Airbnb needs to fix their star rating problems!

[Nicole158]

This is totally unfair, and I really hate that Airbnb considers anything less than 5 stars a bad rating. I've read of people's accounts being suspended for bad star ratings..... If they write you a good review but give you less than 5 stars, you should be able to appeal it.
It would be nice if Airbnb either eased up on the hosts or let the guests know how much their star rating will effect the host.

[Yasmin2]

Great post Ned and Laura,

Loved what you shared here...is spot on, if we take everything personal we get stuck on never feeling enough, if fact if we receive a not so good review then this gives us an opportunity to write and offer our thoughts, clarify, advertise plus get the conversation going about who we are and what we stand for with our listing for those that care to read ...

We really enjoy meeting our guests in fact they help us pay our bills and everything goes around and we all benefit from airbnb and the team effort that we are all apart of in a shared economy. 

Have great day

[Anne1036]

Yasmin, I totally agree, meeting our guests and getting the opportunity to introduce them to our little know part of the country is one of the big pleasures we derive from hosting with airbnb. Also as part of the sharing economy guests get a very good deal on accommodation and we get to make some extra money hostin  guests who without this platform would be unaware of our existence It is impirtant. 

[Fred13]

I was about to ask those same questions @Ned-And-Laura0 : "But to kick hard working hosts off the platform because of what may be one single bad review?  That seems crazy to me, are we certain that is the case?  I wonder has anybody with a 4.6 actually been kicked off yet?" 

   Oftentimes a premise takes a life of it owns. For months here many continued this premise, and has it happened?  Does anyone know for sure of someone that got kicked off the platform for only having 4.6 or lower?

[Robin-and-Mami0]

No, I don't know of any but when 1 guest gives a 1 star revenge review during any quarter - because they aren't ethical and didn't like being charged for damage, that makes it impossible to attain super host status.  When you average 1 guest per week or 13 stays per quarter you end up with a 4.7 when 4.8 is minimum for super host status.

Because I am on instant book, which is what Airbnb encourages us to be on, I don't qualify my guests prior to them booking.  I trust Airbnb and that by working hard, providing great value consistently I'll be a super host but the Airbnb algorithm fails because 1 in 8 instant book guests are not reasonable guests and post enough revenge reviews to prevent me from maintaining super host status all but rarely.  These guests try hard to get significant benefits from me that are not part of the agreement.  If I don't acquiesce they post a revenge review.  I believe most hosts with properties on instant book experience the same delimma.

Target Super Hosts only average 15 to 27% occupancy.  I wouldn't even consider those a "going concern".  My occupancy rate is ~ 96% between all platforms.    It doesn't make fairness or sense to base Super Host status on a pool of low occupancy hosted units which likely have hosts which discriminate, cherry pick guests and are not on instant book.

[Terry297]

I would like to see how guests rate other properties. I know there are bad properties and bad owners but I dont want to rent to a guest that consistently gives 2 stars.... Its like the teacher at school who would never give an "A"

[Sarah977]

@Terry297  Well , we can't see the ratings guests gave other places, but we can see the reviews they gave other places, and that's somewhat of an indication. Of course there's the guests who say all was fine, but only give 4*s, but I think most of those people would give 5*s if they were made aware of how star ratings affect hosts (I do educate all my guests about this- most are shocked). 

I think the majority of guests who give low stars will also write complaints in their written reviews, so you can always check those out.

[Cath29]

Yes it can happen and I can confirm that my listing was "suspended" for dropping to 3.9 rating.  

Existing bookings weren't impacted and my listing was eventually reinstated

I did question Airbnb about how the overall star rating was not reflective of the individual category ratings being given by guests and the reply was as follows:

"The guests can leave, on the one hand, a review for the overall experience and on the other for each of the different categories of the listing.  The overall rating is not an average of the reviews of the different categories.  I send you a link with further information: https://www.airbnb.ie/help/article/1257/how-do-star-ratings-work "

As an example of one review, I received a 3 star rating overall.  The guest posted a glowing review and gave me 5 stars for Check in, cleanliness, communication, location and value and 4 stars for accuracy.

[Alon1]

@Cath29 

When it dropped to 3.9 for how long was your listing "suspended"; before it was "reinstated"?

I ask because 18 months ago one of my listings received a '5 Days Pause' when it dropped to 4.2.

I'm  frequently obliged to refer to this episode as there are many hosts on CC who labour under the delusion that as soon as the average falls below 4.7 Airbnb starts to send threatening emails, and

the popular quote is "4.6 = Delisting".

I don't know what the actual figure is for delisting, but  you at least confirm that 3.9 is at worst subject to suspension. and that suffices to end the popular myth.

[Susan17]

@Alon1 

I'm pretty sure I explained to you before that the "popular myth" that ratings of lower than 4.7 lead to delisting, didn't come from hosts "labouring under delusion", but actually originated from Airbnb themselves, when in the aftermath of Brian Chesky's "Big Announcement" video of 22/2/2018, the minimum requirements for Superhost were changed from 80% 5 star ratings, to 4.8 overall. 

https://youtu.be/pBAc4Fo0b2g

The company published the "targets" below, along with the stern warning that hosts consistently falling below the stated targets could be subject to removal from the platform, which directly led to months of mass confusion, panic and misinformation flooding Airbnb-related forums and groups. There were endless threads on the subject, with hosts clamouring for clarification, which - as always - the company subsequently failed to provide. (They did release an "update" here in the CC - ironically titled Clarity On The Recent Superhost Changes" on 26/4/2018, which clarified precisely nothing, and resulted in even more pandemonium than before. 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Clarity-about-the-recent-Superhost-criteria-chang...

The debate was still raging at the end of the year, when Airbnb sought "feedback" at the end of Oct 2018, despite their having already been a full 10 months of feedback and suggestions from hosts flying at them from all angles, which they'd apparently somehow missed. 

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Community-Center-Updates/Feedback-on-Superhost-criteria/td-p/854...

And of course, to this day, there's still constant obfuscation, drama and hysteria surrounding superhost status, which clearly suits Airbnb's purposes just fine. The perfect distraction to keep hosts looking the other way (or arguing amongst themselves), whilst the company engages in all sorts of shenanigans on the QT.  

"Truth arises more readily from error, than from confusion" ~ Francis Bacon

[Susan17]

[Alon1]

The monition you posted is suitably vague, and certainly contrary to the statement "4.6 = Delisted" which conveys an indisputable sentence, which is nonsense. 

It's certainly worth fleshing out the Airbnb directive by quoting the following from 'Help'. Though it doesn't put figures on it, it does articulate that Hosts are given a chance to remedy! 

When I received '5 Days Pause' for 4.2, I was not given the opportunity to 'Appeal'in line with the Airbnb stipulations which clearly specify Appeal is only granted for 30 Days Suspension.

However, in lieu of Appeal after the 5 Days Pause the listing was automatically reinstated.

I rather expect Cath experienced the full 30 Days suspension for  3.9.

We still await her verification. 

@Cath29 

=====================================

Why was my listing paused or suspended?

Your listings may be suspended if you fail to meet the basic requirements overall rating, response rate, accepted reservations, essential amenities or canc...

You’ll have the opportunity to reactivate your listing once the suspension period is over, subject to a review by Airbnb. Serious infractions could lead to permanent removal from Airbnb.

   Existing reservations

Your upcoming reservations will not be impacted by your listing being suspended, but may be cancelled if you fail to provide high-quality guest experiences or otherwise violate our Terms of Service.

   Previous guest feedback

While your listing is suspended, consider taking some time to make changes to your hospitality and listing based on the feedback you got from previous guests. To read guest feedback, go to ratings. To get your overall performance, go to Performance. You should also familiarise yourself with our basic requirements and review tips from o...Help Centre.

   After the suspension period

You may be eligible to reactivate your listing to get new bookings. You can reactivate by logging into your account and following the steps that appear.

After reactivating, your listings could be suspended again if you continue to perform below the basic requirements.

   Appeal process

If you have a 30-day suspension, you may be able to appeal it by completing our suspension appeal form You won't be able to access this form if your suspension is shorter than ...

Airbnb will only grant appeals in very limited circumstances.

Grounds for a successful appeal may include:

• Markedly improved guest feedback over the past 30 days
• Unclear negative feedback from guest reviews
• Rare extenuating circumstances

  Circumstances that won’t be accepted upon appeal include:

  • "The guest review was unfair." The appeal process isn’t meant to appeal unfair ratings. Consider updating your listing description and photos to help set guest expectations following the suspension.
  • “This was a one-off issue.” Suspensions are typically based on multiple occurrences of a problem or issue. In other words, one guest review alone wouldn’t have resulted in a suspension against the basic requirements.
  • “I fixed the problem.” Making changes to your listing and hospitality is the best way to improve during and after the suspension. But failing to meet the minimum hosting standards for your previous guests is still grounds for suspension. 

@Susan17

[Alon1]

@Susan17 

I am aware of the 'targets' publication. I have not viewed the video.

The targets publication solely specifies SH change from 80% to 4.8.

 But it does not go on to issue  'the stern warning that hosts consistently falling below the stated targets could be subject to removal from the platform.'

  Indeed, this supposed warning is conspicuous by its absence from this directive!

See copy below of the link.

If what you claim is in the video, then do me the favour of pointing out the minutes it appears.

Otherwise, I'm left to conclude, it's not Airbnb who spread the "rumour" that "4.6 = Delisted".

======================

We’ve noticed a lot of discussion lately about the updated Superhost criteria, so we wanted to explain why we made this update.

The Superhost program recognizes the best and most iconic hosts on Airbnb. Since it began, in order to be a Superhost you had to meet several criteria. You had to host at least 10 stays per year, you had to have zero cancellations (except for extenuating circumstances), you had to respond to 90% of the messages you received within 24 hours, and 80% of your ratings had to be 5 stars.

The first 3 criteria are staying the same, but beginning in July, instead of needing 80% 5-star reviews, Superhosts will now need an average review score of 4.8.

There are several reasons why we decided to make this change. First and foremost, because it’s simpler and easier to understand. One of the top pieces of feedback we received about the old program criteria was that guests couldn’t intuitively understand what it took to be a  Superhost. By making the change from 80% 5-star reviews to an overall rating of 4.8, guests can more easily understand what it means to be a Superhost. Additionally, switching to an overall rating of 4.8 stars also brings consistency across our new programs like Collections and Plus, which require a 4.8 overall rating as well as several other criteria.

In looking at recent data, we estimate that between 90% to 95% of our Superhosts are going to have no problem qualifying for the Superhost program under the new criteria. Ultimately, it’s our goal to have as many Superhosts as possible and have all hosts provide amazing guest experiences worthy of stellar reviews. Our plan is to continue to closely monitor how these standards impact the Superhost program and evolve them based on what’s working and what isn’t. We truly appreciate the feedback you’ve provided so far and we look forward to working with you to bring further clarity and consistency to the program.

[Susan17]

@Alon1 

I'm not sure what your aim is here, or what you're hoping to gain from this, but the fact remains - as with all chaos and confusion that surrounds Airbnb's ever-changing policies and practices - ambiguous wording, contradictory phrasing depending on where one looks or who one speaks with, and complete lack of clarity and transparency from the company is, as always, the root cause of the problem. Period. 

At the end of the day - what does it matter where a rumour originated from? (A global, sitewide rumour, by the way, that Airbnb failed to quash for well over a year, despite the fact that there are hundreds of posts on this forum alone alluding to it, and on which countless hosts expressly sought clarification)

There are infinitely more nefarious things going on with this company to be concerned about than their ridiculous, manipulative, dysfunctional star ratings and superhost system, which nobody in their right mind would trust or buy into anyway. But hey, if nothing else, you're  proving the point that their distraction and diversionary tactics are working a treat. 

These trivialities really aren't worth wasting time on, and I've no intentions of falling out with you over something so silly, so it's over and out from me on this one, Al. If you're looking for something to really get your teeth into, god knows there are plenty of other shady practices that Airbnb are getting up to, that are truly worth getting fired up about. But this ain't one of them...

[Alon1]

@Susan17 

re: 'I'm not sure what your aim is here, or what you're hoping to gain from this....'

I contribute to this discussion for two reasons.

1) The Reviews were always more important to me than the 5 Star Ratings because it's the     Reviews that encourage prospective Guests. I only started to pay heed to the Ratings when I experienced the '5 Day Pause' to one of my listings.

   It's only when one is stung that one feels the pain. So I'd say it matters to those who have experienced like me, or worse, the longer 'Suspension' with accompanying monitoring & probation by the company.

Consequently, I think it would be most useful if Airbnb published a clear demarcation chart informing Hosts of the red-lines at 4.2 (5 Days Pause) and 3.9.(30 Days Suspension) adding the figure for Delisting.

  [Of course it would be just as useful if Airbnb provided a similar chart for Guests to comprehend the application of the Ratings for Hosts.]

2) In the absence of this proposed chart, and viewing the uncertainties and confusion on  CC it's worth informing everyone of the real red lines contra "4.6 = Delisting" which isn't based on experience or a tangible comprehension of the Rating system.

[Susan17]

@Alon1 

"It's only when one is stung that one feels the pain. So I'd say it matters to those who have experienced like me, or worse, the longer 'Suspension' with accompanying monitoring & probation by the company"

I'm so sorry, Alon - you're totally correct there. It absolutely wasn't my intention to trivialise the pain or experiences of any host who has suffered a suspension or delisting.. but rather, merely to discuss the origins of the rumour. I can see how I may have come across as flippant though, and I sincerely apologise for that. I should have chosen my words with more care and consideration. 

"Consequently, I think it would be most useful if Airbnb published a clear demarcation chart informing Hosts of the red-lines at 4.2 (5 Days Pause) and 3.9.(30 Days Suspension) adding the figure for Delisting

  [Of course it would be just as useful if Airbnb provided a similar chart for Guests to comprehend the application of the Ratings for Hosts.]"

I couldn't agree more on that point! We're definitely on the same page with that one.. transparency and clarity, right there.. 😉