listing at risk?

[Julia3061]

Hi I'm relatively new to air bnb. What can you do when you get a spiteful review that puts your listing at risk? I would appreciate any input. Julia

[Helen3]

Hello @Julia3061 

I found the horrible review. You don't state what happened with this guest, so difficult to comment in detail/offer suggestions.

However, it's a shame you didn't respond to the allegations the guest made, at the time, by responding to the review, so guests considering your place could have seen the review within the context of your response.

Fortunately for you as the guest who left the review was posting from a non UK profile,  it is at the end of your reviews.

I had a horrible first guests, who lied about my beautiful listing I had at the time, and it was devastating,  but this didn't put others off booking and I obtained SH status, which I have kept every quarter since over the last five years, with high levels of five star reviews.

You sound like you have a lovely place and hopefully once Spain opens up you will attract new bookings from much nicer guests.

[Julia3061]

@Helen3 

[Dale711]

Hi @Julia3061 

Sorry to hear about your experience.

Your listing on risk? May it help you? 

Please click on the thread  below, 

 https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/1-star-review-left-from-a-Guest-that-never-arrived-or-check...

As suggested by Branka and Silvia,

              ‘....delete the listing and make a new one’.

             “    Even though the review will stay under your profile, it will not show under your new listing. Guests barely read the listing’s description so it will not deter them from booking your new property, and that’s important. “ 

You may also consider the exact solutions as other members accept Branka and Silvia helpful remarks.

[Colleen253]

@Julia3061 You have the option to leave a response to any review, which you've done. Keep in mind that the aim with a response is to reassure future guests that you have it all under control, and that booking with you is a good idea. Always keep it brief, professional, and avoid disparging the guest. For instance,

"Due to not reading the listing description thoroughly, X was surprised to find the accomodation not as she expected. This review is retaliatory in nature. We encourage all guests to read our listing details thoroughly so as not to be unpleasantly surprised. Please see our other reviews for an accurate representation of a stay with us."

You can ask Airbnb to remove a review if it violates the review policy, but unfortunately this one doesn't appear to do that, even if it is lies. 

https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/2673/airbnbs-review-policy

Going forward, don't worry too much about it Your other reviews tell the real story, and this one will soon be buried by new ones. Don't fret the rating issue, as most guests don't pay attention to them. Before accepting a booking, you can make sure guests have read the listing description and house rules so that there are no nasty surprises like this again. In your communications say 'and you're aware this is a shared accomodation, and that our rules are such and such?' Many guests don't read what they're supposed to. Good luck!

[Emiel1]

@Julia3061

The review is from October. Unfortunately your comment on the review makes it even more bad.

So your question "What can you do...." : can be answerred: write a comment on such a review as if addressing future guests. They are reading your comment, not the guest. And keep it short.

BTW Your review on the guest's page is only 2 words, why did you not mention some of the issues ?

That being said: Potential guests will see the review is totally not in line with your other reviews and will probably not take it too serious.

[Julia3061]

Hi Hele I did reply and contacted support they just said I need to clean my house. I was so upset as it is hygienic and clean. They smoked. Left litter in house and garden. Ripped my sofa and would not leave at designated time although we extended this by 2 hours for them. I had to let them have whole house and stay with friends as they made me and my husband so uncomfortable.  Awful experience and their review still stands and it is all lies. Sorry I have gone on a little I feel very upset about this. Thankyou for your kind words and we hope we can achieve sh status. Julia

[Colleen253]

@Julia3061 “I had to let them have whole house and stay with friends as they made me and my husband so uncomfortable.” In future, when it’s clear that the stay is not going to go well, you can tell the guest you will shorten their booking and refund them the unused nights. Call AIrbnb if it helps and have them find the guests new accommodation: There is no point continuing a stay that is clearly not going to end well. 

Also, a bad guest such as the one you experienced is likely going to leave a bad review no matter what you do. It’s far better to be polite, firm, and don’t let them get the upper hand. Kowtowing to them because they are nasty, or just to avoid confrontation or  a bad review never works. You should not have had to move out for this guest, and definitely should not have allowed a late checkout. 

“Sorry I have gone on a little I feel very upset about this.” That’s perfectly fine and understandable. This is exactly the place to do that, and to figure out a way forward!

[Julia3061]

Thanks for your wise words and advice. I appreciate it. 

Julia

[Sarah977]

@Julia3061  I see you did leave a response to the review.

What you should understand about responses is that they appear on your review page, not the guest's. Don't use a response to talk directly to the bad guest, and keep responses brief and unemotional. Don't use "yelling" caps. A long, ranting response just calls more attention to the review. There's no need to rush to leave a response- wait a few days until you aren't so upset, so you can leave emotion out if it.

Responses to bad, lying reviews are read by future guests- they should be used to correct misleading or false info, not to attack the guest. Future guests couldn't care less what particular bad behavior your past guests indulged in. 

Responses to reviews like hers are best written along the lines of, " This is a revenge review left because of the many bad behaviors the guest was called out on. From not reading the listing description and therefore expecting she was getting an entire house rather than a private room, to extreme rudeness, to leaving the place a mess, dealing with this guest was a horrible experience. Please refer to our other reviews for an accurate pucture of what to expect when booking with us."

You can't really do much more about these sorts of reviews, unless something in them violates Airbnb review policy (lies don't), so all you can do is try not to let them upset you too much, and move on.

The kind of review she left, if followed by a brief, professional response, speaks for itself- the guest comes across looking crazy, and it isn't going to stop you getting bookings. Guests don't automatically believe other guests' reviews, especially when they can see it's an outlier among the good reviews.

[Ted307]

Hello @Julia3061 

I am a pretty new host, too. I would have been upset if someone gave us a bad review when we first started, we were really going the extra mile to start off right, and it looks to me like you are doing the same. The other reviews are great, and as a frequent gust in the past, I would stay at your place in spite of one negative reviewer. Your place looks fantastic! A very reasonable price, too. Maybe you should charge more to keep low quality people like that one out. 😉

(Since her review is in Spanish, most Americans would not even try to read it). My husband and I would love to stay at your wonderful place! When air travel gets easier again, Spain is a place I have always wanted to go. We used to go and watch the Andalusian dancing horses in Southern California when I was a kid. So Beautiful, would love to see Andalusia some day.

One thing I did was get a custom link and share it to our family and friends on Facebook, it will get you a lot of views even if they do not book with you, and I believe it helps in the search ranking of your listing. I am adding your listing to my favorites, that helps your ranking in the search engine, too.

Chris

[Julia3061]

Hello @Ted307  Thankyou so much for your wonderful reply! You would be most welcome here anytime. My husband and i would love to visit America again. We stayed in Nashville and travelled to Lynchburg. It was an amazing experience.

You have made me feel so much better a out carrying on with hosting. Thanks for all the advice too. It would be wonderful to meet someday.

Julia and Warren

[Ted307]

Arizona is pretty far for Europeans, but I have met many German tourists hiking the Grand Canyon, one of the wonders of the world here. One was even wearing his "Leader Hosen"! He was in his 70's and still a better hiker than I will ever be. I think a "host exchange" would be something that this CC could/should expedite. I would host your place, you would host mine, that makes a free stay for both hosts. That would only work for people who host a property and live there, too. We have a little Bunkhouse and live on the same property. We even had a couple stay here with their friends who parked their R.V.  in our yard by the Bunkhouse. It worked out well, the guests loved it. You could do that, too, if your place is big enough to park a "caravan".

Chris

[Ted307]

@Julia3061 

I have no clue about the rules of hosting an Air BnB in Spain, but here in the U.S. we have stayed in a very nice Airstream that was even written up in Sunset Magazine, it was so nice. You could do that and not have this person in your home. They want something separate from the host, fine. Out in the field or those very nice olive groves, a vintage trailer or cabin. I have a handyman who did a lot of work on our place and he is building a tiny house in his backyard for renting on AirBnB. He even managed to fit in a washer & dryer! He does great work but is not computer savvy, so it is not listed yet. He needs to retire from heavy work due to a heart condition and has not finished it yet. Best wishes with your hosting!