Eyeball rolling reasons why guests give low ratings

[Kemi6]

Hello fellow hosts, 

What reasons have guests given you as what informed their decisions to leave a low rating, that have made you roll your eyes?  🙄

Let's share, so we can blow off some steam at some and smile at others.

So we can also draw strength from knowing we are not alone on this hosting journey. 

So here's mine: reason was there were not enough plug points. We have 7 plug points in that space (maximum legal requirement is 8), 5 of which are visible and available for use (they are all double socket plug points). How much plug points does one need????

Enjoy your day!! 😉

[Alex-And-Rhea0]

@Lawrene0 Hahaha! That's funny! Lucky it was private!

[Lawrene0]

I wouldn't have minded if it were public, @Alex-And-Rhea0 . The reviews that say, "You have to carry your own water!" and "The treehouse is small!" do me more good in weeding out prospective unsuited guests than the glowing reviews. "The songbirds were loud early in the morning!" would work in that vein. 🙂

I looked up chachalacas, @Sarah977 , and, wow, they are loud! Pretty cool, though.

[Jo615]

Well I guess that is a compliment to you if that is all they could think of to complain about lol 

[Sean433]

"Bathroom is quite small but very nice amenities like a rain-head shower and mirror defogger "

For a Two bedroom guest house where they spent $100 per night. $50 per person. You would see a bathroom of this luxury and size in a hotel that would charge $400 per night for a bachelor room. What can you do with thoughtless statements but shake them off? I used to really want to tell this to the guest but I don't anymore because I am sure they know that already but just have to leave some sort of negative remark for whatever reason.

[Frances41]

wow  wish I had that bath in my house!!

[Alex-And-Rhea0]

@Sean433 Hi! That is one fine bathroom, obviously is well cared, you're right tho', people are thoughtless,

no!  maybe they were jealous!?:)

[Sean433]

@Frances41 @Alex-And-Rhea0 

Thanks Alex. It is nicer than my own bathroom in the other unit of the home where I live. Thousands spent on someone else's enjoyment and yet they have to criticize. I think guests should put themselves in the shoes of hosts before writing a review. I think that help them realize what they are writing.

Alex, I am not sure what it is but I am pretty certain the bath at her house is not nearly as nice. In the summer I charge twice the price and never get such remarks. Just happy people. Maybe the nice weather and flowers lift up their spirits? I do think that high-end guests understand what it takes to operate a high-end home since they may own one themselves. But it is interesting to note that when I charge a higher price, I do not get such reviews. The class of people changes.

[Kemi6]

That is a beautiful bathroom!! @Sean433.

I not only rolled my eyes, I shook my head as well. 

[Jay495]

We have a little budgie parakeet. He lives on the other side of the house from the guest suite, but it's a very open layout. During the day, the guests can definitely hear him singing. Our guest dropped the rating because...well.. I'll just paste her feedback here:

"The only thing I would suggest, is maybe warning your guests that you have pets (specifically birds) in your home. My guest had a weird phobia of birds so it made it kinda difficult for her to relax."

I wonder what other unexpected phobias will cause a bad review... This guest also snuck in a 3rd person (we have a 2 guest limit). I can only assume this additional person was the one with the phobia. We did end up adding this information to the listing and have since gotten a few bookings accompanied with a message like "Can't wait to hear your little bird!" or similar.

[Alex-And-Rhea0]

@Jay495 Hi! I love it! A happy ending!  I would have charged them for the 3rd person, particularly with the 2 people limit.  It's good that you mentioned the bird tho', people can have allergies. I also would have mentioned that in my comment to them after their review that they shouldn't sneak extra people in.

We get that quite often even when it is clearly stated that there are 5 beds and we are licensed to host 5 people. We agree that there is a misunderstanding but the extra person must pay.

[Natalie725]

One uppity, high maintenance guest gave me three overall stars because the hair dryer didn't work (despite being happy with the room)... If she had brought this up during her stay, I would have lent her my personal one!

Not to mention that I believe she broke the hairdryer tbh, as I heard her using it for 2 hours on her last morning,,. Nonetheless, I bought a new hairdryer to avoid another petty rating. My rating would be near perfect if it wasn't for her 3 stars!! 

[Alex-And-Rhea0]

@Natalie725 Hi! My goodness how petty people can be, but all we can do is strive for perfection for only God is perfect. 🙂   How many times have I thought why didn't you mention this petty subject while you were staying?  Anyway, you did the right thing to replace old equipment from time to time.  

In your review to her, you could have responded in the comments that she should have spoken to you about it- and that you heard the hairdryer go for 2 hours-if only for future prospects, but hey that"s me, not you.

[Rohan54]

I recently received low rating while all things are perfect in room ...... As she is saying that room can be more vibrant ....... while we define its budget hotel and price is also low because we recently listed (Last January 2020) at Airbnb.

So, i think its completely depend on guest mood that what he or she is thinking ........ My property have 5 top rating but only one rating down us below 4.7 and Airbnb saying that need attention now.

Some time i notice also that if our property is 3 start then user give 3 while he is completely satisfy ...... so for some guest its related to understanding also that what Airbnb is asking in review and what he is giving.

[Alex-And-Rhea0]

@Rohan54 Hi! It's difficult to please everybody and you can only do your best but the important thing is that the photos should depict EXACTLY what your place is like and what they are getting for their money. 

I go through my photos from time to time and update them and make sure that the photos depict exactly what the guest is going to get. I've read on this Airbnb forum that guests prefer photos taken with a smartphone than a professional camera as the photos will be more "realistic", so there is no shame in using a smartphone camera.

If they complain about something which is really trivial like the colour of the wall you can point out that the premises match the photographs and her review is personal and unfair.

[Alex-And-Rhea0]

@Edward467 Hi! I would, repeater guests are good as gold and she was nice enough to write to you and not leave a s***** review.

In my experience, people with only 1 or 2 reviews don't feel comfortable being forthright with hosts.

I also always write a review and in the Private section which is between the host and guest only I make my 

suggestions. Did she have many reviews?