Confusing Review......all 5-stars except the overall rating, that was 4-stars

[Peter1354]

Dear Fellow Hosts,

Curious about the how I ended up with a 4-star overall rating when everything was 5-stars. Maybe someone can explain, as I've no idea. I attached a couple of screenshots for reference. 

Maybe I'me being judged against some mystery criteria, like the time I was criticized for the sun going down too early, and the house casting a shadow on the pool in the early evening 🙄

Airbnb should get rid of the Overall Rating, as I don't think many people know how to use it and in cases like this are detrimental to all the hard work we, Chih and I, have put into making this a really nice Airbnb. Honestly, you give people more than 4-5 choices and they automatically go into decision constipation which leads to just picking random answers, anything to be done 🤣

Cheers,
Peter

[Anonymous]

@Peter1354   This is one of the most frequent topics here, and one very sharp veteran host discovered a detail that was news to many of us:  if the guest submits an Overall star rating but doesn't input any stars for the individual category ratings, they each automatically default to 5 stars. How weird is that?

That's not to say that this is what's happening 100% of the time. Sometimes a guest will leave an aberrant Overall rating because the issue they had doesn't fit into any of the subcategories Airbnb asks them to rate. For example, a guest who found the bed uncomfortable, disliked the home decor, clashed with the neighbors, or thought it was too hot or loud at night, might regard their experience as less-than-perfect but have no problem with the accuracy, cleanliness, communication etc.  

Of course, none of us here can see into the mind of your guest, so if the rating is really stuck in your craw, all you can really do is write a private message to ask how you could have improved their stay to provide a 5 star experience. I can't understate how totally awkward that would be. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is accept that a perfect score is not the baseline standard in a sane world, and the vast majority of people still believe that 4 stars means "very good" and not "total failure." The problem is not the guests - it's just Airbnb's endless campaign to make hosts submissive to the algorithm rather than our own business sense.

[Peter1354]

@Anonymous Thank you for your reply and information. I fully realize that 4 stars is not a failure, however we live on the property and work hard to make our home one of the best places to stay on the island. Does that mean we always get it right, no, however, we do get right more that 1 in 5 times.

I did as you suggested and sent the guest a short and polite note asking what we could have done to get a 5-star review. I was told that the stay was 'okay' and that 'nothing is perfect' and 'best not to be greedy'....WOW!!

If this is a such a hot topic, I fail to see why Airbnb don't address it? Maybe Airbnb thinks we all will fail if it were not for them and that gives them the power to do what they want?

Anyway, must dash.

[Anonymous]

@Peter1354   Many, many hosts have been complaining about it for years, Airbnb has heard it loud and clear. But they've carefully engineered the very anxiety that's kept hosts fixated on star ratings out of all proportion to their value. So from their perspective, the complaints are a sign that it's working.

Why would they do a thing like this? Well, for starters, hosts who are scared of getting lower ratings are far less likely to file a legitimate damage claim or enforce their House Rules. They're likelier to behave as though Airbnb is their boss, rather than a tool they use for their business. And to a lesser extent, guests absorb some residual social pressure to overrate Airbnb's inventory. I've felt that myself as a guest - I've given dishonest 5 star ratings to just-barely-acceptable stays because even mediocre hosts take it as an act of violence if you don't give them perfect ratings, and I didn't want to deal with the drama.

The system was not designed to benefit us in any way, and I don't think that's going to change. No matter what person or company we do business with, we have to keep clear heads about where our own best interests diverge from theirs.

[Peter1354]

@Anonymous We used to own a small bakery just outside San Fransisco, and there YELP is designed to do the same thing. YELP have trained business owners to live in fear of the dreaded bad review and like Airbnb, poor reviews carry significantly more weight than good ones. 

Have you, as a host, left guests a glowing review, instead of being truthful?

I am on the fence about leaving anymore guest reviews, as I don't feel I have the latitude to be totally honest. We have had really nice guests who have stained sheets and towels and yet we suck it up and keeping smiling. We live on a small island and there is significant competition and being the host that slams guests is not going to get me more reservations. By the same token being a host who never says anything about guests is not a solution either. It's a fine line.

Take care and nice talking.

[Anonymous]

@Peter1354  I've never written a dishonest glowing review for a guest, but I've written generically positive reviews for people I didn't particularly click with as individuals but who caused me no problems. I try to just include details that other hosts would want to know to make an educated decision. Fortunately, I've had very few occasions that merited a truly scathing review, and I did not mince words.

For what it's worth, a review doesn't have to be categorically positive or negative to be useful. If I'm screening a guest, I don't care one bit whether they stained a towel years ago; what I'm looking for is that they represented themselves honestly, followed all the instructions, and treated the home and community with respect.

[Breighana0]

I had this happen and airbnb said it was because the guest left the category "respects house rules" blank.  They then said that the category "respects house rules" applies to every host and is not a glitch.

[Huma0]

@Anonymous 

I know this is an old thread, recently resurrected...

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@Anonymous wrote:

This is one of the most frequent topics here, and one very sharp veteran host discovered a detail that was news to many of us:  if the guest submits an Overall star rating but doesn't input any stars for the individual category ratings, they each automatically default to 5 stars. How weird is that?

---

I think you might be referring to me here (or maybe my ego is getting the better of me) and, if so, that information was definitely correct at the time that I created a thread about it, as I did look into it in some detail. The system then showed that the guest had left 5* in every category, when they had actually not rated those categories at all. That didn't mean that the ratings became 5*, rather they didn't count towards the average for those categories shown on the listing. It was only from the host end that it LOOKED like the guest had rated them 5*.

However, I was told more recently by an experienced host, who also travels fairly frequently as an Airbnb guest, that it is not the case anymore because guests now MUST fill in all the individual star categories during the review process. I don't know if that is true or not. I should have paid attention to this when I last stayed in an airbnb, which was a few weeks ago, but I didn't think about it at the time. 

If anyone else is about to review a listing, it would be great if you could let us know if you have to rate all the categories to proceed with the review or not.

[Dale711]

Hi @Peter1354 

Welcome to the community 😊

The review systems ‘it’s doesn't make sense! 

                                                                            and, it’s out of your hand! ‘ 

I have surrendered and buried it on the ground. ✌️

[Peter1354]

@Dale711 and Dan, thank you for your note. 

I needed to vent, so I did. Now I did a hole and stick it in the ground.

[Christine615]

i got the same. Great review, great communication - 5 stars in every category, then a 4 overall. Given that Airbnb evaluates hosts on ratings there is a significant disconnect on how they "classify" star ratings when guests are writing their reviews. They need to skip the overall rating and just average all the stars.

This is the second time I've had a rating like this. Irritating.

[Jennifer235]

Hi Peter:

I totally understand your frustration.   I got all 5 star ratings recently  which means I have done everything perfect and pleasing to my guests' stay.   And yet I got a  4 star overall value rating because I charged  a higher cleaning fee than other host.     The guests agreed to all the fees before they made the reservation and yet complained about it after their very happy stay (all 5 star ratings on other categories).  This is totally unfair to the host.  The host has done nothing wrong to deserve a 4 star rating.  In my opinion Airbnb should at least average all the ratings in all categories so at least host would get a 4.875 rating for example instead of 4 only.   I still remember back in the days when airbnb used to do that  and the hosts are happy about it because it is much fairer.   Catherine if you are reading this, please bring up this subject to your predecessors in your future meeting as I am  sure some of them would still remember those old policies which worked so well and hosts are very happy because they feel they are valued.   Thank you for listening and appreciate all you can do.       Maria 

[Sarah977]

@Jennifer235  You have to "tag" the people you are replying to or addressing, so they get a notification. Otherwise they may never see your post.

[Jennifer235]

Thanks Sarah for your help.

@Sarah977 

[Jennifer235]

Hi Peter:

@Peter1354 

@Catherine-Powell 

I am writing again because I forgot to tag you both so you will receive my message.

To Peter,  I totally understand your frustration.   I got all 5 star ratings recently which means I have done everything perfect and pleasing in my guests' eyes.   And yet I got a 4 star overall value rating because she said I charged a higher cleaning fee than other host.  The guests agreed to all the fees before they made the reservation and yet complained about it after their very happy stay (all 5 star ratings on other categories).  This is totally unfair to the host.  The host has done nothing wrong to deserve a 4 star rating.  In my opinion airbnb should at least average all the ratings in all categories so at least host would get a 4.875 rating for example instead of just 4.  Otherwise why would they ask guests to rate everything  and don't give hosts their  credit.   A little unethical don't  you think?   I still remember back in the days when they used that formula (averaging) and the hosts are happy about it because it is much fairer.  

Catherine , if you are reading this,  please bring up this subject in your future meeting and to your predecessors as I am sure some of them would still remember those old policies which worked so well and hosts are very happy because they feel they are valued.   Thank you for reading and appreciate for all you do.    Maria and @Jennifer235 @Peter1354  @Catherine-Powell