Racist Guests

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

Just happened today: 

My first 4* overall rating (out of 66/5*), guest is pointing out in his review that my place is in

Jewish/Caribbean Brooklyn neighbourhood.

All other than bad location review, is 5* (over all: 4*)

AND I got "compliment" for everything but "lokal tips" :-0

Because they are Jewish and Jamaican Restaurants, Eateries and Bakeries?????

...I immediately reported to Airbnb! Lets see what happents...

[Robin4]

@Giedre-and-Andre0

Look, your bottm line is Andre, you are pis*ed off because a guest has finally given you a 4 star review. Mate we all are annoyed when we get them!

Since I began hosting with Airbnb I have accumulated 5,250 stars over 175 reviews and of those 5,250,  5,238 have been 5 stars and of those 12 that were not 5 star, 8 were for reviews just like this one....

Or this one........

These guests never criticised a solitary thing, not even my  neighbourhood.....but Andre, it still was not worth a 5 overall.

This is going to happen mate, there are guests out there who say "there is no such thing as 5 stars! Five is that perfection that does not exist"! I know, they have told me that to my face. 

Andre it is a fact of life you are going to get 4 and maybe even 3 stars overall when you have done nothing wrong. Take it on the chin and for God sake, don't blame the guest, they only doing what Airbnb have told them to do .....

If it was better than expected give the host a 4

I am sorry to say it but you can see from this thread of yours you are not gaining any support! Sit back, have a cup of coffee and reflect on how you have handled this. As hosts we all want to support each other but Andre, to call a guest a racist because a 4 star overall popped up on his review does not do you any credit, and worse than that.....it does not do any of us or Airbnb any credit!!!

You can lay a bet this thread of yours is going to pop up on another website somewhere, and we are going to end up with yet another block of people who are going to say "Airbnb hosts call their guests racists!"

Andre it does not do any of us any good.....and that is why we are cross!

Mate, be diplomatic and take that 4 on the chin, don't blame everything else......it's just another landmine we have to dodge in the Airbnb minefield!

Good luck!

Cheers......Rob

[Sarah977]

@Giedre-and-Andre0  " And my response was "be aware, guests are hard to please"

We have all read your response, and no, unfortunately, this is not what you said, nor is that the tone that comes across in the response. "Future hosts, be aware- Very hard to please!"  Then you went on to berate them for being the one and only guests out of 66 reviews that gave you 4*s. "One and only" being shouted in all caps.

There is nothing whatsoever negative in their review. They didn't say anything bad about the location in their review. No one else can see how many individual star ratings they left for you, nor even the overall star rating left by individual guests. The ratings are averaged at the top of the reviews.

There are hosts with listings to die for- new modern high-end homes with infinity pools right on pristine, private beaches in exotic locales who get a 3* Location rating because the guests were bummed about having to drive 10 minutes to the nearest grocery store.

You say you regret your headline. But you don't seem to regret the response you left, even though all the hosts here have pointed out how off we found it. Instead of a different headline, many hosts, when faced with a difficult review, or strong feelings about it, or the guests, will post their draft review or response here before submitting anything, to get feedback. That's what these forums are great for. It's too bad you didn't do that before reporting these poor guests to Airbnb for racism, and making yourself look "very hard to please" to future guests. 

[Rebecca0]

@Sarah0   ouch, that is a little harsh no?  We've all made mistakes and not everyone is a dedicated forum follower!   If you look at the ratings the guests gave, it's a little more undersandable why Gierde&Andre got so upset, don't you think?  Sure, they over-reacted and they have acknowledged that.  Hopefully they can get both the review response deleted and the thread heading changed.   

[Sarah977]

@Rebecca0  Yes, perhaps a little harsh. Of course we all make mistakes, and get upset. But Gierdre&Andre are still rationalizing why it was okay for them to leave that response and trying to convince everyone.  The guests gave them 5* in everything, 4* overall, and 3* for location (which doesn't affect our stats). You win some, you lose some. 

The only 4* I've ever gotten was for location, by a guest who was fussed that it was a 20 minute walk home from town, which is clearly stated in my listing, and which she also specifically asked me about in a message when she booked, and which I confirmed. She mentioned that I should have advised her to bring a flashlight, but she knew her course was not finished each day until 9PM and that I lived down a country road, which obviously most people wouldn't expect to be lit up like a downtown street. She also had a flashlight on her phone (but told me it wasn't strong enough), and could have taken a taxi for $6 if she didn't want to walk. When I saw the 4* location rating, I just shook my head and thought, "There's no figuring out how some people think." I certainly wasn't mad at her for it.

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

Thanks @Rebecca0

@Sarah977 Yes, you absolutely right.

I still think there is a difference between a review like:

1) It was a 20 minute walk home from town --> 4* location

2) The house is located in middle of a 

LGBT community / Mexican neighbourhood / Jewish community / Caribbean neighbourhood

--> 3* location

No worries, this was my last attempt to explain myself, I move on

BUT STILL LIKE OUR, VERY ON THE POINT, OTHER COMMENTS 😉

[Sarah977]

@Giedre-and-Andre0 My point is that they didn't put any negative spin on the the location in the public review. And only you could see the location rating and other comments they made. If you were upset with them for the ratings they gave, and needed to get it off your chest, it would have been far better to respond by private message to them, rather than berate them publicly for what no one else can see. 

[Giedre-and-Andre0]

@Sarah977 Hmmmm ????

 "...My point is that they didn't put any negative spin on the the location..."

Situé au cœur de Brooklyn dans le quartier jamaïcain/juif.

Located in the heart of Brooklyn in the Jamaican / Jewish neighborhood.

Location Rating 3*

So it is Ok because the dot between the demographic comment and the bad location review is hidden/not public???

OK...

[Grace329]

Also note that these guests maybe that are not even aware that giving you a 4* is bad.

someone reading your reviews may not have even noticed their comment but now that you have responded in such a heavy handed manner it highlights everything to future guests.

if i were you i was going to request that Airbnb removes your response . At times its best to cool down a few days before responding to these reviews 

[Karen452]

I'm a black host and I have the same issue. People of a certain age and from certain countries will book my apartment based on the reviews and it's proximity to public transportation and midtown Manhattan. I make it clear that I live in Harlem NYC and that is a historically African American neighborhood to weed racists out...but they book anyway. I know some people will say..."if they're racists they wouldn't book"...but there are varieties of racists. I'm not going to get the separatists kinds...just the garden variety...we'll tolerate and condescend to you because it's convenient for us...and they like the little sadistic thrill of doling out a microaggression here and there as a bonus. They will give me 5 stars in all categories and then give me a 4 overall. Or they will rate all categories 5 stars except the location and then leave an overall 4 stars. There is always the really condescending attitude with these guests that's pretty rude and during our first in-person interaction I can tell that this guest will not leave a 5 start review no matter what I do or how nice their stay in my home proves to be. It is the emotional violence of racism. They compulsively have to do something harmful, unkind, and mean-spirited no matter how pleasant our conversation or how much I go out of my way for them. I live my life in such a way as to treat people the way that I wish to be treated and I actively attempt to give people opportunities to exceed expectations and to show me what makes them special, good, interesting as individuals, but inevitably, if the guest is is over 55, White and from Europe their stay will be emotionally unpleasant for me because of their unkind energy and will result in an inevitable 4 star review.  

[Ann72]

@Karen452  What a horrible pattern, and how delicately you maneuver it.  I wish you could state No Pets, Not Suitable for Infants, and Not Suitable for European Whites Over 55.

I'm sure an additional twist is they believe the choice of location makes them appear edgy to their friends back home.

[Karen452]

@Ann702 I think you're right and that they do like the idea of staying in Harlem, but are literally overwhelmed by the number of people of color. I also have guests under that age who are super excited to be here and have a better understanding of the neighborhood's history and an appreciation of the culture. I had one man from Switzerland refuse to get out of the cab when he arrived. He called me and I looked out the window, assured him that he and his wife were in the right place and that I'd meet him on the porch. I asked him to please leave the cab and walk up. I came downstairs to find the cab still in the middle of the street blocking traffic. Horns were blaring and the cab driver was standing outside the car. His wife was still inside the cab and him standing with the door of the cab open looking at my front door like he was ready to dive head first back in the cab if he was suddenly mobbed. LOL. It's actually really hilarious now because it was so completely ridiculous, but, it was the start of one of my worst experiences. Also, I have to mention...my house and others like it on my block were declared historical landmarks in the 1990's by the city. My street is literally a stop on tours of Harlem.  He was just so freaked out. 

[Ann72]

@Karen452 That story is hilarious and ridiculous on the surface, but has so many layers I can't count them!

[Stephanie]

Hi @Karen452 , welcome to the CC!

I'm appalled to hear you, or anyone else for that matter, have been subjected to any form of discrimation. That simple won't stand. If you find this happening, I implore you to reach out to our customer support team at your earliest convinience.

We are all here to support your hosting success - you will always find friends here on the CC!

Many thanks,

Stephanie

[Karen452]

Thanks, Stephanie. It's a hard thing to report. People have enough sense to be openly abusive in most cases...I just really wish they'd pick someplace that better suits their tastes....rather than their budgets. Also, different but related issue. I really love Airbnb and also serve it as a guest. I actually want hosts to see my profile and my picture. I'd rather have guests who don't want to rent to black people not rent to me over showing up and being treated horribly by someone hostile to my presence. This new policy might actually put people of color and other minorities at risk. The last thing I want to do is give my hard earned money to racists. 

[Cheryl389]

I don't understand when guests give low values for location - there's not much we could do about it, and if they read all of the information in the listing, they should be fully aware of what they are booking and in what neighborhood. I've gotten 4s and lower for location, and I am not sure why to be honest, other than the fact that I am not on the beach although it is close to all local destinations. But since my house isn't on the beach, there isn't much I can do. I am happy I have not had any racist comments.