So why do we get 'warnings' from Airbnb for 4 STARS?

[Rachael26]

As Hosts we are all working towards satisfied guests and lots of bookings. And using Airbnb means we also have to be concerned with the Review System - and the dreaded pressure to achieve 5 Stars. Not only because some of us may want to achieve SuperHost (the jury is still out for me as to whether there are any significant benefits to being a SuperHost - the increased expectations from guests v. a dedicated phone line and a $100 travel credit - hmmmmm, still not sure!) but also the pressure to keep above a 4.5 average, because when you dip below that number Airbnb start to send warnings of suspension and all sorts of negative things. As if the pressure of hosting wasn't enough!

So my question is this - is it fair for Airbnb to have such a high average standard (above 4.5) which basically makes anything lower than an overall 5 Star 'Bad'....... but the email they send to guests after a stay doesn't point this out. It actually reads like this (see below) and I believe this is sending one message to the guest - while sending another message to the Host.

'How was your stay at Fred's place?

Terrible

Bad

Okay

Good

Great

Share your experience while it’s still fresh. Your review will help Fred improve and tells future guests what to expect.'

SO IF FOUR STARS ARE CONSIDERED GOOD - and Airbnb sends this explanation out to the guest with the review request - then why such an unsupportive reaction from Airbnb when Hosts get a 4 star review?

Wouldn't most people booking a place to stay to save money and somewhere cheaper than a hotel - wouldn't they be happy with a 'Good' place? And delighted, but not expected, if a place turned out to be 'Great'? So why is it so bad from Airbnb's point of view to get a mix of 4 star and 5 star reviews?

I also agree with the suggestion that Airbnb should wait to send the warning emails until a host receives an overall 4 star review three times in a row. That would be more indicative of below par performance than the occasional 4 star overall that some guests just seem determined to give to be difficult or whatever reason they have in their heads.

This email message from Airbnb to the guests (showing 4 stars to mean 'Good' and 5 stars 'Great') is not helpful if Airbnb continue to use a different measuring stick for Hosts (meaning 4 stars is not 'Good' but you are failing as a Host).

[Helen427]

Hello Corrine, I to had a guest, JA, give me 4 stars for everything & then wrote he "Would not recommend to stay", my rating dropped down to 1 star...I reprimanded him for removing items from my home and ate food he wasn't authorized to and used that "F" swear word amongst other toxic behaviours and gave him & OF & S both "Private feedback" in a friendly & positive manner, only to be undermined with a very dishonest "Public reviews" that airbnb won't remove as they claim it doesn't violate Review content.

When viewed in chronological order and context it's harassment & been done to cause me distress.

Airbnb need to ensure everyone is treated with respect and stop the rot some Guests are inflicting on people online with weirdly set up star ratings. One may surmise they give people less star ratings of certain words come up in Reviews.

[Corinne188]

@Helen427 Oh Helen I personally would have not let that go.  I would have insisted that a person with authority and common sense review the matter.  How would anyone think it is reasonable that a guest left a host 4 stars for ALL categories and then turn around and say they would not recommend you?  That is a complete contradiction!  I am thinking perhaps us hosts should create a petition of somekind and demand that airbnb re-review this entire rating system.  Thoughts anyone?  Airing our complaints amongst ourselves is getting us no where. 

[Helen427]

Hi Corrine, I've not let it go. I reported it as soon as it happened to C/Services and publicly asked said Guest if he had made a "typo".

Apparently he hasn't but there's a trail of data he has overlooked tucked away about his theft of items ( small but theft is theft) and Private Feedback - nothing worse than a retaliatory guest who throws the toys out of the cot & been spoken to firmly by a lady - I don't & won't take abuse from anyone.

Frankly he overstepped boundaries and I as a woman host on my own have borne the brunt.

I also made it clear he would have to pay full rates not the double discount he had that should never have arisen - in NZ, as I believe the law is in many countries, one is not permitted to give two separate discounts as has happened - a 20& introductory offer and then a prompt to offer 23% Special offer that resulted in a 43% discount not 23% in total as I was lead to believe. Tut, Tut Abnb.

No doubt the Lawyers internationally will be busy for a while yet with all these matters we have arise before us.

Btw, maybe where there are incidents like has happened we all start to use the Report Flags to ensure accountability all around?!?

thoughts??

[Helen427]

* Full rate if he wanted to come back and stay again as he wanted to come back. I didn't want him back and wouldn't recommend him at all with what he's done whilst in NZ. He's probably lucky he's not been send home by immigration to be honest.

[Helen427]

Hi folks, after much effort and around 2 months down the track with my reputation having been tarnished I've finally managed to get the two separate toxic dishonest Longer Term Guests  reviews removed.

One of these Guests was an IB which blocked up 12 days of potential better quality introductory Guests when I first joined Airbnb - Airbedandbreakfast- as a Host.

To say it was unnecessary to have happened in the first place and has caused financial and other distress is the understatement.

To those new on Airbnb as Hosts, make sure you include in your Profile Listing that you won't accept IB until you get to know how the systems work as not all Guests are created the same!

[Pavel0]

I reached out to a guest who left me a 3-star review to ask him (politely) what I could improve. The guest said that everything was good, he just saw that "3 meant good" and he put it. He didn't point out anything negative.

Usually I am a 100% Airbnb-only host, but everytime I receive these warnings for a listing because of a less-than-5 review (saying that the listing might be suspended), I publish this listing on absolutely every single other platform. I prefer Airbnb, but I'm really scared of being "suspended", so these warnings are extremely counter-productive. Now I published on platforms I didn't even know existed and I started to get bookings from them...

[Corinne188]

@Pavel0  Agreed, not only is it counterproductive it is demoralizing to get those messages, especially when the guests themselves do not understand how their feedback is impacting our ratings.  If they knew I doubt many of them would leave us such low ratings.  They simply do not realize the impact it has.

[Joa1]

@Pavel0 I have been hosting exclusively with Airbnb for over 6 years now.  I too have listed my place on every other viable platform I can find.  The review system is broken, and the guests I have had over the past 1 1/2 years have been, in general, very low quality, and people I don't wish to share my space with, or give the opportunity to review me, or say anything about my listing or myself.

[Cormac0]

@Rachael26et al

Does it surprise Host, that there is no system for rating Airbnb?

They are setting ridicules high standard irrespective of price for us host to achieve while having very low standards for the Airbnb platform.

I’m specifically speaking about Host that do not have the authority to sublet the apartments they’ve rented on Airbnb, and as far as I’m aware authority to rent is not a requirement on the platform which needs to be changed.

80% of Host on Airbnb are cannon fodder and in the words of many a movie villain (EXPENDABLE) are of relatively little significance and therefore able to be sacrificed or abandoned.

I am so disappointed with Airbnb…

[Despoina6]

I think this problem would be solved if the rating scale had decimals, i.e. 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 etc.

I am very confident that many ratings then would fall under the 4.5 category rather than the 4 stars one. It would greatly solve problems for all sides involved.

[Joa1]

I was thinking about it...I also think that if a guest leaves a less than 5 star rating for any category, that they should have to explain why in the comments section following each category rating.  As it is now, the comments are optional.  I think Airbnb should make a comment on a less than 5 star review required, especially if they want their hosts to do the best job possible.  This would also serve to make the guests "think" about the reviews they are giving more, instead of just clicking a star rating.

[Igor55]

I am in between deciding to close my Airbnb or continue. I am a Superhost but I am dismayed by how Airbnb runs their business. I have 82% of 5-stars from more than 200+ bookings but recently I received a message from Airbnb about my other listing at 4.5 overall rating. I can’t believe how Airbnb deal with this reviewZ. If a 3-star is classified as okay, why is 4.5 overall classified as a warning to have your shut Airbnb listing shut down. I feel that Airbnb is becoming a bully. Something has to change and strike this bully giant! 

[Joa1]

Because Airbnb doesn't explain their rating system to guests. And, because 4 stars which = "very good" doesn't seem to be good enough for Airbnb. Their rating system is bs.

[Emiliano150]

If only 4 and 5 stars matter, then why not using a binary system? It makes no sense to have such a rating system when at the end the scala cannot be fully used.