ACCUSATION BY AIRBNBle

[Dan480]

Got an email from Lando in customer service stating that I had entered my rented home without permission and if it happened again, I would be kicked out of the Airbnb community.

A week before this message I had a guest "create an office" in my house and put my furniture in the open garage. I objected and the guest left the next day and also canceled the rest of his reservation. I had no need to enter the house and absolutely did not enter.

Since the Lando email I have talked to more than 10 customer service people (but not with Lando).

They sound really concerned at first but the next message i receive is only a copy of the Lando message.

I have even sent a registered, hand written letter to Brian Chesky asking to tell me why they think i did something wrong, without even receiving an acknowledgement.

Anybody have similar experiences?

 it feels wrong to be accused of misbehavior and not have any recourse. It put a very dark cloud over my opinion of Airbnb.

A little transparency might go a long way.

It's time for me to re-evaluate my connection with this badly run business 

[Emiel1]

@Dan480 

You can read more similar stories in this community and they seem to increase, which is something we should be concerned.

Airbnb CS seems to be functioning on the lowest level ever.

They should improve the service back to the former level, instead of launching "host boards" or similar window dressing features.

[Helen350]

@Dan480 It's YOUR home. You don't need permission to enter YOUR own home! - It's outrageous for Airbnb to be so controlling!. (But of course you didn't even enter....)

[Ute42]

.

@Dan480   

You are a retired airline pilot, You have 300 great reviews and here's what one of Your recent guests wrote about You:

• SUPERHOST is an understatement for Dan

And now a 22 year old customer service rep kid threatens You to be kicked out? What has this kid achieved in his or her life so far? = Working with airbnb CS.

@Helen350 @Emiel1 

[Katie]

@Ute42 great to see you supporting a fellow host here, but your comment on the customer service rep is very personal. A person's age and profession shouldn't be a means to make unkind comments about them, no matter their actions.

Please remember the CC guidelines when commenting, and I look forward to your continued contributions here on the Community 🙂

[Emiel1]

@Katie 

I do not agree.

The post of @Dan480  shows Airbnb CS level has come down to a degree it can not even be taken serious anymore.

That is what @Ute42  is expressing here also and i support it 100%. IMHO there is no violation of commmunity guidelines, but looking forward to your further explanation  :>)

[Phoenix14]

@Emiel1 @Dan480 @Ute42

Speaking the truth and highlighting Airbnb's flaws and failures = violation of community guidelines. 

[Sarah977]

There was nothing "very personal" about Ute's comment. It was a general comment about the kind of attitude hosts experience on a daily basis with Airbnb's ill-trained staff. Most hosts are far older, with far more life experience, than the CS reps we encounter. Maybe when you are older you'll understand why it's infuriating to have someone who's barely out of high school being given the power to threaten to destroy your business.

@Katie

[Dan480]

@Ute42 ,@Katie

Hello Katie,

I think Helen was not denigrating to any one person.

The issue she is referring to is that the decisions that are made by some airbnb representatives sometimes seem juvenile, lacking experience.

Not unlike your attack on Ute.

We are here at airbnb to enjoy meeting great guests and make positive life experiences.

Airbnb is the go-between, the facilitator. Don't forget that we can "cut out the middle man".

It is a relatively new Business and it would benefit all of us if we could contribute in the decision making as hosts. Us Hosts are in the trenches and many growing Companies' generals are likely to lose contact with the soldiers and their needs.

My personal issue is that airbnb seems to think the customer (guest) is always right. Well, THE HOSTS are your customers too.

After approaching my problem with airbnb  from many different angles, and getting  the exact same unfulfilling and incorrect cut and paste answer, I tend to agree with Ute.

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is at the very least a lack of experience.

There needs to be an independent body to judge differences between hosts and airbnb.

My experience is that the fox is in charge of the hen house here.

From your answer to Ute, I gather that you are not an independent moderator

[Katie]

Thank you for your comments @Emiel1 @Phoenix14 @Sarah977 @Dan480.

I'm happy to elaborate on what the issue is with @Ute42's comment here: 

And now a 22 year old customer service rep kid threatens You to be kicked out?

In this case, a person's age is not relevant to the way that they do their job, and the inclusion of this comment is unnecessary. The assertion that someone is 'ill-trained' or 'lacking experience' is of course acceptable, as it comments on the facts we have at hand, and does not discriminate based on the person's age. 

What has this kid achieved in his or her life so far? = Working with airbnb CS.

The tone of this comment is also discriminatory: it's not kind to belittle someone for their achievements, or as is implied here, the lack thereof, and it's certainly not acceptable to look down on someone for their profession.

There are plenty of topics here in the Community that make complaints about CS experiences: you'll notice that criticism of Airbnb is most definitely allowed here, and we welcome constructive comments on how to improve hosts' experiences.

Of course, I also understand that everyone is frustrated with the situation here, and I quite agree that from the information that has been presented, there seems to have been some poor decisions made, but this does not make it acceptable to make discriminatory comments.

Maintaining a basic level of respect for others is what keeps this Community a welcoming and resourceful place for all, and it is our job as Community Managers to ensure that this is the case. 

[Clara116]

@Catherine-Powell  please read this post! 

Thanks....we know you are working to help us make changes that help hosts. 

[Cathie19]

Well done @Clara116 . You beat me to the tagging of Catherine! 

[Katie]

Well done for highlighting this @Clara116 @Cathie19.

@Dan480 we've flagged this with Catherine and her team, and we'll come back to you once we have more info 😊

[Clara116]

@Katie thanks for responding....gives us hope!

[Catherine-Powell]

@Clara116  thank you for alerting me to this issue.

@Dan480 I'm sorry to hear about your experience here. I have spoken to the team and I will send you a direct message with some more information shortly.