Please provide feedback on my guests comments

[Rasheda3]

Hello all! My guest checked out today and provided very detailed information about my home and how I could improve. This is my first guest to ever complain or say anything about the cleanliness of my home,  so I am taken aback. I do want to hear from others. Some of the things she said I do agree with and am in the process of changing (new furniture and having the door replaced) but some was just downright nitpicking and **bleep**. Mind you,  the guest never brought up any issues during their stay and I contacted them throughout. 

There feedback is below

“Parts of your house were so very cute and welcoming but here are the things that lowered my review. 1. The house was not clean. A good deep cleaning would go a long way. The TV stand downstairs and fireplace mantle were terrible. There were staples from a staple gun all over the stairs and the bathroom walls and mirrors were also not clean. I had to sweep the floor when we arrived. The floor under the loveseat was very dirty and one of the first things we saw when walking up the stairs. 2. It seems you live there when not renting the house out. It was very weird to us to have your food in the fridge...your milk and produce and the refrigerator also was just not clean. It was really weird putting our food in with yours. Maybe put your food in a cooler next time you have guests. 3. All your supplements and medications and such in that cabinet and the broken cabinet door above it. Maybe put a lock on that cabinet to keep your items private when you are renting the space out to others. 4. Replace your couches or get them cleaned or put a cover on them for guests. If we would not have found the blankets to use as covers, it probably would have been a deal breaker for us. 5. Your kitchen table is not sturdy. My sister was nearly injured as the top lifted from the base when she leaned on it to get something from the floor. 6. The garage door would not stay shut so we could not lock it. The sliding glass door also does not lock. I recognize you have that bar in the track, but the door opens enough to slide a gun or something in if someone wanted to. 7. All the deodorizing plug ins!!! The scent was incredibly overpowering. Recommend not putting one in every single outlet. I got a massive headache from it the first night. Good things. 1. Beds were incredibly comfortable -- sheets were clean and felt cozy. 2. Towels were nice and plush. 3. You were very hospitable, and I think you could be very successful. 4. LOCATION for the game was AMAZING!!”

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Rasheda3 Given the reasoned public review this guest left you have dodged a bullet. I don't think there is anything nitpicking in the private review they left you - This is what people expect from a whole home Airbnb. I would action everything on the list and your well located listing will go from strength to strength.

Finally don't make the schoolgirl error of responding to a private review as the response will be made public on your listing. 

[Rasheda3]

I disagree, respectfully. Why would i remove food from my fridge, as i live in the home while it is not rented. Doesn't make sense. That to me is a nitpicky move. Why was she going through my pantry and looking at my vitamins? the bathroom walls were dirty. How? things were said just to say them, from my perspective. If you have had a chance to look at my reviews never have I had a guest make these claims.  I hire a cleaning crew and I also have a handyman who helps with repairs. If the house was so unclean, why was I not notified during the stay? Of course, no one can answer these questions but the guest, but they are valid questions. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Rasheda3 If you leave your food in the fridge then I am afraid you cannot be complying with the enhanced cleaning protocols that you advertise in your listing. I am sorry but, rightly or not, Airbnb guests expect an empty fridge in a whole home listing. You seem to have invented a different version of whole home which is fine (apart from the protocol) but it will get you lower marks than you otherwise might deserve.

You really should take the guests PRIVATE remarks and use them to improve rather than trying to challenge each issue.

[Rasheda3]

Prior to me listing my home, I spoke with a superhost who suggested I leave food in the fridge, because that was one of my concerns while renting out the home. She told me to make a space for my food, and a space for my guest. This is what she does and has been a host for 6 years, her whole home. 

Could you please provide a link to where I am not following the protocols as far being clean regarding the food? That would be great!

I am only sharing the remarks for feedback, and I am grateful for everyone's response. This was not meant to shame or berate my guest, nor to cause chaos or bring out vitriol or hostility. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Rasheda3 I can't post links but in the kitchen cleaning checklist it says the following:

Clean

Empty food and beverages from the fridge

[Laura2592]

@Mike-And-Jane0  "If you leave your food in the fridge then I am afraid you cannot be complying with the enhanced cleaning protocols that you advertise in your listing. I am sorry but, rightly or not, Airbnb guests expect an empty fridge in a whole home listing."

No home I have stayed in since these protocols were enacted has had a totally empty fridge, including ours. 

We do the following: 

"

Clean

Empty food and beverages from the fridge"

which means we take out expired items, unsanitary items etc and thoroughly clean and empty the fridge. But we do not LEAVE an empty fridge. We provide condiments, eggs, bottled water, etc. 

I have never stayed anywhere that had a totally empty fridge. There are different ways to interpret the checklist.

[Rasheda3]

I also leave waters in the fridge for my guest, I let them know this prior to their arrival, as well as a few snacks such as popcorn,  chips and maybe even a soda. 

[Till-and-Jutta0]

The public review the guest left sounds very decent for me.

I suggest regarding the private review as a free means of quality assurance.

I’m not sure if it’s a god idea (for privacy reasons) to publish a private review here.

[John2406]

@Rasheda3 , I wholeheartedly agree with both @Mike-And-Jane0 and @Till-and-Jutta0 that the non-public comments left by your Guest were (not their words, but mine, and probably the same anyway) very positive, plus - I think - written in a constructive way to help you see where extra work, more attention, and clearer demarcation needs to be in place for future Guests.

I don't know whether your place is a "whole of" or "part of" property, although from the comments it would appear that your Guest was confused as well, but if you live on the premises do you not have a chance between Guests to walk around the accommodation to check for yourself, and then to check again as though you were the Guest, that not only you are satisfied that the place is A-ok, but (far more important in my eyes) that even the smallest area will be to your Guests' expectations?

Fortunately we live about 20minutes from our property, and until 2021 employed a Cleaner who also used to change the beds and undertake other things for us, but I always used to walk around the property after they'd finished to check that everything that should have been attended to, had, and often I would pick up something the cleaners' (vacuum cleaner usually) had missed, or I would have to do other things.

My mantra since we first opened in 2012 has been that I want the next Guest who arrives to have the same "wow" feeling about our place as the very first Guest we ever had. It's not difficult because I really love the whole house - (originally bought to live in ourselves, but haven't achieved such to date!) - and I want our Guests to also love the place, which in the main, they do.

Let's face it, none of us could possibly be 100% perfect, yet striving to be so - is (or should be) - what all Hosts' want, for thereby lie high star ratings.

None of us like to read or hear that we haven't reached a particular standard, particularly in others' eyes, but I'm more than certain that deep down, even though at first sight you might have been  "offended", you will have scurried off to see for yourself whether what was written was correct - or not - and all will have been put right for the next Guest's arrival!

Wishing you a successful 2022. 

[Rasheda3]

Appreciate your feedback, but I also disagree with your view. @John2406 Saying that someone could slide a gun on the back patio door? Like what?! i have never heard anything like this from anyone, ever. Not when I had an inspection on the home when I purchased 4 years ago, or from previous guest. I am not removing food from my fridge for a guest. That's not realistic. I live on site while not rented out, and I will add this to the description. This guest was just going through my home with a fine tooth comb, looking for errors. Like someone else mentioned, she is better suited for a hotel, not an airbnb. 

I appreciate your thoughts and the time you took to respond, thank you!

[Helen744]

helen@

@744 Obviously she thought that she was helping   or none of the above .Someone who felt that it was her personal job to inspect your home with a fine tooth comb Maybe one of the others in the group could have filled in your review. You know how clean it was so dont let it get you down. I had a down grade and there is nothing so demoralising as waiting for a good review after you have mown lawns washed windows cleaned toilets and every surface with disinfectant .looked under beds to adjust plugs and cords checked tellys and all that accoutrement including wi fi . works from the last guest who stole the cords. Taken the rubbish away and disinfected the bins . Put bags in all the bins wiped down all the chairs and sofas. Checked the doors and latches Vaccumned the floors mopped the floors oh and then washed all the linen . Checked all the messages . Made sure of arrival times . Waited while they change their arrival times two or three times . Its getting dark  put on the heaters or the aircon. Place toilet paper and toiletries towels and face washers in each room . Stocked up the tissues Checked all the pieces are there for the scrabble monopoly and chess. Checked the childrens toys . Brought in the cot and put the high chair in kitchen . counted the knives and forks, cleaned the dishwasher. Have    I          forgotten something . oh yes . Arrange refunds on short cancellations because grandads aunties cousin is unable to make it .Add another child,  adult oh and then say hi how are you come on in . I left snacks and milk in the fridge .I hope you will be comfortable. Sorry I just dont think a guest finding a stray hair occaisonally warrants the Feds. So shoot me . Helen. All the best

[Helen744]

also I find the hosts on this page who seem to think that the guests are better at doing your business than you are have either dropped the ball on responsibility or actually believe in the punitive nature of reviews all the best to those hosts who are not outsourcing their vanity projects H.

[Laura2592]

@Helen744 I do think some hosts (and not necessarily those who commented) are more apt to immediately side with guests when a fellow host presents a problem. In this particular case, I can't tell anything from other guest feedback that this host may have the issues outlined. Its a "she said/she said." The OP said she may have a few things to fix, but that she was blindsided by some of the other comments. 

The fact is that even if you are awesome in your maintenance, there are things that can go wrong BETWEEN guests and you not have time to sufficiently deal with them before the next arrives. Of course hosts do whatever they can to minimize any interruption to the next guest, but some things are unavoidable.  . Anyone who stays in a house someone owns needs to understand that hosts don't have a paid maintenance staff nor a warehouse full of duplicates of furnishings and decor items. If I ever got the type of feedback this guest left I would not welcome them back as I would assume that they needed both of those things for their comfort. Again, better suited to a hotel.

[Rasheda3]

@Laura2592 AGREED. I am not a multimillionaire nor do I have unlimited funds to make upgrades on a guests whim. I feel there are other host's pointing fingers as if the guest is always right, or they know the host home better than the owner does. It's a pompous attitude for sure. 

"Anyone who stays in a house someone owns needs to understand that hosts don't have a paid maintenance staff nor a warehouse full of duplicates of furnishings and decor items. If I ever got the type of feedback this guest left I would not welcome them back as I would assume that they needed both of those things for their comfort. Again, better suited to a hotel."

LOVE THIS! So accurate and true.