Every word is true.
7 years here, 11 properties total, thousands upon thousands of guests and check ins.
The review system slowly crept up on us - but no one was voicing what you just stated around 2019, so I felt alone, and "it must be me" or "us" as a team.
Not only are you right - let me just recap for anyone reading this the issues she is referencing that make "not every listing the same" - and how the review system is not "broken" it's become a weapon.
- Now, guests are bringing it up the moment they walk in like - "well you certainly don't want another review from us like that one we read - we will stay, but no promises" and "wheres the mini bar"?
I know over 100 hosts, about 5 have the unique type market we are talking about here, so normal advice doesn't apply.
- being a unique listing near airports and hospitals
- transition spot between flights, boats, ships, trains, ports
- In guests defense, I speak as a teacher for 35 years, 4 stars IS 80% in their minds.
- We used to even say "our goal is NOT to be a 5 star hotel". Yea, that didn't work.
- This review system was not designed for us to fail, but like many policies that used to work, when the world changes, adapt or die. Airbnb is trapped inside a reputation they built, they deserved, but now won't work anymore, and clearly running around in circles.
Example: Their policy on having ID to rent, you have to appear for your own booking, and show ID to check in? It doen't exist anymore. Fine, go read it - when did you have to really test it while a crowd is yelling at you? I had six on a reservation for one - overnight in real fear - and didn't know the first or last name of anyone here, no photo profile, no ID ever shown., Agent said make it work. We threw them out, cops did it, their fake review had us suspended one week.
- Reviews can be hidden, and we figured out the "process" for that - but it's gone now - it was never even documented as something they did (they could see their own horrible review they wrote, but the world could not - it was a sweet compromise)
- Only a moron literally writes a review that is eligible for removal. One guest threatened to break in, and encouraged future guests to take advantage of us. It's still up. Guests are saying things that truly frighten potential guests, we know, we talk to them, give them a discount to try us in exchange for righting the record if they feel we deserve it. It's working.
Airbnb's system is so ingrained over a decade, they cannot fix it. It's built into the identity of who "they" think "they were" and "what made them". Well . . . they "were" a lot of things they are never going to be ever again.
Primarily they were:
- More honest
- Agents had real names, real titles, worked supervised, and calls were more than recorded, they were listened to within minutes if reported.
- Agents now have anonymity. No accountability. They have been allowed to have "work names" for a while - many companies do that rightfully for privacy - but these change like a breeze and their moods. They now have the freedom to be snarky, be wrong about policy without concern, and rush you to make a decision, threaten you, and ask you 4 times why you want to enforce your refund policy when this ONE situation and this guest clearly is harmed by "your rule".
They were A Great American company, eager to bridge cultural gaps, and protect against discrimination
My staff and/or myself have been:
- Assaulted verbally by guests, who usually go quickly to LGBT slurs, dark ones.
- Scammed by false ID that was not checked by Airbnb, and we were informed it was
- Co-Host, Sexually assaulted by one guest, part of which was while an agent was on the line, supposedly recording - until the staff member was safe and asked "please g-d tell me you are really recording the call - even though you are working from home". You could ask me about that privately if interested.
- My staff includes the disabled, who have been intimidated, mocked.
- After I had COVID in the year 2020, a YEAR later, guests that find out use that as a threat, or to bully us into giving them money back "not to report us" after their stay. Sure, that's not lawful, but whose protecting us again? Yea, right - not Airbnb.
- Threatened with physical violence by guests at least once a week.
- Vandalism by guests who were suspended after their stays, and returned to property
- Lost thousands of dollars in forced refunds to stories so brazenly false as to be comedy, without photos or documentation - while our documentation was thrown out no explanation.
- Threats texted, or using WhatsApp were considered as part of evidence in the past, now don't waste your time
- We are still being stalked by one agent who calls from a blocked line, pretending to be guests in need of help, just to mess with our staff and make them go to listings to help. He has access to know our bookings, but Trust and Safety, and his employee rights - they trump ours. He threatens us right out in clear site in the 4 hour chat log. That guest slept in her car because he told us both lies to quickly resolve the complaint, and we screwed him up by demanding he allow us to send it via the Resolution Center so that we could write a comment about why we were sending it.
The guest had returned, crying, we gave her free housing. That agent still works. All of it was in the official chat log - many stories in these forums are hard to know for sure, even when they sound compelling - there really are two sides. ABB is saying that a lot now - but guest side counts as 1.25, your side is .75. That's a review joke for the mathematically inclined.
Now, the good news.
We are still with Airbnb full time in excellent standing, occasional suspensions because a 1 star rating takes 5 reviews to dig out of it, but - we do not lose money anymore.
The stress -- staff quitting - one lost his TRAVEL account of 5 years, over a false accusation by a guest which never resulted in our being NOTIFIED - but it was a guest.
I found a solution that I have been helping hosts with via a private social media group for chats and sharing. I have an active successful account, and want to keep it that way, but I have volumes of "helpful tips" that started as a document, and it may end up a small book. I sure as hell don't talk about any of the solutions out loud much.
I suggest most of you - if you read this far? Say less in this forum, or keep it a tad less critical of "Big Brother". Of course they don't monitor this forum - they don't have to - "it's self monitoring".
My solutions are mostly from empathetic other longer term hosts coming to my aid. Most of it came privately from creative hosts and financial investors (and legal minds) so you are free to message me via here, but please do not put details even that "private" message. We can arrange a communication method free of screening, like email to email. I'm 83, so "Mata Hari" would be a nice way to think of me - and that is my picture, not currently, since COVID.
If anyone thinks that Airbnb isn't aware of the "more extreme" things said here, I am stunned that Superhosts attach their names and profiles to things they say here in anger.
This is Airbnb's World, we just rent it. Except we don't ask for a refund after.
