Hello,
This might be in a grey area, but how can I get AirBnB to remove a review that states false information? We have a new listing, but I am not new to hosting. We spent a lot to furnish the house, with plenty of amenities, a full kitchen with a complete set of cookware(I know, I've stayed there when I hosted my wedding party) - pots, pans, baking sheets, casserole dishes, large bowls, etc. I know we have some dirty windows that are hard to clean on the exterior, but I saw the house less than a week before the guests arrival and it was spotless. Their review states "the house was not so clean and it's a pretty old farmhouse".
I have scheduled messages going out two days before and the day after check in, as well as a message reminding guests about checkout procedure the day before checkout. The only message I received from the guest was asking us for "cooking bowls". My cohost responded and let them know we have an assortment of bowls in the house. When he went there to check on them, they were cooking in the oven with one of our baking sheets, yet their review states "The kitchen has plenty of plates, glasses, bowls but no cooking pan or bowls were there. So if you want to cook something you need to bring your own".
They also stated "There was a small lake behind the house that makes it more beautiful." There is no lake, not even a pond. There is a brook though..
Now, I know cleanliness levels could be subjective, but the house was very clean. Still, so maybe we didn't meet their standards, but they didn't state such when we reached out to them, and in addition they made factually false claims about our kitchen and the property(the lake comment). They didn't leave the place overly dirty, but they did swap bedding and pillow cases around, which was strange and bothersome.
Airbnb didn't ask for photos to confirm any of this, they're just standing behind the "this review doesn't violate our policy". I have continued to appeal the decision. This is only our second review and it's a 3/5 star which Airbnb's automated email is telling me puts us in the "bottom of Airbnb listings globally".
Are we really at the whim of the unsubstantiated, false claims the guests make?