Has anyone else noticed suddenly lots of "bad value" ratings? We haven't raised our price since 2018 ....

[John-and-Heather0]

I have a theory that the soaring price of eggs, gas, etc. and inflation generally hitting people's daily lives in other ares, is suddenly making everyone freak out about prices. Problem is we are highly competetive, sell out 200+ nights a year, and suddenly everyone is leaving terrible ratings for "value."  Should we really all be punished in a review when we demonstrably have left prices alone for years?

I'm considering banning such folks from returning, sheesh.   Curious if others are seeing the same trend.

[Susan1188]

Perhaps you have some new competitors in the area that are cutting the price down?  I've found it's usually when the guest goes online and sees neighboring places (maybe not equivalent to yours!) that are cheaper and feels like they paid too much.
Of all the categories, that's the one I mind the least to get a 4 or 3 star, because, in the end, they picked my place for a reason and so they have to pay for it!
Next time they'll stay with the neighbor and they'll realise within 10 minutes what they were paying for.

And I agree with you about return guests - if someone gives a less than optimal rating and wants to come back I will surely mention it in a friendly way when they try to re-book.  If you call them out on it they will know that they reached you with their "message" and you are not indifferent to their opinion.

[Pat271]

@Susan1188  I got a below-5 value score once with the comment “Price seemed higher than comparable properties available in the area”.

If that was so, why the heck did didn’t she choose one of those?? This was years ago and I’m still scratching my head…

[Huma0]

@Susan1188 

Yep, guests who leave low ratings do not get to book with me again. Fairly recently I had a guest who rated me down for something not only clearly stated on the listing but that she confirmed in writing that she was okay about when she booked. In her review, she said she "would stay again". Well, actually, no. She will not be staying again because I blocked her.

Sorry, but I go out of my way to have a clear, detailed and honest listing and then double check with all guests about important points, so not sure why I should be penalised because things were as described?? This guest ignored all my questions before instant booking. In hindsight, I should have cancelled her, but didn't. I turned off instant book as a result. 

[Susan990]

How do you block a guest?

[Huma0]

@Susan990 

You need to go to the message thread and click on the little flag that appears on the messages. From here, you have to select that the guest 'is being offensive', which can seem a bit harsh if they aren't, but that's the only option that then allows you to block them. After that, they cannot book with you nor message you (apparently).

[Emiel1]

@Susan990 

It is the "flag" option in a guest's profile or message.

IMO a guest profile should also show:

- how many times the guest has been blocked

- how many cancellations the guest has initiated.

[Lorna170]

@John-and-Heather0   I think the value criteria is awful, and I do not understand why a guest who booked my property should think that they are not receiving value for their money.   I had a guest last year who told me that my cabin was the most expensive one that she booked for her trip and dinged me for value.  She could have booked the neighbor's cabin which was available, same street, same number of beds and 75% my price.  Why me and not the neighbor? 

[Susan990]

I agree with you! The problem with assigning a star rating   Value is the same as  Location.

Location  and Value are person subjective responses which are associated on a subconscious  level with feelings. Neither one  should be part of a review for a place you booked to sleep. A  more appropriate  question to ask would be to rate the Bed for comfort.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Susan990  bed rating is also subjective.... young crowd can sleep even on the air mattress, older folks are like princess on the pea, someone likes it hard someone soft, not to mention pillows preferences... forget it 🙂

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@John-and-Heather0if that's so then raise your price without feeling guilty 🙂 After all, you work for money, not for the rating

At this time last year my "value" rating was 76% and now is 71,5% but I did raise my nightly prices and a cleaning fee and set longer min. stay . Now, my work is easier and I earn the same or slightly more, so my "happiness" rating is 100% 😄

[Emiel1]

@John-and-Heather0 

Actually the increasing price of gas is concerning me more than the increasing price of eggs....

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Emiel1  don't be concerned... there will be no gas 😄

[Richard531]

As others have said, this has exactly nothing to do with the existence/non-existence of the temporary inflation we're seeing on certain items/commodities in the market today. 

Between a string of bad luck and competitors popping up and pushing prices down on similar listings in your area, this is what brings "Value" down in the eyes of some of your guests.  And for me, I'm OK with a few "Value" dings.  I'd, of course, rather not have them, but we continuously see our Value as the biggest gripe of guests.  I feel it means we're priced appropriately, if anything.  And as more competitors move in, we're seeing more "Value" dings. 

I get it, you can book a place that looks as nice down the street for less.  Go there next time and tell me how it went!

[Enri1804]

@John-and-Heather0 I’ve been thinking a lot about this too, although I change my prices often based on the competition. Considering my location and comps, I think I have it priced well but a recent guest after giving us a good review did privately tell me that they were expecting more “supplies” based on our “price on the higher end”. I was surprised b/c I didn’t think I had a "higher end" price at around $550/n for July 4th week. Many homes near me that allow 8 guests (4 bedrooms) can go for over $1000 per night. We are ocean view, and if you compare that to nearby corporate hotel rooms (4) not near the beach that would be $1000/n during summer. Unfortunately I think Airbnbs extra fee adds so much more to the guests total - that’s where the value starts to diminish. 
Interesting that you said you were considering banning some folks, because one of my first guests had requested a discount for Labor Day weekend week based on being retired teachers and I added the non-refundable 10% discount for them - but it was a large family, and it was a great deal considering summer season. They were good clean guests but in the review process Airbnb asked if I would rent to them again and I said no (b/c of his comments on it being a high price).