1 star retaliatory review upheld by Airbnb

[Green2]

Thought would be useful to share our experience with hosts in colder climates: despite clearly stating our heating limitations in the house rules and proving that the property was heated above the upper limit during the guests' stay, Airbnb ruled that a 1* retaliatory review from the guests claiming the place was freezing cannot be removed. On top of it, these same guests broke our house rules...

Our property is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and in our house rules we state that indoor heating can only go as high as 22C/72F. If someone requires higher temperatures to feel comfortable, they are welcome to book elsewhere. A group of ** guests clearly didn't read the rules, because they checked in and the next day started complaining that the place was freezing. When we went to check that the heating was running, both central heating as well as an additional electric heater were on, inside the flat it was over 25C/77F, the property door was open and the guests were out and about. We notified them that leaving the main door unlocked is against house rules and sent them pics showing the inside temperature and never heard back from them during their stay. Two days after checkout they requested 75% of the amount paid back because the place didn't match the listing and it was freezing. At the same time, using meter readings during the checkin vs checkout days, I could prove to them that they used over 70GBP worth of gas during a 4 nights stay and this further backs up the +25C we observed during their stay. In response the guests left a 1 * review for the entire listing as well individual categories. 

When asked to remove the review as retaliatory, Airbnb gave a pre-canned response that the review cannot be removed:

"I would like to say that I empathize with your dissatisfaction. As far as I understood you feel that this review is irrelevant and beyond your control as a Host. Reviews are a very subjective experience. Every single review is a resemblance of human subjective perception of reality or experience. We encourage guests and Hosts to leave a review in order to share that experience that they accrued from that experience."

So if you are hosting during winter and have any sort of limits on heating don't expect to be able to uphold them without consequences. In hindsight I wish I would have asked the guests to leave on the second day of their stay when I went there and found the door open and the heat blazing. Like this, I incurred increased energy costs and we are losing the Superhost status due to the 1* review.

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[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Green2 Whilst I sympathise I am not Sure what part of the review is retaliatory. 

[Huma0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

Yes, that was my first thought. The review might not be fair, but is it really retaliatory? 

One could argue that it's retaliatory because the guests asked and were refused a 75% refund. On the other hand, the guests had stated they were unhappy with the level of heat during the stay, so one could argue that it was simply their opinion. Maybe they would have left a bad review even if they did get the refund...

Perhaps what I would focus on if I was arguing this with CS is that the guest left 1* in all categories. Is there any evidence in the message thread that there were issues with check in or cleanliness etc.? No.

So, the fact that the guest chose to leave 1* across the board demonstrates that it was not a balanced review based on their experience, but rather a spiteful retaliation for 1. Not receiving a 75% discount (which they were clearly not entitled to because they completed the stay and the heating situation was stated on the listing), 2. Being brought up on leaving the front door open etc. 

@Green2 I am not sure if it will work, but perhaps you should try again and see if you can get a more sympathetic CS rep. Explain that the 1* across all categories demonstrates that it's retaliatory and NOT the guest's 'experience'.

Or as the rep very strangely put it, not 'that experience that they accrued from that experience'.

[Robert1871]

Glad to see I am not the only victim of a retaliatory 1-star rating.  I had a guest book a weekend stay, was a "no show" and never appeared on the property, yet was allowed to leave a 1-star review.  The CS people were useless in this situation since they had no information on the stay, no reviews of the guest, and were hopelessly ignorant.  As a result, they were not able to take any action, and we were not allowed to leave a response.

[Liliya20]

call again and speak to a different rep! Ask to speak to manager if that fails. 

[Inna22]

@Huma0 @Mike-And-Jane0 I too am not sure it was retaliatory. Asking for a refund should not cancel your right for a review. I would say if you got one, it would be a classy move not to say anything on one hand. On another hand, if a place has a continuous issue and every time the host shuts the guests with a partial refund to continue getting amazing reviews, that’s not right either. I once stayed at a place that was advertised as two bedrooms, but one of the bedrooms had no door. It had a doorway but didn’t have a door. The place has multiple  stellar reviews. I was shocked that nobody mentioned it. Perhaps I was the first person bothered by it , but not likely. Or perhaps complainers got a token discount and never left a comment. The host was also very lovely and approachable so everyone felt bad? Who knows. Weirdly, that same room had another doorway with a door so I can’t understand why they wouldn’t just board it up, even if they couldn’t afford an actual door. It was bizarre all together

 I am also conflicted about people who leave all one stars. We know it is not likely their true experience, but what if it is.

[Huma0]

@Inna22 

I think a lot of hosts got excited when they read about the 'new' policy on having retaliatory reviews removed. But, how easy is it really (I've yet to see a host post about having success with this, just a bunch of people who were denied)? 

How does one prove that the review is indeed retaliatory? If the guest threatens (via the Airbnb system) to leave a bad review unless they get a refund, then it should be clear cut, right? Well, I would hope so, but let's see...

But what about guests who retaliate because they were asked to pay for damages or because they were brought up on breaking house rules?

Years ago, quite early on in my hosting experience, I had a retaliatory review removed (this was before the policy wording changed to say Airbnb does not get mediate in terms of the accuracy of a review and the reps started using wording such as 'it's the guest's experience'). 

It was actually the Airbnb rep, whom I was speaking to about an unrelated matter, who suggested it, when he spotted an 'outlier' amongst my ratings.

What he did was look into the correspondence with the guest and also my house rules and he concluded that it was clearly retaliatory because A.) The guest was brought up on damage and cleanliness and became hostile from that moment, and B.) The guest was criticising my house rules and basically saying she had no obligation to follow them. He said that 1* for communication could not be justified when it was clear that I had communicated with her clearly, quickly and politely throughout.

It took him around half an hour to analyse the information and come to a conclusion. I was impressed. Now, that is what I am sure a lot of hosts are hoping for now, but sadly, I doubt that's how it's going to go... The quality of CS has changed drastically since then.

[Inna22]

@Huma0 last week I successfully removed a retaliatory review. It was extraordinarily easy. I planed to call while I had to drive for about an hour. Assuming that’s the minimum it would take, however, was off the phone before I hit the main road from my house. The guest had a party, I claimed for damages. They left a review immediately after I opened the claim. I actually have proof of the party – I use Party Squasher, but we didn’t even get to that. The rep said that it was clear that the review was written immediately post the claim.

 In general, I can see both sides. What if there was a legitimate issue at the house and the guest requested a legitimate refund? Does doing so now cancels the guests right to review?

[Huma0]

@Inna22 

Well it's good to hear that CS are removing some retaliatory reviews. I guess the hosts posting about it here are just the ones who did not have success. It would be good to hear about the success stories too so we have a more balanced view of whether it is working or not. 

Some hosts have argued that neither party should be able to leave a review if there was some sort of dispute involved. I am not sure I agree with that. Although of course those scenarios are more likely to result in a retaliatory review, like you said, there may be genuine reasons for a negative review. The guest may have a valid complaint. The host might have a valid reason to claim for damages etc.

The thing is, the CS agent needs to have the training, logic and authority to examine reviews on a case by case basis and analyse the situation based on the evidence that they have, which is what I feel happened in the example I gave above. There was a lot for him to work with in that situation though. It was all there, plain as day, in the message thread. I can see in other situations, there might be a grey area and therefore the agent can't remove the review.

As with any contact with CS, it all depends on the rep you get handling the case. At least now though there is a CHANCE that a retaliatory review might be removed.

[Inna22]

@Huma0 unhappy people are always much louder than happy ones. Also, people are not as likely to post an update if things get resolved. 

I still have not decided if an appropriate refund should “buy” a host - or a guest for that matter- a clean record. 
I just stayed at an airbnb for a week. No Wi-Fi for the first two days, no heat the whole time and no hot water in half of the bathrooms (big trip with the whole family). The host was also not available due to holidays to address some of it. I had to get airbnb involved and move. They got me about half the money back. I actually did not ask for anything, just to help me find the host. Now this host is out of half the earnings. Did he (literally) pay his dues?

On a guest side, let’s say I break something and pay for it. Being a host I know that breaking something major like a couch goes beyond the cost of the item. I need to drop everything and deal with it and might not have a solution before next guest. However, things happen. What is the insensitive for the guest to be honest if they will be marked down anyway. 

Also, airbnb barely has the bandwidth to handle serious issues. They are not going to be spending half an hour on every review they are asked to remove.  The best solution is a mutually agreed review removal or revision. 

[Christina163]

It's 100000% retaliatory when someone leaves a bad review after demanding money. What kind of other reason would they have?

I would continue to call & ask for it to be taken down.....I didn't see it on your listing! 

@Bhumika if u can try to help them, it really doesn't seem fair especially when they are blasting the heat, w the cost of gas & heat getting so bad....

72 is not freezing & the reason he has a limit on how high the heat can go may be for a few reasons. 1. the system may fail if it is over-worked if this is an older model & 2. host may have programmed this to stop people from wasting money.

I actually tell all of my guests do not leave windows open as it's not always "fresh air" even tho they think it is....houses get very dusty quickly & it over-loads the heat/ac when you open windows w everything on. 

[Helen744]

Hello Green2 the issue with cold is of course that it is subjective and also that retaining heat in any house in winter generally requires some 'tips and tricks'.I suggest that pre heating the home before guests arrive is generally a good way for guests to experience the level of comfort available in the house up front.On arrival an explanation of the best way to retain heat , be it using one door over another , putting up draft excluders, heating kitchens or lounge rooms separately or having some proviso for lower level overnight heating or heating that can be left on while people are out.Heat can dissipate very quickly if doors are left open ,many are unaware that heating does take an hour or two to warm older houses up .The best investment we ever made was an eco heater for the hallway which can be left on all night. These do little to really warm the air seemingly but they assist the main heater to warm the house overall much more quickly when people come in and out and in the mornings.They also make icy houses just a little better for those who need to get up to babies or children at night. with this heater on we tell guests to leave it on at all times and only have the other heaters ,say in the main lounge and kitchen during the mornings and evenings and to otherwise turn them off at night and when they go out. we also alert guests to bring raincoats and 'warm clothing ' as the weather suggests. They may arrive in bright sunshine and awaken with the shivers. We provide 'snuggle rugs' . guests from the city often find the cold a surprise but love any excuse to bring out their favourite woollens , so play it up. Forewarned is forearmed . sparkles ....H

[Huma0]

@Helen744 

Do you find that many guests follow these instructions, because I am struggling to get them to do some basic things like close curtains when it gets dark or put the draught excluder back in front of the door when they come in. I think that when it's not making a dent on their own wallet, this stuff doesn't even cross people's minds and, if they have the opportunity, they will just ramp up the heating instead. 

Last winter I had two couples staying who constantly complained their rooms were freezing. One of these would not let me come into the room to check the radiators, and said that they were hot but the room was still icy. This made no sense as those radiators really pump out heat and it's normally the warmest room in the house. I realised later that they were smoking in the bedroom at night and opening the windows, thereby letting out all heat from the evening and then expecting me to have the heating blasting overnight.

The other couple did not smoke, but when I went to check their room, I realised that one of the windows was slightly open (not obvious at first as there are shutters). They swore they had not touched the window, but seeing as I always dust the shutters and window sills etc. between guests and lock the windows because the room is on the first floor, there is no way that window was open when they checked in.

If people can't even close a window when they are 'freezing', what hope is there of getting them to do anything else to keep the heat in?

[Helen744]

I definitely agree with you about this Huma0. the trick i think is to have the room warm before arrival and the house and then to really point out how this happens and what they 'must do ' every time. It would be a time when I feel little signs would be needed. Have you turned the heat down if you are out for more than half an hour? when they come back , have you put the draft excluders in place.? If they have not then ask them to come down stairs and do so , be grumpy about it . Tell them that it affects everyone and that although you heat the house all of the heat can be lost very quickly. some people always sleep with a window open ,ask them if they do and point out that they cannot do this if it is very cold and make the ciggy smoking part of this agenda, tell them about needing to smoke at all times ,outside and that there is no accomodation inside for this ,especially in cold weather. also tell them if they open a window the room will not be able to heat up and they risk being very cold . Good luck . I bought some really cute  draught excluders or 'snakes ' as we call them . They have cats and dogs heads...   electric blankets are always well appreciated too as many people do not use them anymore as they expect instant heat   H

[Huma0]

@Helen744 thanks for the tips. Luckily, I control the central heating thermostat and timer. I don't let guests touch these at all. I have had some guests turn off the radiators in their rooms though and then complain about it being cold. Doh. 

Also, the guests are absolutely not allowed to smoke in the bedrooms and they are well aware of it. They are really stupid if they think I won't notice just because they've opened the window. 

Of course, some people will open the windows for fresh air. One guest was opening the big French doors in the living room every morning and letting all the heat out. She would even leave them open when she had finished using the room. Meanwhile, the other guest is freezing. I told her to stop and she did. I simply explained that if she kept leaving the doors open, I would be turning the heating off altogether as I wasn't willing to pay £thousands to heat the garden.