Should I Write a Bad Review for the guest?

[Jason565]

In my 7 years of hosting I have never written a bad review of a guest. But now I am seriously considering writing one and wondering if it's worth the trouble.

Here's what happened: the apartment I rent in NYC is kept extremely clean and well-maintained, and literally all of my past reviews have been positive. The guest that checked in last week said she found a dead mouse inside the entrance of the apartment. This shocked me since I have not seen a mouse in my apartment in the 5 years I've lived there, but it did not surprise me since this is NYC and a mouse entering your apartment is unfortunately typical.

The guest insisted that I return from my trip to personally remove the mouse for her or send over someone to remove it for her, since neither she nor her boyfriend would remove the mouse. She also suggested that I am attracting mice to my apartment because I have books and mice are attracted to paper and wax. (But thsi was the ONLY mouse that had ever been in the partment as far as I know...and it was dead.)

I told her that it was impossible for me to return to remove the mouse and that I could send over the superintendent but when/if he decides to come over it wouldn't be until the end of the day. The guest then agreed that her boyfriend would remove the mouse as long as I talk them through how to do it, which I did, expalining that they just needed to sweep in up and place it in the garbage just outside of the building. She then said she "understood" the situation and thanked me for being helpful.

I offered her a discount for that day and she said "no worries." She then went on to stay in the apartment another day and a half. She had already been there a day at this point.

On the third day I got a call from AirBnb telling me that the guest had spent 90 minutes on the phone with them complaining about the mouse and was demanding a FULL REFUND and an early check out (She was scheduled to be there two more days). In the end she was given a partial refund and an early check out without penalty. This all seems to me extremely over the top on here part and I could have worked to resolve the situation, but instead she blew up the minor incident into a 3 day headache for everyone involved.

My question is: is it worth reviewing her and her boyfriend negatively? Is tthis the sort of information about a potential guest that other hosts would like to know before booking them? Or should I just forget about it and hope she does not leave my listing a (overblown) negative review?

[John1574]

@Jason565

I had a guest I wouldn't want back.  She left no review.  At just before midnight at the end of the fourteen day review period I left her a review of 3 stars and a thumbs down so can no longer book with me.  My review simply stated that she'd be better suited to the more impersonal motel/hotel industry.

Because I submitted it minutes before the closing of the review period she did not have time to respond within the 14 day period.

If your guest does leave a bad review, you will have to counter it, but be short and sweet and professional .  . . . and give her the thumbs down.

[Fred13]

    I found this passage strange - "She also suggested that I am attracting mice to my apartment because I have books and mice are attracted to paper and wax."

   She sounds like she wouild also be afraid to walk into a public library.

[Pete69]

I would LOVE to get free hotel stays in exchange for finding a dead mouse! Whether true or false, finding a dead mouse shouldn't entitle you to a free night stay.

[Andrea9]

@Jason565

I'm going out on a limb here and wondering if the conversation was on Airbnb message platform?

or if you re-capped the convo on there?

Am assuming everything was off-platform, so that Airbnb couldn't check it and also didn't see where she actually sort of denied your offer.

I'm thinking it would probably have been much more difficult for her to convince Airbnb the way she did if the exchange had been on there.

Going into the future if a guest tries to go off-platform with other messageing systems best take screen shots. Post them to Airbnb  messaging saying something like you like keeping everything on one page for your own better oversight. Also, any phone conversations same thing: post a short message reiterating that. See it as a paper trail for possible future dispute. With difficult guests using the system to host disadvantage and many cx workers not bothering to check with the host in question we need to think like lawyers and create our little file of proof. 

[Paulette27]

The saying, "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all" is my rule of thumb.

I always report to Airbnb a seriously negative experience and include photos if needed. I believe they should be aware of these type of guests. Maybe it is because I live alone and I wouldn't want any kind of retaliation.

I can tell you a recent overnight guest that has been with Airbnb for several years had no reviews and that was a red flag with me since Airbnb had informed me he had been a guest several times.

I did not leave a review, he was immensely discourteous of my time and felt no compunction to let me know how late he was going to be, or respond to my email letting me know.  

[Andrea9]

@Paulette27 As a host, if I got this guy's request, I'd have wished you hadn't taken the easy way out. Something like 'XYZ stayed one night, left everything in good order. (Pre-arrival) Communication could have been much better, and I recommend him to all hosts with an automated check in process.'

[Paulette27]

Thank you, Andrea, I appreciate your point of view.

 I would happily have met with him when it was convenient for him.

The guest was great at communicating his numerous requests of me but chose not to respond to my only request of him when asking for his arrival time. And that was when he was already over an hour and a half late. He was not an ideal guest and though he stated he would be checking out early, that too was not the case.

[Helen56]

You have no proof at all that this mythical dead mouse actually existed.  They are just trying to get a free stay in your place.  A book reading mouse??  So funny.  Please leave an honest review and let other hosts know that they are into mouse fraud.