Negative review after party eviction

[Edward611]

I recently had a guest book 2 nights for her son and friends coming home from the military for the Holidays. I advised her of the no party policy prior to booking. At check in the guest arrived with her son and stated the other boys were arriving later. I left my home expecting a great couple days. 
I checked my Ring camera the next morning and noticed the booking guest left after 1 hour, lived locally apparently. Then, throughout the night her son had friends coming and going until 3 am. I showed up the following morning and was allowed in to find two young girls on the couch hung over, booking guest or son not there. Obviously a party took place against rules/policy. 
I canceled the reservation and all departed my home. 
Now… the guest was allowed to leave a negative review against me and Airbnb would not remove it because it didn’t violate some policy of theirs. 
Is it fair to allow such a guest to leave a negative review when she was only there an hour leaving my home knowing a party would happen?? Anyone else come across this type of booking/review? It’s very unsettling not knowing the support I get from Airbnb especially after such a situation. 

[Sarah977]

@Edward611  Why did you accept a booking for the booker's son and his friends in the first place? That's a third party booking and if she told you she was booking for her son, why would you assume she was going to be there?

And how could you think they wouldn't  throw a party? What did you think they were going to do, play video games? 

In any case, there's unfortunately nothing you can do about her being able to leave a review except to respond to it. That's Airbnb policy, no matter how absurd and unfair.

She's a real piece of work. Her response to your review of her is priceless- "a party consists of a DJ". Say what? 

Strong suggestion: remove the "Very Private" from your listing title and wording. That's exactly the kind of wording partiers look for.

[Edward611]

Thanks Sarah, I thought I did my homework but apparently not. I just felt unfairly treated by Airbnb for doing the right thing and following their policy and mind. I’m going to be much more careful in the future with bookings. Oh well, gotta move on!! I had many parties without DJs. Lol 

[Sarah977]

@Edward611  Her writtten review isn't damaging at all, it's just weird. But I guess she tanked your rating, bummer.

Yes, I've had and attended many parties over the years, none of which had a DJ 🙂

You have a home which has all the elements of a party magnet, so you are going to have to be vigilant about vetting guests. Check your cameras the night of arrival in the future, not day after, so you can nip this sort of thing right out the gate.

The pool might not be the best cover photo in that regard, in addition to the "very private".

[Mark116]

@Sarah977  I vaguely remember Airbnb saying something about removing party reviews, e.g. that if you had to cancel guests because of a party, it was easier to remove the review?  Does that ring a bell w/you?

I found it.  @Edward611   Use this when you speak to Airbnb the next time.

What does this policy mean for reviews?
For reviews written from today on, it means that reviews from those who violate the party ban in your space can be disputed and removed, as long as they meet certain criteria.

What criteria has to be met for a review to be removed?
If you have proof that a party occurred on your property, and your guest’s review doesn't contain important safety information about your space or their stay or a report of discrimination, the review could be eligible to be removed.

You'll need to provide documentation or other proof to support the party allegation, such as video evidence or a police report.

Here is the link for the full info.  I think that review absolutely qualifies.

https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/dispute-reviews-from-guests-who-violate-our-party-b...

[Sarah977]

@Edward611  Well, yeah. That was one of the things Catherine Powell was "thrilled" to announce. Now just try to find a CS rep who got the memo. As far as posts I read here, they just keep using the "doesn't violate policy" shtick.

But of course, it's worth a try.

[Mark116]

@Sarah977 @Edward611  My guess would be about 85% of CS reps have never seen nor heard of this party review exception.  But, it's in writing and lists a bunch of criteria that this review meets, so it is certainly worth another try at getting it removed.  The 'guest' admits it herself.  Of course, you never know, Airbnb may believe that you need a DJ for a party.

[Edward611]

@Sarah977 @Mark116  Thanks for your advice I’m taking it! I just thought it’d be normal not to allow a review of either side. 
Evidence of a party? Someone can throw a wild party and cleanup so it’s not noticed. Party still happened. Police weren’t called, so it’s not a party apparently. What do they want? I was on the phone with Support when I was kicking them out. @Mark116 I might try again and use your article and the numerous videos I have and also yes, she admitted it in her response. Thanks again!! 

[Sarah977]

@Edward611 @Mark116  Of course, Airbnb's policy wording always gives them leeway to apply or not apply a policy according to their discretion. That's always the rub. 

"If you have proof that a party occurred on your property, and your guest’s review doesn't contain important safety information about your space or their stay or a report of discrimination, the review could be eligible to be removed.

Go for it, Edward and good luck. Let us know if you have success.

[Mark116]

@Edward611  You will want to have that policy I linked to in front of you and be ready to go into why it fits the parameters.  Don't assume whoever  you're talking to has ever seen it.  Be clear, direct and make it as simple for them to say 'yes' as possible.  

I would also send them a message via the platform where you can basically lay out your case.

My listing does not allow parties or extra guests  [screenshot rules]

X had a party at my listing.  Here is the evidence YYY. 

Due to the party, the reservation was cancelled w/no penalty by Airbnb on Y date.

The guests review meets the criteria set out by Airbnb for removal of party reviews.  Link and paste the wording.  

Something along those lines and then you can call and follow up and they can see the link and policy.  It may take a few reps and a lot of  your time, but I would think you have a decent shot at getting the review removed.

[Edward611]

@Sarah977 @Mark116  thanks again for your feedback and idea. I responded back to Support with screenshots of all and the link to their policy about removing reviews after party violations. Again I was shot down. Basically they state that the review she left “meticulous and scrutiny” was relevant to my listing and could not be removed. I argued the policy but it didn’t matter since the wording was relevant. I made it clear that guests who violate policies, especially Airbnb part policy which they swear by, shouldn’t be allowed the opportunity to review and neither the host. So much for host protection. Money comes from both sides and all are protected, here more the guest than the host. Great support from you and I appreciate it truly. 

[Mark116]

@Edward611 I would try another rep.  The criteria for party reviews isn't relevance.  Their policy says it can be removed unless it contains some kind of safety information or mentions discrimination.

Recontact them and tell them the previous rep used the wrong criteria, and again point them to the party review policy language.

I would also post about this on twitter and Facebook.

Airbnb is very sensitive to all the issues they've had with parties, so calling them out on social media may get you a better resolution.

Or not.  Airbnb is quite mercurial, and that is by design.

[Sarah977]

@Edward611  The CS rep is giving you a reason why a review can't be removed in general but that has nothing to do with the policy on reviews by those who have been kicked out for partying. There is nothing whatsoever in the policy Mark linked to that says anything about the review being relevant to your listing or not. 

If you care to spend any more time on it, ask again, and ask for it to be escalated to a supervisor, because the rep is not going by the correct policy. They are treating this like a normal request to have a review removed, which it isn't.

[Edward611]

@Mark116 I agree with you. She even had a peer review the case and they agreed together. I wasn’t sure I can keep trying to resolve an issue as this with other reps. Sounds like it’s just the current reps review of the policy and opinion when really not understanding it clearly. I’ll try again tomorrow and let you know. Thanks. 

[Sarah977]

@Edward611  Two clueless reps putting their heads together results in double cluelessness, quelle surprise.