CANCELED RESERVATION YET AIRBNB ALLOWS A MANIPULATIVE BAD GUEST TO REVIEW

[Konstantino0]

Just a few days ago there was an opening for a one day booking which it was book through another booking platform. Unfortunately the calendar havent synced yet in AirBnB (typical) and a mysterious guy send me a guestion to book the place for that one night and he was asking for cancellation policy to book the place for next day. Due to the fact i was away with family for Easter holidays and up in the mountains my wifi and 4G’s weren’t working properly but i was able to have a slow connection.

checked my booking platforms and saw that the room was already booked hours ago so i have warned this guest that our cancellation policy is up to a week before check in day (answering his question) and that the room is no more available.

Tried to see the block day was impossible because it couldn’t load the calendar on my Airbnb app.

half hour later this guy managed to book the place despite the fact that I already informed him about it.

Then a conversation between me and him followed that required really strong nerves....

Explaining to him that I cannot accommodate him and that i asked from Airbnb support to cancel the reservation and fully refund him (WHICH AIRBNB  NEVER RESPONDED UNTIL NEXT MORNING) what a partner service... the worst service i have ever encounter from any booking platform on my 7 years as a host, he went  to a total monster!

He was repeatedly asking for his refund and i of course explaining him that I have requested to be refunded in full and that if AirBnB couldn’t help i my self would refund him through his bank account. But NO. This guy was determined to bring hell to us. He started saying that we are the worst, we ruined his day and his plans (remember that he booked for just one day and for the next day ahead) what plans exactly?

Anyway. As a professional, having no

response from AirBnB support for hours i have decided to help this guy by asking from another host nearby who we help each other and we regularly cooperate, to offer his available a

response from AirBnB support for hours i have decided to help this guy by asking from another host nearby who we help each other and we regularly cooperate, to offer his available apartment for a day. Here i want to say that this guy have booked a studio apartment at a very low price and we offered to put him at a Luxury 2 bedroom apartment right on the beach where it normally costs €190 per night.

I have send him pictures, location and instructions for it and he accepted it.

BUT... that was the beginning of a total HELL of questions that only a guest who would be staying for 2 weeks would ask. Cleaning service, food,  several comforts and absurd requests !

we were polite but furious with him. He was extremely manipulative over the phone and he was randomly threatening me for an extremely bad review if he didn’t had what he wanted.

he even suggested me to pay him a 5 star hotel...

Needless to say that i was very professional with him and trying to make him understand but he was keep being abusing. AirBnB support was non existent! Nobody was responding!

he was calling for requests even at 2:00 o’clock after midnight.

In the norning and after 15+ messages i have send to AirBnB since the previous day the AirBnB found my messages requesting help from an unwanted guest, they canceled the reservation and fully refunded the guest! Finally!

Then he immediately called me at 7:00am to ask for explanations!

I said to him that even though AirBnB canceled the reservation and fully refunded him we are still willing to help him but because he was refunded he could pay us upon arrival (YES! IN THE SAME AMOUNT HE WOULD PAYED IN AIRBNB) I am a good guy! Bad habit! But i am also a professional...

And of course he started being even more abusive! He demanded a free accommodation now and threatened to cause us problems via AirBnB...

Well... that was it! We had enough. A limit must be set in order to keep our dignity solid.

Politely i have said to him how extremely rude he is and how unacceptable behavior he was having and that he is not anymore accepted to our facilities and tgat we no longer want to help with his accommodation. We were forced to block him from calling us. The guy has serious issues i must say.

Thankfully the reservation was canceled and the guy received his full refund.

But here’s when our dear partners AirBnB came to do their miracle...

Later on the day a notification came to me that tge canceled reservation is now allowed to review the accommodation!

Oh yes!!! AirBnB is a seriously disturbed platform with no logic! They now allow this totally disturbed person to review our apartments even though his reservation has been canceled and fully refunded.

We have never accommodate this person, he is fully refunded and now we are fully exposed to receive a “poisonous” review from such a person!

Asking explanations from Airbnb about it they treated me like a robot.

“Due to last minute cancellation the system assumes that the reservation is made”

Of course on the reservation list, this resetthe system clearly states that it was CANCELED yet stills allows me and him to make a review for the next 14 days.

AirBnB will DO NOTHING about it as clear statement towards me even though i was telling them that their handling of the situation is totally false and unprofessional.

I had never had a bad review which I believe,if a ever had, then I’ll take it and accept it if a guest comes and feels unsatisfied. I am totally fine with it!

But what if a manipulative and seriously disturbed (NEVER BEEN MY GUEST) person with a CANCELED reservation by AirBnB itself is allowed to leave a review to damage the fine reputation of our property (AS HE ALREADY THREATENED HUNDREDS OF TIMES VIA PHONE)??

Where must i seek my right as a Host when my business partner, AirBnB, doesn’t give a **bleep** for you and simply gives way to a bad person to spill his poison over a review for a non existent reservation?

I have never realized how BAD customer service AirBnB has until now. Its ultimately THE WORST!!!

[Dale711]

Hi @Konstantino0 
Welcome to community 😊
I agree with you! 'The review system doesn't make sense!'
And it's out of your hands!

I've over dozen of untrue, unfair, and revenge reviews.

As the review are the backbone of Airbnb's community and maintain that structure, Airbnb has guidelines to ensure all reviews are fair, honest, and relevant to the guest travel and experience.
Airbnb's default position is not to delete, censor, or edit reviews. By that means, Airbnb may remove a review only if it violates Airbnb Review guidelines.

You may click the link below for more information:
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/13
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2673
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/546

You can always be a response to the public of the untrue review.
Report to Airbnb to remove it if it violated the review guidelines.

[Elena87]

@Konstantino0 

Each and every regular reader here on the community pages knows that due to regulatory demands, airbnb allow reviews from guests when a booking is cancelled by the host close to check-in time.

It's a one size fits all review policy, so illogically,  markings on cleanliness and check-in come in to play even though the guest hasn't been anywhere near your place. 

Airbnb are well aware of this already without offering any alternatives, so your experience isn't shedding light on a newly discovered issue.

You will have to wait now to see if a review is made before deciding your next step.

Hopefully no review will be left, and case closed.

Overall though, it sounds like a lesson learned in knowing when to disengage.

[Mary996]

Guests who cancel are not entitled to leave Reviews. That is policy.

But due to your unfortunate oversight the Guest booked a space which you had available but cancelled last minute. So this is a Host cancellation which is notifiable to other Guests.

[Carolyn693]

Hi Mary

Short story. Guest booked in March for initial stay in April. Guest put through a change request for April to June stay. Lockdown in Queensland. Guest had to cancel as they couldnt travel. Full refund provided by me the host, even though I have a strict cancellation policy. The guest did not check in. The review process was released by Airbnb, despite the fact that verbally and in writing Airbnb said their would be no review process as the guest cancelled.

Can you stear me to the information on Airbnb where is very clearly states that if a guest cancels the guest is not entitled to leave a review.

Thanks so much.

You can imagine im pretty upset with Airbnb.

Cheers from Australia

Carolyn

[Sarah977]

@Carolyn693 What Mary said is not correct. If the guest cancels within 24 hours of check-in, the review prompts are sent. I don't see any bad review on your profile- are you just worried that the guest might leave one?

I've never been in this situation myself, but if I were, I would message the guest "Hi XX, it's a rather strange policy, but if a guest cancels within 24 hours of their check-in, both hosts and guests are given the option to review. Since you didn't stay, I have nothing to review you on, so I plan to ignore the review prompt, and assume you will, too." 

[Helen3]

I'm sorry you had such a difficult experience with this guest @Konstantino0 

A few learning points for you and other hosts in this situation 

1- if you list on multiple platforms don't allow guests to make last minute bookings and use a STR channel manager software that instantly

syncs so you don't get double bookings 

2. have a local co-host when you are on holiday/away so they can manage things on the ground when you can't -if you had they could have manually blocked out the day on Airbnb and the double booking could have been avoided

3. in an emergency like this - don't wait for Airbnb to call you back get on the phone and stay on the phone until they cancel the double booking 

4) it was an error to offer the guest alternative much more expensive accommodation when you knew by his messages he wasn't a rational reasonable person.  Why continue to communicate with him when he was so abusive ? 

Airbnb will help guests in this situation find alternative accommodation and transfer their booking fee to the new booking

5) if you are using Airbnb to promote your STR business it's worth familiarising yourself with how it works a) never offer to refund guests directly b) in line with consumer legislation in the EU where you live and elsewhere- both hosts and guests have to be offered the opportunity to review if the booking is cancelled within 24 hours  of check-in ? 

let's hope this problematic person doesn't leave a review  or leaves one which breaks Airbnb's terms for reviews (you can look them up via the Airbnb Help  website) 

[Sarah977]

@Konstantino0  Sorry you had such a nutcase to deal with.

A few suggestions going forward in addition to what others have offered- 

Don't continue to engage with someone who isn't a reasonable person. You didn't block his calls until, as you say, he had threatened you hundreds of times. He should have been blocked and reported to Airbnb after the first threatening phone call.

If you are going to be away, where your ability to communicate with guests may be limited, snooze your listing so it isn't visible, so no one can book, and let your upcoming booked guests know you will be away for xx days and unable to answer messages, but not to worry, you'll answer as soon as you get back.

From how you describe this guy, I wouldn't get too worked up at this point about the review he might leave. I suspect he will come across as insane, so no one will take it seriously, and/or he will say things in the review that clearly violate the review policies and you will be able to have it removed. If not, I'd leave a simple response to his review, "This guest never stayed, the booking was cancelled before arrival, and he harrassed and threatened me with multiple phone calls."