previous experience with the guests. Have you made any updates to your listing since then? How are you dealing with Customer Support about it? 

I am also reaching out to a few experienced hosts if they have any advice or tips on dealing with such guest situations : @Katarzyna87 @Lydia594 @Amy3326 @Jamie600 @Tonia649. I hope they can share some insights on how to avoid these situations.

[Jamie600]

Hi Priscilla,

Hopefully, Airbnb will see that the complaints are invalid. I would write in several areas of the listing that there is no kitchen in the unit, including the description and the "other things to note" area. I am so sorry you are going through this. 

Kindest regards,
Jamie 

[Lydia594]

@Priscilla416 Thanks for reaching out, I hope we can offer some solid advice. 

So first off, I'm sorry about the bad guests, especially the one that caused damages. In the future, I recommend submitting a money request (with pictures proof of damages) in the resolution center. Even if the guest won't pay, Airbnb Aircover often will if you have good picture proof and a good track record with guests. 

I'm thinking the suspension isn't just due to those reviews. The property has multiple other reviews below 5 stars that speak poorly of the steep climb in (with no rails or lights, if I read it right), toilet not always flushing, hot water not always working, and breakfasts being subpar. If you were to work with the owner to fix these problems, and give Airbnb picture proof, I believe they'd relist the listing. And perhaps if you can get the owner to agree to the changes/repairs, Airbnb will give you a trial time period before suspension. Say if you can get things working better/trail safety installed within a dead line. Airbnb wants to see hosts who are willing to commit and do their best for their guests. 

I hope this helps! Best of luck. Feel free to keep us posted!