I have read many times over how Airbnb does NOT support or stand behind their Hosts. This has now happened to me. I had a guest leave a shocking and beyond terrible review. When I opened it up, I was shocked and thought she had the wrong host. But no, she did not, since I was her first Airbnb Host.
I contacted Airbnb and asked them if anything could be done. After going back and forth for three days, the answer was the same from Airbnb. I was told this guest did not break any Airbnb Policy Guides. NOW it clearly states in those Policy Guides: "Content that is discriminatory", "Content that is illegal or that violates another person’s or entity’s rights". BUT did Airbnb see it that way, NO. They deemed it has not violated their guidelines. Salvador, the Airbnb Support person went onto say: This is because reviews help to generate an honest portrayal of the variety of experiences that our hosts and guests have with each other. Excuse me??? When and in whose books are lies considered an "honest portrayal?" In Oregon when someone puts a lie in writing on a public platform it is called Libel, which is against the law and a court offense. I pointed that out to Airbnb and included the written documentation backing that statement up. I told them that her libel was illegal and it violated my person by that lie, affecting my business and livelihood. That carried as much weight as a feather in the wind.
I sent Airbnb a list of questions to ask this guest that would have proven she out and out lied, but they would not go the extra mile for this Super Host by calling her. I even suggested they call my Co-Host or the other guest who was staying here at the time, but they did not do that either. The other guest was an 80 year old woman who did not work and had plenty of time on her hands, so when she was here, she was in the house a great deal of the time. Enough to have a very good picture of what was going on around here. Airbnb just took what was said and left the review as it was. No investigating, no fuss, no muss on their part. They just allowed me to be thrown to the wolves with that review.
This guest shared meals with me and on at least one occasion, went with me to pick out a refrigerator because she has SO much food it would not fit in my full size refrigerator in the house along with my food. We each had 1 1/2 shelves, so the refrigerator was divided evenly. We chatted daily about her job, how it was going, her family, her friends, etc.... When her booking ended and she wanted to stay longer. She really did not want to go to a hotel/motel. Unfortunately, I had another guest right behind her, but I made special arrangements for her within my home so she could stay where as she said was a place she felt safe. Why would she want to continue to stay here if what she said was true? Now I get a 2 for Communication and I find out I am prejudice about her religion, which I didn't even know she was Catholic and her race? It is obvious she did not know my whole family is Catholic and I have 4 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter that are 1/2 Black and a son-in-law that is fantastic and is entirely black. The rest of my family is multi-cultural as well. This family and myself are anything but prejudice.
In my opinion, she was upset because as a long-term guest you are expected to keep your room and the common areas if you use them cleaned up after yourself. She never cleaned up after herself in the Kitchen once. Finally, I showed her the crumbs that were all over the counter and floor (she ate constantly when she was here due to her hypoglycemia or so she said) and asked her if she would keep those cleaned up while I was gone for a few days. The Co-Host would be there, but since it really is the guest's responsibility to clean up after themselves, I felt alright in asking her. Plus it states in my House Rules and Manual that long-term guests get an extra discount for keeping their areas neat and tidy. When I returned, it was obvious that her agreement meant nothing, because my kitchen countertop and floor were full of crumbs. I pointed this out to her in not to happy of a tone (my bad on that) and she tried to blame it on the other guest, who left to visit relatives out of state before I left and had not come back. I told her that the other guest wasn't even here and the Co-Host did not eat in that area. I firmly believe this is where she thought I treated her like a child at her age and that manufactured into my being prejudice. I did tell her that the house rules and manual state that in them. Whereupon she told me she never read them, because there was too much to read. They are both short, so that tells me she never looked at them. Of course in her review she commented that she never saw a printed house rules, something that I will now have printed out and in that room.
Actually, I should not have gotten upset, that was wrong of me. I take pride in keeping a clean house, including my kitchen and when someone tells me they are going to do something, such as clean up after themselves, I believe them. Between being disappointed and returning to a mess, I probably spoke to harshly, but I did not yell. Still, looking back I should have been warily, because In that guest's opinion, I am not the only one prejudice. When she took her car to the car dealership in my town for repair work, she was back quickly, because that car dealership was prejudice and spoke to her rudely. Consequently, she drove 1 to 1 1/2 hours ONE way to go to a car dealership in another state. She did this twice. She also had problems at work with someone targeting her. Although she did work at a State Mental Hospital and it was one of the patience so this might not have anything to do with her believing others besides myself are prejudice.
All this would have taken to resolve my review was to speak with the guest and ask some questions about how I treated her that was prejudice? Ask some of the questions I gave them that told them all the things I did for her and with her while she stayed here. To have a bit of follow through in their research to help protect their hosts. It appears I was asking too much. They chose to not go the extra mile or go to bat for me.
Airbnb says to go to: https://www.airbnb.com/help/feedback
And enter your opinion on how this was handled and if you feel the policy needs to be changed, enter those ideas as well. Knowing many other hosts have felt as I am right now, I can't help but wonder if they had not voiced their opinion at this site. If so, either Airbnb does not read all of the feedbacks, as I was told OR they don't care enough to support their hosts and change their rules to protect us.
Thanks for listening to me vent...
Frustrated beyond frustration.
