Editing review left after AirBNB host lied about damage (a week after I left a negative review)

[Braunson1]

I'm looking to edit an existing review that was left which outlined some of the negative things at a location we stayed, since we left the review first after notifying the host of the issues where she tried to bribe us to not put anything negative (and in this case not to be honest) about her location so she could maintain the "superhost" badge. I was still honest, left a polite review but still outlines some issues that need to be resolved.

Then after 5 days of my review (and my stay, we're taking a week after the stay when she supposedly the next day "checked the apt for damage, etc"), the host then puts her review saying we did damage to some blinds while we were there (which absolutely did not happen). Then she left a negative review.  I could go into more detail.

AirBNB support for whatever reason side with this host making the damage up and I'm force to pay for damage I did not do. So the host tries to bribe people (with some discount later on at her location) and if they don't follow through will wait until they leave a review and leave a negative one then claim damage. The response from support was pretty much "pay the damage" or risk having your next booking dropped at any point just before it which is pretty sh!tty if you ask me. How am I suppose to prove there was no damage without taking video and photos of every **bleep** thing in the apartment?

Apparently AirBNB support this and as a new user (I have one previous 5 star stay) to AirBNB leaves a bad taste in out mouth. I don't think I'll use AirBNB for personal or business after my next (already-booked) trip if this how they treat their users/customers. Absolutely appalling.

[Sarah977]

@Braunson1  Reviews can't be edited once they are published, and I'm not sure what you would want to edit if your review was honest. I'm glad you didn't go along with the host's extortion attempts to not leave an honest review- that is such an unacceptable thing to do and reviews should always be honest, otherwise they are pointless.

Here is what I would do if I were in this situation. First of all, do not agree to pay for damage you did not do. Pay no attention to some nebulous message from Airbnb about it  affecting your future bookings.

However, this is an experienced host with good reviews, so it seems odd and rather unbelievable that she would falsely accuse you of damage just because you said it wasn't clean when you arrived, but also noted that the host did come rectify the situation. It's possible to damage something without realizing it, you know. Not all damage is purposeful or due to bad behavior. If there were more people staying with you than just yourself, it's quite possible that one of them damaged the blinds without you being aware of it.

The host actually left you a good review. What you are referring to as a review is a response to your review. However, a host's response appears on the host's review page, not on yours. So future hosts will never see it unless they cross-reference reviews.

Aside from the issue that you say she has accused you of damage falsely, the host's response seems quite professional and reasonable. If she did actually come over and deal with the cleaning , why did you feel it necessary to detail all the cleaning issues? 

Neither hosts nor guests are perfect- the important thing is that when there is an issue, it gets suitably dealt with. People need to cut each other a bit of slack if it's obvious that someone has tried to make things right. 

[Braunson1]

Unfortunately I had to pay or "risk" as AirBNB put it, having my future bookings cancelled. Since everything was already booked for the next one including flights for multiple family members in different locations I didn't want the surprise of a last minute cancelation for accommodations on this trip and then have to scramble for alternate accommodations close to or the day of the flight. 

We brought up the concerns to the host to which (being our second AirBNB stay ever) we should have brought up and contacted AirBNB immediately (hindsight right). The host did not come over and deal with the issue. 

The issue here is the host tried to bribe us to not mention ANYTHING in the review, and when we did, waited to leave the review you saw and then file a claim of some damage which never actually happened. The hold told us that she "checks the space after each visit right after they leave". But then somehow waited 5+ days to report this damage (which looks to be after another user stayed there since she had a booking immediately after us). Then have AirBNB expect me to provide proof we didn't do damage. How can I do that if nothing was damaged without photographing every single inch of the space?

All in all, I'm more frustrated how AirBNB handled this situation with the damage, even with proof of texts/messages and the 5+ day delay reporting damage (after they already had another user stay there).

[Anonymous]

@Braunson1 Everything @Sarah977 said x2.

You can't edit a review once it's published (that would defeat the whole purpose of the double blind system). But as the author of the review, you may ask Airbnb to delete it altogether. 

This would have no effect on the damage claim dispute, which is a separate issue. It's plausible that the claim was purely retaliation for your review, but her statement does sound credible. Asking to change an honest review to make it more negative sounds like the more nakedly vengeful move. 

[Braunson1]

That what I understood, however what's interesting is that I was told by an AirBNB support rep that I could request the review be edited (to which I did and have not heard back). I believe the damage claim was retaliation for my review, how AirBNB support couldn't see it was also based on the messages/texts and ~5 day delay between her checking the location and then reporting it is questionable.

I simply wanted to only add to the review that a bogus damage claim was made only after my review was left. 

[Sarah977]

@Braunson1  Most of the customer service reps  are clueless, don't even know Airbnb policy and routinely give out erroneous information.

A review cannot be edited once it is published. 100% not. 

If that was allowed, users would be constantly editing their posts due to something that happened after the stay, whether it be a damage claim, a user sending nasty messages, or seeing that the other party left a critical review. 

That would make the whole review process pointless, as it is supposed to represent  an honest appraisal of a user's experience during a stay.

Being able to edit a review after the fact would be like a teacher giving a student an A on an essay, because it deserved an A, then changing it to a D a week later because the teacher overheard the student saying something nasty about them in the hallway.

It goes the other way, too. Sometimes a host leaves a guest a good review without checking over the property thoroughly, only to realize the guest has stolen or destroyed something, but the host can't change the review.

[Helen744]

Helen@744 It to me is apalling that the review system can set host against guest . I do not think this guest should have asked anything of you but often hosts just 'suck it up ' especially just before review time . Which was about a week ago. A bad review is one thing but a revengeful review will destroy that hosts business without the guest really being aware. If the house was not clean in what way was this apparent and location should have been clear when u chose to stay at the house . did u read the rules and did you speak with the host before journeying Was the host aware of your arrival time . Every guest needs to be cleaned up after and sometimes the time between bookings is a bit short . If you said you were arriving at such and such a time and then decided to rturn up two hours earlier then maybe that was cleaning time but if u tell me you will turn up at four and then decide to turn up at two then I need to tell u if the place is not yet ready. Maybe something like that happened . Hosts operate at times on a tight schedule of cleaning and deep cleaning takes a lot longer and guests are a lot fussier about hairs wheras they should be concerned about doorknobs.H.

[Helen744]

Sorry I mean" host' in first line

[Sandra126]

Risk having your next booking dropped? What does that even mean?

[Braunson1]

This is the second time posting this message since it seems to have been removed by AirBNB.

I was told after AirBNB sided with the lying host that if I didn't pay the ransom (cost to repair supposed damage) I would likely risk having any other future bookings canceled at any time. 

Since I had another booking for months in advance (June), with everything already being paid for (flights, transportation, rentals, etc) and other family coming I really didn't want to get surprised when AirBNB cancels my booking right before or worse yet the day of my flight across the country to said booking then have to scramble to find accommodations for 6+ people last minute.

As I'm a fairly new AirBNB user with nothing but previous 5 start reviews from hosts, seeing how AirBNB lets this disgusting behavior go on with hosts and how they treat the users, I will no longer be using them for personal or business moving forward. Absolutely disgusting. behavior from a company.

[Sarah977]

@Braunson1  Airbnb didn't remove your post- posts only get removed by the forum moderators for profanity, personal attacks, spam, that sort of thing, and only when a post gets reported by other posters for such things. No one from Airbnb is monitoring the posts here.

It's just a tech annoyance on this forum that posts sometimes "time-out" before you hit Reply, and disappear into cyberspace.

I think that what Airbnb meant by that message about future bookings being cancelled was not that Airbnb would cancel them, but that if you Instant Booked something, and a host then saw that you had a review saying you damaged sonething, that the host might be wary and cancel your booking. However, as I mentioned before, the host's response appears on their review page, not yours, so at this point, you just have 2 good reviews showing on your profile.

Guests refuse to pay for damages all the time and it doesn't seem to affect their ability to book in the future, so I'm not sure why Airbnb would find some damage claims credible and tell the guest they have to pay, and in other cases not try to force the guest to pay at all.

[Braunson1]

Not sure where it went, it was in response to your post above (same text as I managed to post again).

Thanks Sarah. I paid the ransom as it was only ~$32 but will think three times before using AirBNB in the future.