Help with Bad Review

[Cara230]

Hello- I am reaching out to the community for recommendations on how to respond publicly  to our first negative review.

The first day the guests arrived, the light in the queen bedroom wasn’t working. They were able to use the other bedroom with two queen beds. Then the guest bathtub was slow to drain. I scheduled a maintenance tech to come out the next day and told them he could enter without them being there if preferred, which they did not. The tech was running behind schedule and needed to push back the time by 3hrs, so the guest cancelled altogether. When the guest came back to the house that day, she left food out on the counter and ants got into it. Then she complained that the hot tub which is professionally cleaned and  cleaned a week before they arrived, had too strong of chemicals.

Before her review posted, we relied directly to her and thanked her for her honest feedback and essentially apologized for these things  during her stay snd we attempted to remedy immediately. When, our tech did make it out, he sent video of the tub drain lever and how it can drain slow if not pushed all the way over. The light issue was a loose wire, as we had extra light bulbs onsite. Our cleaner sent photos of yellow stained sheets and comforter, in which we decided not to charge her for. 

She ended up posting a very long review about the 3 items. Giving our home, space, decor, neighborhood and my communication  a good review, but slamming the condition, price and in her opinion my response to her complaints. 

[Emiel1]

@Cara230 

When writing a comment, keep in mind to address future guests and not to start argueing about metioned  issues.  My english is not good enough, but you will find examples in the community.

[Anonymous]

@Cara230  This is a tough one, because both you and the guest have equally credible accounts of how the stay went, just with some minor discrepancies. It also doesn't help matters that you chose not to review the guest - this undermines the credibility of anything you might want to say in response.

Here's the reality check: it's only your 6th review, and while all the others were unanimously positive, it's a pretty small sample. Guests considering your listing will be comparing it with places with much more established reputations. They should recognize that you're still getting started and ironing out the kinks before they take a chance on a listing that's still in its opening phase. With that context in mind, it would be a very bad look if you tried to dispute the guest's detailed and qualified comments. The positioning of a drain lever that guests had no way to know about is not a hill you want to die on.

Instead, the best impression you can make on your prospective guests in the response is one of humility. For example:

"As new hosts, we are striving to create the perfect experience for our guests, and we appreciate the time you took to provide this feedback."

And then, list the improvements you have made since that review, to demonstrate to the next guests that you are on the case and ready to fix any problem that comes their way. You can inject a spoonful of shade to help the medicine go down:  "Thank you for reminding me to inform our future guests to store their food safely to prevent visits from ants." The most important thing to keep in focus, as @Emiel1 said, is that you are not replying to A****y; your audience is guests considering your listing, and you want to show them your grace in the face of critique.

[Gwen386]

@Anonymous I enjoyed reading your response and I also got a tickle out of your use of phrases. It’s a great way to ingratiate oneself in sticky circumstances/situations.