Abuse reviews, here we go again!

[Robin4]

Airbnb have stated they are going to take affirmative action against abuse reviews in relation to their party ban policy!

Well there you go, a bit more 'froth and bubble'! Why on earth did they stop there?

The reason they stopped there is because it addresses the only review abuse option that could impact on Airbnb itself, it does nothing to address review abuse options which could affect nearly all of us hosts on a day to day basis. 

1/......The guest stay has commenced, the guest cancels and wants a full refund which the host does not want to grant......Bingo, a 1 star revenge review!

2/.....The host lodges a damage claim which the guest disputes.......Bingo, a 1 star revenge review!

3/.....The host requests the guest leave due to house rules violations......Bingo, a 1 star revenge review!

4/.....The guest tries to blackmail the host over some misconception which the host won't accept.......Bingo, a 1 star revenge review!

We have to fight every one of those scenarios and in most instances we will be told the review must stand. The only scenario that Airbnb are now prepared to take action is the revenge review that is subject to a party booking! Once again they are protecting themselves from outside scrutiny while throwing their hosts out to dry!

Every host has to deal with a revenge review at some point in their hosting career. Most hosts like me will never have to deal with a party issue because our listings do not attract party bookings so, we are never going to have to address that issue.

If Airbnb are going to act on 'abuse' reviews, for Chr*st sake act on them for the benefit of the hosting community, not just single out the one thing that will make Airbnb look as though they are doing something positive when in actual fact they are still leaving hosts at the mercy of rogue guests!

Cheers........Rob

[Sarah977]

@Angelica-Y-Jorge0   Respectful guests have no reason to object to a real security deposit, because they would feel confident that they would have it credited back to them.

Those who object to a security deposit are likely those who have reason to fear losing it. So if those guests book through some other platform that doesn't require it, I think that's just fine.

[Angelica-Y-Jorge0]

@Sarah977 I think there are many more reasons people may struggle with security deposits such as affordability. If a large security deposit is held and it takes money away from a guest's vacation they may not be able to enjoy it. I would hate to lose an amazing guest because of a reason like this.

Most guests are amazing in my experience there is a very small percentage of bad guests but those are the ones we hear about.

[Sarah977]

@Angelica-Y-Jorge0   Yes, I've never had a bad guest myself and people don't tend to post to say that sort of thing- they post when they have an issue.

It seems to me that places that have a large security deposit would be places that are already on the high end. So guests who book that sort of place aren't poor. And they are likely homes that sleep a large number of guests, so that security deposit can be split between all the guests.

I just don't buy it that good guests won't book because a security deposit is actually held. If it puts a place beyond their budget, then I would question how they had the money to travel in the first place.

[Emilia42]

A further thought to add to both @Sarah977 and @Angelica-Y-Jorge0 's points; a security deposit would not actually be "collected." It would be an authorization on the guest's credit card. Like hotels do. When you check into a hotel, your credit card is authorized for a specific amount to check if the funds are available in case the hotel needs to charge against them. When you check out the funds are released in a few days. You will see a pending authorization if you access your card balance but other than that you may not even noitce. For someone with a lot of available credit, it would be no big deal. Those using a debit card may have issues. 

[Colleen253]

@Emilia42 Does Airbnb actually even place that hold on your cc as a guest? I'm skeptical, but you would know, as an experienced Airbnb guest.

[Emilia42]

@Colleen253 

No, they don't. Once the reservation is paid in full you are done and done. 

If they did, in my eyes, that would be the "security deposit." 

[Sarah977]

@Emilia42  @Colleen253 

A few years ago I had a guest, not an Airbnb newbie, who told me she had had her account hacked at one point, so she no longer kept her credit card info on the site. She would upload it when she needed to make a booking, then remove it again when her bookings were over. When she left, she asked me to please leave a review as soon as possible, so she could pull her credit card info again.

It seems that she couldn't delete that info until after the reviews were left. I don't think she just came up with that on her own, there must have either been some instructions to guests to that effect or she had been told that when she went through that account hack.

In other words, there seems to have been either a credit card hold or restriction on deleting the cc info at some point in Airbnb land, until the stay was over and no damages had been claimed.

She and I still keep in touch a bit, so next time we email, I'm going to ask her to clarify that.

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  I think the point at which Airbnb would allow removal of payment details is when the window for filing a damage claim has closed. As with reviews, that is 14 days from the checkout date. I'm not sure how your guest got the idea that writing a review shortens that window, as you can still initiate a claim after reviewing.

[Sarah977]

@Anonymous  I don't know either, I'll ask her next time we communicate. It's a mystery to me, too. She didn't explain it at the time, and I didn't ask for clarification, as at that point in my hosting career I wasn't even aware that Airbnb doesn't hold a security deposit. 

She just said she wanted to pull her cc info so would I please leave a review sooner rather than later, as if once both parties left a review, she could do that.

[Anonymous]

@Emilia42 A pre-authorization or hold is a functionality that isn't supported by a lot of payment methods used internationally, so for a global platform it would be a non-starter. A refundable deposit charged in full at the time of booking would be a viable option, though there would probably have to be a low ceiling. 

[Dora466]

I had an experience with Airbnb , a guest made over two thousand damages in my property, dogs ate two dining  chairs, and ruin sofa completely, after three month airBnb gave back deposit I lost. I had prove, pic, witnesses, etc. to no avail. 

[Jason-and-Carolina0]

We fully agree, yet what is Airbnb without a host? We open our private home and personal property to strangers with the simple understanding that they should honor our home and expectations. Don’t like them, don’t book!

And the “security deposit”? Don’t even get me started! It is misleading at best and fraudulent at worst. It needs to change, along with a handful of other flukes, flaws, bugs and policies. 

Airbnb! Please listen to your hosts and work with us to improve the user experience for both sides... its

mutually beneficial and will solidify the platform while rewarding all involved...

A super host of 2.5 years, with over 200 reviews and a 4.96 rating...  

[Robin4]

@Jason-and-Carolina0 

The whole review system is a disaster! At best it gives a totally unrealistic view of the stay/hosting experience because both host and guest don't want to upset each other so, we do not give or receive a well balanced review! We each get a review which will do the least amount of damage to the other to protect ourselves. Lots of 3 and 4 star reviews turn into 5's simply because most of us are nice people and don't want to upset the other. Airbnb are somewhat unique in that, where the review system is concerned, they encourage failure!

At worst the guest has enormous leverage over the host because hosts will give in to anything to prevent that revenge review. 

There are a dozen scenarios that I can think of that will contribute to a revenge review, but Airbnb have chosen to address just one.......that is just not fair or reasonable!

I can't find it now but there was a post here a couple of years ago  from a host who received a 2 star overall review! The reason he received that star rating was, the guest was subjected to considerable inconvenience because the property wasn't where they wanted it. The guest volunteered that their budget would not stretch to a listing in the area they ideally wanted so, they booked a property they could afford in an area that involved considerable expense to get where they wanted to be!

Why is this the hosts fault? How was the host expected to make up for the fact that the guest was a skinflint, and cop a 2 star!

Another revenge review revolved around the fact that the guest thought he was getting 4 bedrooms instead of 2! What was the host expected to do, say...." Sorry we did not have time to engage a builder to tack those extra couple of rooms onto the end of the house that you thought you were going to get"!!!! 

Revenge reviews are a curse that the hosting community have to deal with every day, and in years of complaining Airbnb have done nothing to solve this problem. 

If the host reviews a guest poorly and gives a less than stellar review, the guest can complain and the review will be removed......we have seen that dozens of times.

If it works for the guest, why can't it work for hosts as well in something other than a party situation.....why are we simply cannon fodder?

https://www.airbnb.com.au/resources/hosting-homes/a/dispute-reviews-from-guests-who-violate-our-part...

This is nothing more than an insult to hosts!

Cheers........Rob

[Fred13]

The designation that it pertains to only 'parties' will prove limiting, for then the argument will move to 'what constitutes a party?'. At least they are willing to recognize revenge reviews are a problem, the solution is not easy, because you are dealing with the general public.

Whatever system is in place, count on it, it will be abused by the lower rung of humanity.

[Roxanne77]

This. A month ago I had guests have a party on their last night of their stay and I submitted video evidence and receipt for extra cleaning and damage. I was paid by both the guest and out of the host guarantee but they left a retaliatory one-star review and AirBnB refused to take it down. It's infuriating when it's so obvious. They told me to just respond to that review professionally. I did. We are still getting bookings but I lost SuperHost by .2 points because of it. It seemed like such a no brainer to take it down. IT MAKES AIRBNB LOOK BAD, not just hosts or guests.