Airbnb Host Tried to Extort Me and Airbnb Misses the Point

[Lucy700]

I received a message from the host saying that if I gave him five stars he would give me five stars. I wrote back to say that I could give him four stars because of a few issues. He retaliated by posting a review that said my sister and I had Ieft the room a mess, that the trash was overflowing, and there were "booze" bottles in the trash. Of course, we had not left the room a mess, there was only one trashcan and we filled it (we did a lot of shopping and had large bags to throw away) but it was not overflowing, and we had two bottles of wine. I left a small bottle of Knob Hill with 1/3 left on the table. 

I complained about his behavior with Airbnb and I got an email back saying that they had reviewed his review of me and found that it didn't violate any of their commenting rules.  This misses the point.  If he has made this kind of a deal with previous guests, as I imagine he has, their reviews people are suspect. The room we stayed in was fine but it was by no means as excellent as the reviews he has gotten. And, he will continue doing this to future guests. 

[Emiel1]

@Lucy700 

"You are not allowed to incentivize positive reviews, to use the threat of a negative review to manipulate a desired outcome, or to influence another’s review with the promise of compensation."

Quoted from:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/13/how-do-reviews-work-for-stays

[Lucy700]

That makes sense, but a rule is only good if you apply it. Airbnb has not given me the impression they are going to investigate my complaint. For this reason, I assume that they will not investigate and the host's conduct will continue. 

[Dale711]

@Lucy700 

I am so sorry to hear about your experience and completely understand how you feel.

In fact, you're doing well and absolutely correct!

"Today, David offered to give me five stars if I gave him five stars. I explained that we could give him four stars because there were no plates, silverware or cups. He is now retaliating for the four stars."

"My only caveat is that there were no basics like silverware, cups, or plates. The description did not say we should expect them, but when you are flying in you won't bring any of that with you. So, all in all, the room was a good value, and if you are flying in plan to bring a few things with you."

As you have clearly stated in the public response and in the host review.

In my personal experience, Airbnb’s review policy guides hosts and guests to write reviews that are relevant and will help the community make informed booking decisions. Airbnb will examine the content of this review, but it did not identify any violations of Airbnb policy. Airbnb is unable to remove the review from the Airbnb website. 

As you posted an accurate response to the review to warn other guests.

For your reference, here’s a link t the review policy:

www.airbnb.com/help/article/2673    

[Kia272]

OMG @Lucy700 , you CANNOT ding a host for not providing something that is NOT included in the listing! Think about it for a second- it's so unfair! It is your job to review the details of the listing and to expect only what is provided. If something that is supposed to be provided is not, or is not functioning properly, you have options for resolution -first via the host, and then through AirBnB. 

But you cannot do what you have done, which is ding the host for not giving you something you wanted but that he had no obligation to provide. 

I'm sorry you had issues with your stay, but it sounds like the hosts initially went out of their way to let you modify your reservation. I don't know what went wrong from that point, but obviously there was some tension. 

It is not right for the host to offer a 5 star review exchange, but you condemned the host for no valid reason. You are responsible for being aware of what amenities the listing offers. Had you needed the garbage emptied, a simple message asking the host what to do would have been the way to go. Perhaps you need to rethink how you handled this situation. I'm not saying the host is blameless, but neither are you. Kia