Review NOT about the space

[Laura2592]

My friend got the following review which ABB has not taken down and the attendant 3s across the board on the stay. Thought I would post to get the host community thoughts. She is annoyed but doesn't want to spend more effort with ABB.

"We arrived late at night and were still shocked at how much traffic we encountered but were still able to park somewhat nearby. Not a lot of restaurants we could visit in the immediate vicinity due to lack of dietary options. There was flooding due to rains at one point during our stay and the host only provided one large umbrella. Lots of crowds due to a festival we were not aware of. The neighbors across the street were noisy."

Private feedback: "Nice space. The city isn't for us and we will cross it off the list."

So there isn't a single thing mentioned about the space. The umbrella issue has been corrected as apparently a guest walked off with the additional one (space has capacity of 2 and normally my friend leaves 2 large golf umbrellas.)

The guest did not ask about any restaurants for their dietary restrictions, so my friend does not have any idea what they might have been. Her guidebook lists places nearby with vegetarian/vegan options but she doesn't break it down beyond that. They did not research what might be happening in the location during their stay. My friend says there was rain but no flooding (again see umbrella issue.) And certainly there is no controlling what the neighbors do across the street but they are not traditionally "noisy." There is no dedicated parking but street parking is typically easy to get and that is all spelled out in the listing. The guests said not a word during their stay-- older couple who had never used ABB previously.

Would you respond to this review? Continue to try to get it removed because its not relevant? Contact the guests? 

[Kate867]

@Laura2592   Any responses will be seen by your friends future guests so best to keep it short.   Something like

‘We are pleased that you conveyed to us that you liked our accommodation and fully understand that for some the vibrant nature of our annual local festival may not be to everyone’s liking.  We are always happy to advise our guests on places to visit and local restaurants should they ask’

i would also persist in trying to get the review removed stating that it is not relevant to the listing.  These guests could have stayed anywhere in the near vicinity and made the exact same comments.  Some people (probably like me) are ‘country mice’ and would not particularly enjoy a break within a built up area.  That is their problem and not the Hosts.

[Anonymous]

@Laura2592  I can't see anything here that would meet the bare minimum for relevancy. Even the bit about the umbrellas is a moot point, because umbrellas are not a listing amenity.

I think @Kate867 's suggested response is a good one, but I wouldn't bother writing any response at all. It's plain for any prospective guest with half a brain to see that this reviewer was just whining about a poorly-planned trip. If it makes someone decide not to book your friend's home, that person would have been a bad fit anyway, so put a frame around it.

[Huma0]

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@Anonymous wrote:

It's plain for any prospective guest with half a brain to see that this reviewer was just whining about a poorly-planned trip. If it makes someone decide not to book your friend's home, that person would have been a bad fit anyway, so put a frame around it.

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Love this. Yep, it's only worth having it removed if that also removes the 3* rating. Otherwise, it isn't worth the bother.  A review like that could be very useful in scaring off entitled guests with ridiculous expectations and complaints. Only one umbrella? OMG, what a cr*ppy listing! The stupidity astounds me.

[Gillian166]

+1 @Anonymous  and you forgot "vegans are entitled and whinge about everything" haha. Seriously, wtf, mentioning you couldn't find a restaurant to suit your entitled "won't eat" sensibilities. this review needs to be erased, it's utter BS. 

[Suzanne302]

@Laura2592 

If I were that host I'd take it as far as possible with CS simply to get the 3's removed. As @Anonymous  said, the review itself makes the guest sound looney so I doubt reading the review would deter a potential future guest. I wouldn't contact the guest, unless it would make your friend feel better just for spite to let them know how ridiculous their review was. Sometimes people need/want closure, and a spiteful message may do the trick for some!

When is Airbnb going to help hosts by realizing we are responsible for our own listing, but we are not responsible for the area a guest chooses to visit?? I would think if a guest gives a poor review for things that are completely and undeniably out of a host's control, it should be removed. I say this as I brace for a possible unfair review by my unwanted guest arriving today...

[Anonymous]

@Suzanne302   "When is Airbnb going to help hosts by realizing we are responsible for our own listing, but we are not responsible for the area a guest chooses to visit??"

When they stop putting guests' Location ratings on listings.

I get it, they've collected a huge trove of data on how people have rated every address with Airbnbs on it, which is really valuable in aggregate. But there's no reason they can't poll guests' opinions on the location separately from their review of the stay. Doing so would help keep them in the frame of mind that they're reviewing the home, not the destination. The status quo is clearly confusing to some.

[Sandi48]

Sometimes it's best to just move on. Any potential guests  would laugh at such a ridiculous review. I also received a review in the past about traffic and how the guests GPS didn't get him to our property! No one else has ever had that issue. 

It's unfortunate that people seem to like to complain about things that the host has no control over 

[Gillian166]

 @Sandi48  I just had clueless guests drive into a boggy paddock on the neighbours farm, despite me having very clear arrival instructions, with photos of what our gates look like.  I'm hopeful she will not ding me for her stupidity. 

[Mark116]

@Laura2592  The review itself doesn't even need a response, because the reader will clearly see these people didn't like the area they chose.  However, all 3 stars is difficult to surmount so on that account, it might be worth the host while to try to get the review removed since it says ZERO about the property itself...the host cannot control the parking, the restaurants, the street festival, the noise or the rain.  And, JFC, complaining that you only had 1 umbrella??????  Oy.

[Kate867]

@Laura2592  … @Anonymous  is absolutely right, that review is best removed in the first instance.  But,  I would reply to it anyway before time is up.  If the review is removed then the response will be removed  as well. 

[Ann72]

I was once told by customer support that they could remove a review (one I had written), but they couldn't remove the stars.  Do any of you @Laura2592 @Kate867 @Anonymous @Mark116 @Sandi48 know if this is true?  Or is it only true when one asks to remove one's own review?

[Mark116]

@Ann72   I'm sure I've seen both answers here from hosts, so, like everything else, it seems completely random. Some CS will remove the stars and some won't. 

On another note, I saw your post critiquing the Chatham listing and found there is a name for my decor:  granny chic, granmillenial.  All I'm missing is the chinz and the wallpaper!  Maxilamism, check.  Florals, check. Mix of modern and antique styles, check. Good color and textures, check.  Chinoiserie, check.

[Ann72]

You are styling the hottest trend in interior design right now @Mark116!  😇  And that girl needs lessons from you.

[Huma0]

@Mark116 

It really made me laugh when the 'grandmillenial' trend appeared. I'm not a granny, but that's basically been my style of decor for years and years.