How to respond to a scathing review by host

Linda3525
Level 2
Fairbanks, AK

How to respond to a scathing review by host

I wish I would just write a response to the bad review I received and move on but it is just too upsetting and full of lies and all my previous reviews are excellent.  I had a very good experience in a Hawaii condo and wrote a very positive review for the host.  There were several issues/problems but I related them to the host privately since I did think they warranted giving her a bad review.  After seeing her review for me, I contacted the host trying to explain that I was not complaining and trying to give helpful feedback and asked her to remove the review but she just told me to not ever contact her again.  I also tried to get Airbnb to remove the review and gave them copies of all texts between the host and myself which were proof that I was not complaining and most importantly, that I did not send her messages everyday about things I did not like.  But Airbnb states there is nothing they can do.  Below is what I have written as a response to her review.  Any feedback would be appreciated.  My neighbor who has been an Airbnb host for many years said her review is the worst he has ever seen. 

 

Unfortunately, this is also the 1st negative response I have received and I am a little stunned and disappointed.  I only texted Elisabeth “3” times during my 2 week stay and would have used the Airbnb platform instead if I had known that was preferred.  Two of the texts that are not mentioned in her review are the important issues.  Within in minutes of entering the condo we turned on the light/fan in the kitchen & the paddles were hitting one of the light globes & it broke the globe and shattered glass throughout the kitchen.  She responded that she knew of this problem & was going to have it fixed soon.  I also alerted her to the fact that the clothes dryer was overheating & taking hours to dry probably due to a clogged exhaust vent.  I thought this was would be important to her due to the extreme electricity cost in Hawaii & the fire hazard & she thanked me.  The text regarding the tennis/snorkel gear was just a courtesy text since what was there did not correlate with her listing/emails & thought she may want to know.  Definitely not a complaint as I told her we brought all our own gear.  The parking hang tag was broken upon our arrival & was just a courtesy text to replace for next guest (included this in my 1st text).  I thought (maybe incorrectly) that I was being helpful as I would appreciate this info as an absentee host.  Finally, I tried to access the check-in information 2 days before arrival & had no complaints – info was very detailed & accurate.  Her reservation page stated they are available 3 days before check-in.

Obviously, I was happy in the condo since I wrote a positive review & may have booked in the future but I guess that is not an option.

 

Here is the host review of me:

Unfortunately, this is the first negative review I am writing about a guest. I cannot recommend this guest. Despite the fact that I am a super host and my reviews are excellent, and despite the fact that I gave this guest a discount, she managed to write me messages nearly every day about things she didn't like, such as not being able to access the check-in information sooner than is allowed by Airbnb, or that the car hang-tag had a tear in it, and several other issues. Unfortunately, she doesn't communicate via the Airbnb platform, but via regular text message. Even though I wrote her she should bring her own tennis equipment and I don´t provide snorkel gear, this guest complained about my tennis rackets and snorkel that some guests left in the condo. And several other issues, there was hardly a day, where she didn't text me about something. This guest is high-maintenance and needs a lot of attention, if you want peace of mind as a host, I cannot recommend her.

 

I can't believe this is the 1st time that I went above and beyond as a guest.  I always leave the rental in good shape but this time I even washed sheets and towels and made beds since I had the time.

 

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

18 Replies 18

@Linda3525  I've actually had several female guests who were married, but were vacationing solo, because their husbands couldn't get time off work and they really wanted to escape the cold for a week or two. One who loved to eat was sending her hubby photos daily of all the restaurant meals she had. 🙂

 

 

Gregory497
Level 2
New York, United States

I can completely understand how infuriating that review was. For the first time, I received a poor review full of complete lies. I had to think they were talking about another guest because none of it made sense.  But I do not see a method to post my response to their review. I did not think Airbnb allowed guests to dispute a host’s public review, but only the opposite. Have you been able to post this response? I don’t see the actual listing in your post. I hope it was/is resolved in your favor.

Hi Gregory.  Wow I was really surprised to get the email regarding your post as it seems like such a long time ago that I was so devastated by the horrible review.  If memory serves me correctly, it seemed like it was pretty straight forward to just respond to her review and you have 30 days to make your response.  Since I can't remember exactly how it worked, here is what I found with a quick search:

  1. ​​Go to Profile > Reviews
  2. Click Reviews by you
  3. Go to the review you’d like to respond to and click Leave a Response

Your response will be posted immediately, and you can’t edit it after that—so take your time and really think about what you want to say.

 

And yes Airbnb does allow guests to dispute a host's public review.  I would pay attention to the advice that I was given in this thread on the forum as they are all hosts that gave very helpful info.  I thought sarah977 was particularly helpful.  AND no nothing was resolved in my favor as that is not how Airbnb seems to operate.

 

Airbnb will not allow me to include the link to the actual listing but if you google "airbnb ocean paradise spacious lofts 2 br, steps to beach" you can see the listing.  You can see my review and hosts review of me and my response (if you click on Linda, Fairbanks, AK review Jan 2022).  I seem to be a little obsessed with this horrible host (person) and she has written other bad reviews after mine.  She is truly a piece of work!!

https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/391876378

Actually looks like maybe the link to her listing may have been included in my post.  At least I can see it at my end.