How many positive reviews i need to push down a negative one?

[Michael1107]

I recieved a couple of negative reviews, i want to improve what i can to recieve more positive ones so the negative one becomes not immediately visible. I also lowered the price so I'm more likely to recieve 5 stars for what i offer now while i improve what i have been negatively reviwed for. 

So I'm asking, will this actually happen or airbnb will keep the negative review up?

Because if the negative reviews stay up then it would be better to create another listing or close this account and create another one once i completely transformed my house

[Richard531]

@Robin4 

I have a nifty little widget that tells me what the host reviews their guests (if a review exists for their listing).  According to that, @Michael1107 didn't review anyone. 

But  maybe my widget needs an adjustment!  😕

See what I see on my side:

[Anonymous]

@Richard531  AirReview is truly terrible software. Not only does it often not work; I also found that it interfered with other apps in disturbing ways. 

It just takes one click onto the guests' profiles to see that Michael reviewed them. Why fiddle with a widget?

(Say that last sentence out loud a few times and try not to giggle...)

[Robin4]

@Richard531 

Well Richard I hope you didn't pay anything for that 'widget'....if you did you got screwed!

Lets just look at the first two that don't show up on your widget hey!

Trust me Richard, Michael reviews all his guests.

You see Richard, this is the problem with most of this 3rd party software......it doesn't bloody work!

Now the fact that it doesn't work is one thing....the fact that you think it is working, trust it to the point of quoting it and base decisions on the use of it, is another.

Get rid of that 'nifty little widget' and go back to using proven statistics that actually convey the information and do the job you want them to do!

Cheers.........Rob

[Richard531]

@Michael1107 @Anonymous 

Removed the idjet (idiot) widget!  Why fiddle with an idjet widget, indeed.

[Huma0]

@Richard531 

AirReview can actually be very useful sometimes but it is glitchy as hell and has become more so in the past year or two as far as I can tell. The problem is that it doesn't always load the reviews, even if they exist, so you think they don't ...

[Michael1107]

 i cleaned everything and the last guest still gave me 3 stars, just because the house is old. I'm afraid i will get banned for something that's not my fault

[Huma0]

@Michael1107 

I feel for you. Your guests obviously think you are a lovely person and helpful, so I can see that is not the problem. I also understand that it can be difficult when you have an old property (I know, my house is almost 200 years old) and some think that old = dirty.

You say that you have made a lot of improvements. Please take some photos and post them here and maybe we can offer some more up-to-date advice?

Certainly, you could do with a better listing description and definitely better photos but it seems your problem is less to do with getting bookings and more to do with the reviews. One would think that because it is so cheap and you are pretty honest about the condition in your description that people would rate according to what they paid/what was described. Still, guests are going to complain even if they paid next to nothing because they aren't always that logical about that sort of thing.

[Robin4]

@Michael1107 

Michael some times you have to in your conversation with guests create the visual impression, don't let the old building do it.

Apart from being an old building my listing cottage has a comprehensive library of old books, some of them dating back to the 1870's. Now the problem with old books is, they smell musty and despite the fact that the cottage has a filtration system that musty smell still comes through when you enter the cottage. 

I say to guests, "I am afraid that musty smell comes from all the old books, clean as much as I do I can't get rid of it. My only option would be to remove the books but, I think they and the smell that goes with them gives the building a bit of character, what do you think?" Michael they all agree and most of them give me a 5 star for cleanliness.

If you tell guests and give them a rationale for a situation they will accept it, if you just leave it to them they will probably form a negative impression. "Like the rest of the building my bathroom is old, but it has stood the test of time and I go to great lengths to make sure it is clean for you!"

Give it a try Michael, I am sure it will get you positive results. 

Tutto il meglio per te!

Cheers.......Rob

@Huma0  @Richard531  @Dale711  @Anonymous 

[Michael1107]

Guests rate like hotels, they don't that 4 stars on airbnb means you can get banned

[Huma0]

@Michael1107 

It is true that most guests do not know that anything below 5* is not good and that's because Airbnb tells them something different. I know quite a few hosts have a page in the house manual etc. explaining how the system REALLY works. If that's something you would be interested in, search on the CC and you will find threads about it.

I don't do this myself, but I have sometimes explained it to guests when it has come up in conversation and they are always astonished that a 4* is bad.

However, if you are consistently getting marked down on cleanliness or other specific areas, then I think you can't simply put it down to guests not knowing how the rating system works on Airbnb as many hosts are still managing to get 5* and it doesn't necessarily mean they have a fancy listing.

[Huma0]

@Robin4 

---

@Robin4 wrote:

@Michael1107 

If you tell guests and give them a rationale for a situation they will accept it, if you just leave it to them they will probably form a negative impression.

---

That's a very good point. I think there are a few examples of that during my house tour too.

@Michael1107 when I started hosting, I had a guest who rated me down on cleanliness and selected the problematic are as 'floors'. Now, I knew the floors were not dirty as they had been vacuumed and mopped right before the guest's arrival. At the same time, he sent me feedback which was all about my floorboards creaking. Around that time, I had one or two other guests who mentioned the floorboards being noisy. I suppose this guest could not find a category in which to mark me down for the house being old, so he chose to mark down for cleanliness instead. Seemed pretty unfair to me.

So, now if I am showing a guest around and they raise an eyebrow when a floorboard creaks, I just say, "Sorry, the floorboards are a bit creaky, but then they are 200 years old!" No one has complained since. I think they just accept it as part of the character and charm of an old house.

[Robin4]

@Huma0 

That's it Huma, you have to 'head them off at the pass'!

I think the first time I became totally aware of this was when I had a guest comment in the review that, and I quote...."The rug looked old and shabby"!

That rug that 'looked old and shabby' was in fact a Turkish triple knotted silk rug that was probably worth more than the late model car they arrived in!

Do you know Huma, you never get to actually get to own a Turkish triple knotted silk rug! You purchase a right to that rug for 99 years! After that time is up the ownership of that rug reverts to the Turkish state as an antiquity!

The certificate that you get with it clearly states that!

Anyway, that was a wake-up call for me. I hot footed it down to Ikea, bought some $85 piece of similar size nonsense and I have not had a complaint since!

You have to tell people what they are experiencing, not let them make their own judgement calls on it!

Cheers........Rob

[Huma0]

@Robin4 

Yes, I remember the story about that Turkish rug. It's a shame you had to switch it out for an Ikea one, but maybe it's for the best. I am not sure I would trust guests with something that valuable.

[Anonymous]

@Michael1107   We all have blind spots for things in our own homes, and it looks to me like you might have one for cleanliness. Several times now, you have defensively come up with reasons that your guests rate you poorly on cleanliness. It's true that some people mistake old for unclean or rate based on hotel expectations. But it's 100% clear from the written text of your reviews that this is not what's going on here. Your guests have told you in very plain language that despite liking everything else about your friendly hospitality and your home, you did not clean it properly.

That's why your listing averages 4.5 stars for Accuracy but 3.5 for Cleanliness. That is about the worst rating it's possible to get without getting de-listed, unless you're running an illegal hostel in Paris.

We can sit here coddling you and pretend that it's just the guests who are the problem, and say "oh sweetie it's not your fault, they're just stupid." I know the moderators prefer when we "support" each other like that. But in the real world, you're going to keep getting more and more bad ratings until you get your head out of your butt about your cleaning practices. I'm sorry, but you really need to start doing better. Maybe hire a professional cleaner for one deep cleaning session, and spend that time going through the home with them and watch where they put their attention. Ask them where you need to be putting more attention, and take notes.

You can only improve your results when you can admit to yourself that there's something you need to learn.

I see that you've recently updated your listing with new photos. One of them shows a cat sitting on an unmade bed. How do you think that comes across to a guest when considering a home that's already rated 3.5 for cleanliness? If you were the guest, is this the listing you'd choose to book?

[Robin4]

@Anonymous 

Andrew, I of course agree with what you are saying to @Michael1107 .

He does have a bit to contend with though, he is on the 3rd floor of an old residential development and his apartment is not up to date.... it looks dated and in need of maintenance! But cut him a bit of slack here! There is an old saying....'you can't polish a t*rd' ....but you can give the perception that the t*rd is polished with a few appropriate words to guests.

I know because I am battling the same things here Andrew. The maintenance on this place is unbelievable. This area used to be called 'Potato Hill'.......it's great for growing vegetables but it's lousy soil for building houses on and this property was built before there was any sort of regulated building code.

I need to be proactive and explain to guests why, the bathroom door won't shut just now....there is a crack in the wall that needs fixing and a little bit of touch up painting to be done. But I note these things to guests and let them know that I am doing my best to keep these things under control and please remember this is not the Grand Hyatt, it is my home, that part of the platform that Airbnb was built on.

They accept that and for the most part lean with me.

My issue with Michael was, he did not seem to be taking his part seriously, he is expecting to get great reviews without putting in any effort....and you just can't do that when you short term rent!

Cheers.........Rob