Unfair Overall Rating Calculations

[Patricia1556]

Mean rating status calculations are exactly as the name implies, mean to hosts! One bad review can easily destroy a host's efforts to get or maintain star status and there is nothing we can do about it.

If a host gets several 5-star reviews and only one 1-star review, their ratings status calculated currently by mean (average) is pulled right down. A median rating is  more reflective of the most common guest experience and would remain 5 or nearer to it...

For an understanding of the difference or to see what it would mean for you, check out: https://www.calculators.org/math/mean-median-mode.php

I believe Airbnb should show more fairness to hosts and change to median calculations of overall ratings of both guests and hosts. If we are going to be ruled by algorithms and metrics, we should at least have fair ones... After all, it is we the little hosts that bring profits to the platform and it's billionaire owner.

[Patricia1556]

Agree... Expedia has bought VRBO and it is offering a somewhat better deal, but both still skim 15-20% between guest and host fees. It's a lot when you think of the international numbers... I would love to start banding a coop movement. Question what is an STR?

[Pat271]

@Patricia1556  Sorry I missed this before! STR stands for short-term rental.

[Anthony393]

HI

like all of you I am a hard working host and deliver an almost perfect experience and several places to stay. Airbnb is an excellent platform to advertise my places and I am happy with almost all things they do BUT and it is a BIG BUT - the review system and ratings system need to be updated. It is far too easy for a guest to leave a low rating and poor review without ever being challenged. YES - we can write a reply and yes a new guest can read it BUT these reviews are damaging. I get that to make reviews trusted they must not be tampered with and yes reviews that contravene the policies get removed - but those that dont and remain are not a help to us hosts and shows that airbnb possibly want to protect the reviews system MORE they want to show care and to protect us hard working hosts. SO - what do we do about it - well we should make more pleas to airbnb and ask that those reviews which are unfair are then challenged by them. How can they be challenged? - guest should be asked for photographic proof, for detailed information etc so to substantiate the reasons for the poor review. If they cannot provide them then the review should be given a health warning - like a red mark or sentence at the top of it stating that this review could NOT BE PROVEN BY THE GUEST SO MUST BE TAKEN LESS SERIOUSLY or taken down and removed.  Of course I know that some guests could fill a plughole with hair and take a picture or wipe brown sauce over a towel to show it is unclean etc etc BUT most would not and at the end of the day if a person/guest is that screwed up and wants a refund then unfortunately us hosts are never going to win. Simply - for Airbnb to ignore this constant threat to our reputation is not good enough - I want to now see a fairer system where our input is taken seriously and action seen. In 7 years of hosting I have had plenty of so-called revenge reviews where we ask for a payment due to damage and the guest does not pay, lies and then slams us with a low rating - from the message board conversation it is clear the guest is doing this to be unfair and wants to inflict revenge - and they simply get away with it with a zero response from airbnb - this is just not good enough and does not give us the respect we deserve. It will undermine our confidence in the system net alone reduce the revenues for all. SO I plead with my fellow hosts - get on this and contact airbnb when you have a problem. DEMAND change and that they do something about this. Remember - I get that reviews and tampering with them is not good and gives more trust in the system BUT if it allows some idiots (call them what you want) to create harm where harm should not be allowed then this is not right and should be corrected. Let us remember - this website is sold as a COMMUNITY - we should therefore treat this as so - and one where we are listened to and looked after.  Please message me if you have anything to add.

[Patricia1556]

This is precisely why a median grading system makes more sense than a mean, especially in the case of newer listing where a mean average of just a few reviews can easily pull the overall average down.

The greater issue at hand here is that hosts need a way to present common issues to Airbnb collectively. Ideas anyone?

[Jeanette305]

Unfair?  Maybe. Inaccurate?  Certainly.  What kind of average is lower than every number used to calculate the average?  I calculate our average to be 4.95 but our listing shows it as 4.87.  Does anyone have any idea how that works?

 

[Emilia42]

@Jeanette305 The overall score is a separate category in which the guest selects a star rating. It is NOT an average of the 5 subcategories. 

[Jeanette305]

Ah.  I see.  Thank you very much for explaining that.  I really thought it was a mistake in basic arithmetic.

[Maria1534]

I am just as confused. I have a new listing. It has 6 ratings. 5 are 5 stars, one is 4 stars. The average is 4.83 but it shows 4.5? What the heck? I wrote Airbnb to inquire but I doubt I'll get a satisfactory reply from them.

[Maria1534]

I just checked another of my listings. It has 20 reviews. 19 are 5 stars, 1 is 4. The average is 4.95 yet it shows a 4.83. What the heck. This system is terrible.

[Sandra856]

@Maria1534 Guests do rate us in the 6 subcategories but they also give a separate over all rating. 

[Maria1534]

Yes, I know Their math is still off.

[Sandra856]

@Maria1534 Could it be that they show an average of all your over all ratings since you started on your listing your guests see - but on your private dashboard it will only show you your overall ratings you have received within the last year as those are the ones that counts when it comes to your superhost status? 

[Sandra856]

@Maria1534 I see your listing that got 20 reviews and an average of 4,95 - where do you see the 4,83?

[Alexandra199]

Does the 4.87 figure relate to the stars given on the Overall Rating rather than an average of the different sections such as cleanliness/check-in etc? Does that work for your figures?

[Sandra856]

@Alexandra199 

The overall rating shown is not a product/a calculated average of the subcategories. Guests rate in the 6 different subcategories + they give a separate rating called the overall rating. On the listing guests will see all overall ratings given since the beginning and the host will see overall ratings given within the last year on the private host dashboard because superhost status only use ratings giving within the last year.