Torn about writing a bad review

[Tina26]

I was excited and nervous about my first guest, as I am new to renting.  

I arrived at the house 30 minutes after check out time and they were still there, almost done but still bringing things out. They had contacted me to see if they could check out late but I had someone else coming in that day so I had to decline the request.  I thought it no big deal I can still clean and turn it around for the next guest.  All the laundry had been placed in the laundry room per check out request but as I am pulling out the sheets from the hamper I find vomit, lots of it all in the sheets, along with the mattress protector also (thank goodness for the mattress protector). I cannot understand why someone would leave them in the laundry basket like that, at least rinse them out or put them in the washing machine?  

As we moved on to clean the bathrooms, we found vomit behind the toilets in two of the bathrooms.  I had to bleach and disenfect all the floors in the bathrooms, it was disgusting. There were lots of leftover food in the fridge, food all over the floor, the oven looked like something has exploded, a broken glass, smoking on the back when its is strictly no smoking.

Now in the big picture nothing big was runied, everything cleaned up and all is as good as new so part of me wants to just let it go, remind myself that not everyone has the same standards but I also wonder of I should put it out there so the next person knows.

Thoughts please .........

[Natalia84]

Thank you Clare for your comment and support. However I am not completely agree. Unpleasant experience can mean anything, from smelly breath to sexual abbuse. I think precise facts (maybe not as detailed as I have written) should be stated, so future hosts can evaluate for themselves whether to take on a risk of hosting that party or not. 

I wish you safe hosting! :0)

[Jelena42]

how is a sink problem of a person that spent short time in your home?  Where I live thats called  extortion and is ctually illegal, robbing tourists off is an offense. 

[Zacharias0]

Hey @Tina26 what a beautiful place you have. Hows it been going since the you wrote this post? Have you changed anything about your hosting style? Was that incident a one-off?

[Suzanne54]

I have been renting my cottage in the back of my house for approx a year and a half now. I average 15 different guests per month and I have never had any one do that..This is not acceptable..Only once did I have a young couple with a baby that left every dish dirty in the sink. The man trimmed his beard in the bathroom and there were little pieces of it EVERYWHERE  in the bathroom..I got the impression that their parents had given them them the money to come here to get them out of their basement..Fortunately, they were the only disappointing guests in all of the hundreds that I have had.. I think it's partly because most of the people that stay here are looking to go to the National Park and hike..I try to be as flexible as possible realizing that when I'm on vacation I can't always meet a time schedule..I really want them to have a wonderful experience, something they will always remember fondly.. 

[Lynne2]

It is hard leaving a less than positive review, but for those of us who use Instant Booking, it's essential.  My prerequisite for instant booking is that the guest has positive reviews, so I rely on hosts to say it as it is.  I've been hosting for about 3 years now, and in that time have had only one bad experience, for which I'm grateful.

Happy hosting in the future!

Lynne

[Denise107]

Best advise I can give you is to write a thorough and truthful review. It will help to warn other hosts and might also teach the guests a thing or two about their unacceptable behavior. 

[Natalia84]

So it's done. Honest and detailed review writen and sent. And thanks GOD! Because my guest from hell has left very thorough (as much as she could as she has been in the house once during 2 weeks stay of her builders and haven't assessed the damage herself) and not very honest review, saying let's say not entire truth even about the location! (as if any person in her/his mind wouldn't just look at the map before booking). Shame it brought my rating from 4,5 stars to 4, but with time I am hopeful to recover (I have another 8 great reviews against her one not so great). She is on the contrary does not have any other reviews but mine. Good luck to her finding another fool to host her builders (who was only a small part of the problem and I realy don't have anything against them, just maybe to wish them a healthier diet). I will keep you informed about my modest claim and whether it will be endorsed by Airbnb.

After this experience I introduced safety deposit and going to keep message trail with all my guests. It's fun to talk to them on the phone but if things turn ugly it's better to be prepared.

Good luck to all of you!

[Olivia-Dominique0]

I tried to book for a place on there website after the first host declined my request the second one when i booked it did not receive any confirmation so I tried again still nothing so I contacted them on on the day Friday the 2nd dec 2016 they assured me that no money was going to leave my account because it did not go through so on Monday when I checked my bank account saw that they took the money out twice and still no booking was made so I contacted them again they claimed they couldn't find the reservation and that I needed to send my bank statement as proof when I did they said they was going to investigate, what exactly I don't know after they took the money twice and made no booking just a big scam taking people money that and then hosts can decline or whatever

[Clare0]

@Olivia-Dominique0 When a guest sends a Reservation Request by clicking on the Request to Book button, Airbnb places an authorization hold on the the guest's payment method.  It does not turn into a charge unless the reservation is accepted.  If the reservation is declined or not responded to, the authorization hold is released and disappears within 5 to 7 days depending on the bank's processing time.  Many times guests believe that the authorization hold is a charge, but it is not.  

I realize that this is really confusing for guests.  Check again with your bank and if necessary inquire whether what you see is an actual charge or just a preliminary authorization.   🙂

[Rob132]

a bit late to this, but leave an honest review. 

I have used airbnb a dozen times, and only had one issue (with a host). I wish that there had been more honest reviews.

Look, accidents happen, but how the guest deals with it determines how you review them. If they break a mug, they should call you and inform you and organize a way to replace it. Vomiting on the bedsheets? Lets assume it was severe food poisioning. All they have to do is explain that and offer to have the sheets cleaned and everything is fine. 

The fact that they couldn't bother to let you know should concern you way more than the fact that they damaged anything in the first place.

[Martin274]

Hey,

Feel free to implement a security cash deposit upon check-in that you refund after check-out inspection.

Usually that does the trick. (Most users will ask for $250-$750 depending on property)

Also, outside cameras are usually a good measure for security and will sometimes have the guests think twice about negative actions on their part. An average camera set goes for $400.

Good luck !

Martin

Airbnb Val-Des-Monts, Quebec

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

@Martin274 

This is 110% AGAINST Airbnb policy.  You CANNOT collect a deposit outside of the sytem.  You should suspend this practice now before a guest gets your whole listing shut down.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/458/can-a-security-deposit-be-collected-outside-of-the-airbnb-we...

[Martin274]

I sincerely thank you for the input.

Proper actions will be taken accordingly.

The sole purpose of my comment was to help a fellow guest and certainly not to break the rules.

Once again thank you!

[Helen3]

Hi @Martin274

Have a look at the information on Airbnb's help centre where it says that hosts can't be handled off site in cash.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/140/how-does-airbnb-handle-security-deposits

[Priszcilla0]

Hi there, 

I need help too and I am torn about how much to disclose in my negative review. 

 After 7 months of hosting and having only good experiences, I recently hosted somebody  who claimed to be an RNB singer and that he is going to just record in the room and sleep. 

First of all he was really bad at getting back to me about his arrival time. Since I have a keypad and gave him the code I wasn't too concerned about it, but it was 1,30 am when he arrived (me and my husband were already asleep ) and came with some friends and they were very loud. My husband went out to greet him, but he was half asleep so he didn't say anything. They left after an hour or so to grab something to eat. He came back sometime close to morning. I found out that he has a pet bunny  with him and I clearly have a NO PETS rule in the house. Anyways, I let it go because he did mention something to my hubby that night, so I was like fine he's just going to keep it in the cage. 

I went groceries shopping and came home put everything away but still left some on the counter in the kitchen. We told him (at this time his gf was with him) to feel free to use the sunroom or living area if they want to jam and listen to music (since we are play music too as a hobby). So they did, and then we left. When we came home, he opened some juice boxes and perrier cans and ate some of our bread, WITHOUT asking. I did call him on that for which he apologized.

All in all a nice guy (so he appears), but full of **bleep**. Excuse my language. Talks way too much to hide his odd behaviour. HE just gives me a bad bad vibe. 

This morning when I left, I went in the laundry and found out that he was there too. I don't have the laundry listed in my amentities !!! He used my clothes brush to wash something for his bunny and the dryer to dry it. It was full with bunny hair !!! He is checking out today and since I am at work I won't have a chance to talk to him face to face and tell him about all this. 

What bothers me the most that he didn't ask or write me a message if it's ok to use all the stuff that I did not have listed int he first place.  WHO does that ???

I don't know what to write for his review but I am really pissed. 

I need some advice ebcause I don't want to make a decision too quickly since I am angry about this whole situation. 

Thanks !