Lies, inaccurate comments and just plain ridiculous reviews

[Linda3182]

Hey everyone and especially anyone whom has the authority to change this issue!

I just spent hours getting a review removed which stated a driving time to an attraction as almost double of the actual time.  I googled it, contacted the guest, contacted Airbnb several times.  The inaccurate information completely stopped any new bookings!  It is unacceptable that ANY guest have the power to impact our business with a lie.  And this guest was happy with her stay and the early check in I gave her at no charge but gave a 4 star because on the incorrect drive time!  
Another recent review said several chairs were broken (there are only two in the place) and housekeeping checked and neither were broken.  Another reviewer gave a 4 star and was extremely happy with everything.....except what she considered a small shower which is a standard size tub with shower and is shown in the photos.  

We are providing our homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each, where we pay thousands on property taxes, utilities and upkeep each year, however there is zero protection for us, the homeowners, from unfair, deceitful or inaccurate reviews!  Without our houses there would be no business. This is just plain wrong!  The guest should not have such control of our livelihood!  

Me..... my house with an overall 4.92 rating as well as my other house are considering getting out.  It’s too exhausting jumping through hoops over mean guests and silly comments when we aren’t backed up and protected by a company who should be protecting us, their partners and clients.  

Not happy. 

[Maggie-and-Norm0]

I agree. We no longer list our places after many years. I will honor the remaining bookings and then it’s over for airbnb and us. Thanks for posting your valid concerns.

[Linda3182]

Good luck to you both :). I am planning my exit as well.  

[Nina75]

@Maggie-and-Norm0  I had 7 properties on here and now Im down to 1... I'm working on taking that off as well.

[Linda3182]

@Nina75 Hi Nina, I’m in LA also:).  I’m with you on that. I’m finding it hard to find honest people to manage things (I’m 2.5 hours away from my places).  Good luck to you!

[Nina75]

@Linda3182  What city do you live in? Where is your property in LA?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Linda3182  I am happy when I am booked when there is no damage and when I earn some money. I don't even look how my guests rate me. Don't care about ratings and review too much, relax 🙂

[Linda3182]

Yeah... that would be nice, but when someone lies and says you are a long distance away from the key destination visitors come to your area for than you really are and you have not received one booking since that lie (always booked before) you really can’t relax.  Hence, not earning ANY money but have to pay bills on the property.  So....I’m not booking now, there is damage and I am not earning money.  The reviews matter in some cases.  It’s nice they don’t matter for you. 🙂

[Andreia-E-Luís-Enrique0]

Olá hosts da comunidade airbnb. Nós também estamos avaliando deixar a comunidade caso não nos reembolsem de um roubo cometido por um hóspede ladrão. Escrevo para alertar a todos de uma situação que me causou muita decepção. Tive um dos meus apartamentos roubado. Televisão, geladeira, micro-ondas e todos os eletrodomésticos foram roubados. Solicitei ao airbnb reembolso e eles me pediram para tratar do assunto por e-mail... Achei muito estranho não utilizar o aplicativo pois essa é a orientação que nós seguimos estritamente. Para minha surpresa o airbnb negou meu reembolso e também se nega a informar os dados do hospede a autoridade policial. O telefone do hóspede na verdade é de uma tele entrega de cerveja e não foi verificado pelo aplicativo e o hospede naturalmente não responde no aplicativo. Me sinto desprotegido pois não consigo obter os dados para processar o delinquente. Temos 52 apartamentos anunciados no aplicativo e realmente nos sentimos desamparados nesse incidente. Alguém já passou por situação similar? Podem me auxiliar com sugestões do que fazer? Se o aairbnb não tomar uma titude decente para nos proteger talvez passemos a anunciar nossos apartamentos no Booking ou no homeway

[Sarah977]

@Linda3182   I don't see any recent review which says that. Was that the review you managed to get removed? I really can't believe that your bookings have dried up because one guest said it was farther to somewhere than it actually is. That seems like really minor thing that you can easily correct in the perception of future guests with a simple review response.

You have tons of great reviews, so I'm not sure why you are so upset. So what if a guest says the shower stall was smaller than they expected? It seems like you expect to get all 5* reviews all the time, with only glowing comments.

Hosting is a business which is based on dealing with the general public. Expecting every guest to leave perfect reviews isn't very realistic. Do you think that 5* restaurants don't occasionally get customers who complain? 

[Linda3182]

@Sarah977 @Sarah, You are not getting the point and I really don’t like your judgement of me as I am showing concern for how the Airbnb policy favors the guest for ALL homeowners. I just gave examples of stupid comments of which I ignore most.  Soooooooo..... as someone who is using our property to make money Airbnb has a responsibility to protect us, their partners, from guests whom have unrealistic expectations, Ill intent or who haven’t paid attention to the listing details and want to complain because they just don’t like giving 5 star reviews.   Airbnb sides with the guest, who spent a couple hundred dollars, over the host, who has invested  hundreds of thousands of dollars.  This is. It about some silly issue I have posted, it is about a bad policy which Airbnb needs to change.  There needs to be a way to vet comments.  Airbnb just won’t take anything down even if you prove the comment is completely false.  Many others have stated this before and I am stating it now.  Glad you had so much time to look at all my reviews.  As I said my reviews are not the issue The policy is. I have spent the entire day on this stupid issue and had it taken down finally, but not because Airbnb gave me a fair resolution.  This is basically bad business and needs to be changed.  Some might enjoy being used and mistreated while others profit, but I expect better treatment and won’t tolerate it.  

[Sarah977]

@Linda3182  I didn't miss your point at all. You may not realize it, because you are new to posting here, but hosts have been ranting about the review system and sending feedback to Airbnb about for years. It falls on deaf ears. 

I myself have posted about it, many times, offered suggestions as to how Airbnb could change it. So telling me I don't get it is totally off the mark.

But until Airbnb is willing to do something about it, which they have shown no signs of doing, it doesn't do hosts any good to fret so much about the reviews. That's just unnecessary stress we bring on ourselves. We can keep trying to change things, and should, but in the meantime, we have to work with it as is.

And as far as taking a look at a page of your reviews, your comment was really snotty. Most of the experienced hosts here take the time to look at another posters' listings, or reviews, so we can answer appropriately. A host can be upset about a review that other hosts then read and advise the poster that it's really not something to be that worried or upset about, suggest a review response, or say not to bother responding, because the review sounds so off-the wall  that no one is going to take it seriously and it just makes the guest who left it look like a nutcase.

No, no one enjoys being used and mistreated and your aggressive responses here to those who took the time to reply to you, not even taking a minute to consider their point, says a lot about your attitude. 

Just because you're upset about the review system, which we all are, doesn't mean other hosts are your enemies because they offer a different outlook.

[Linda3182]

@Sarah977 of course my comment to you was “snotty”.  You started of insinuating my concerns weren’t valid.  Then did the “I don’t understand why you’re so upset” thing. Then topped it off assuming I expected all 5 star reviews and was unrealistic.  I didn’t ask for your judgement or how to respond to reviews or how to handle anything.  I ONLY wrote about a bad policy which you even stated needs changing.  I am talking business and you keep commenting about my emotions.  Please stop it. 

[Inna22]

@Sarah977 some people do not actually want advice, they want us to agree with them. If we do not tell them that they are amazing, their guests are wrong and Airbnb is evil, they get upset at whoever is replying regardless of the value of the response offered. I guess @Linda3182 is one of those. Perhaps Airbnb should add "venting" as one of the discussion rooms here. In the rules for that section it should say that no productive comments are welcome, only nodding in agreement.

[Linda3182]

@Sarah977 wow, such a nasty remark.  Some people bring up issues in a business type manner and discuss a policy which maybe, just maybe if a petition is brought or some other collective action is taken that policy might get amended.  Then there are people like @Sarah977 who has no concept of that and makes everything personal. Maybe those people need to stick to Facebook or some social sight and keep their judgmental and nasty attitudes towards other people to themselves