Writing a bad review.

[Mary348]

Review of a guest who just moved out.

Hi Everyone, 

(Hope to get your feedback. Im preparing a review for a terrible guest who just moved out. I have never given anyone an favourable review but I feel the need to warn the next host.  When she booked with me she had no review.  Below is what Im going to write. An narration of what happened.) 

To my fellow hosts, I would like to share my experiences with you with the hope that it will not happen to you. I wished I had this warning.

Please proceed with caution if you decide to host this guest. Whilst she can seem very friendly and courteous in person, emails and whatsapp, all that would change instantly when things are not to her liking. Everything was fine until the next day after check in. The complaints came in the morning and she wanted to move out.  My co host attended to the complaints and I called her. Over the phone, she was rude, offensive and threatening while I tried to work out a solution for her. She told me she would write a very bad review and she wanted a full refund including airbnb fees and cleaning fees. My co host and a cleaner spent 7 hours of cleaning and preparation to get ready the place for her. I asked her to give us a chance to rectify to her satisfaction but she said there was a long list of things that she was not happy about but she could not say what they were. She only came up with 3 issues that non of our other guests ( including those from England, States, Canada, Australia..etc) have made a fuss of. She complained of the lift installation noise which started when two groups of longer staying guests ( 12 and 15 days) from England were in and they never raised this issue. I was back to check on the apartment not long before she arrived and the noise was not a bother. I apologised to her for not telling her before she came and told her that it was because I didnt think it would be a problem The bedding was not to her liking. We use mattress protector and bedsheets on top. We don't use a top sheet on top of the bedsheet. She and her daughter were given Malaysian traditional blankets of single size and double sized comforters which do not come with coverings. She said the comforters smelled. They are washed each time and air dried or machine dried. She did trust the water filter which we explained is an Australian product. There were other things that they were not happy about which they told my co host. Those range from not soft enough towels, not high grade/ sufficient enough toiletries and necessities to general noise from surrounding and smell of hallway..etc. We never encountered smell at the hallway. We feel that she and her daughter would be more suited to a 5 star hotel of which the price would be much higher. Before our place they stayed in a very beautiful villa with swimming pool in Bali with daily maid service for which the price is a lot more than ours ( triple for some months) . It is clearly stated in our listing what is provided and the things to note about the accommodation and its surrounding (eg. noise). It was a festive Chinese New Year period and the apartment is right in the hustle and bustle of city centre.  

On the 2nd day she said that they have found alternative arrangements and would check out the next day. As it turned out, they left Kuching. I altered her stay from 7 nights to 2 nights which she booked since October last year.  We were left with unsold nights as it was too late. I hope it wasn't because there was a change of plans on her part and she used our apartment as the reason to get a refund. She told us that she has stayed in may airbnbs before but she has only one review so far.  We wonder why. I am a superhost with 26 positive reviews ( 96% 5 star rating) from guests from local and abroad including her home country, Canada. She implied that the guests who are happy with our place are local Malaysians only. That is untrue.

Going forward, I hope J........ would give more thought and consideration to her future hosts and properties. She doesn't consider that she hurts not just the listing but everyone in the team including an old lady who helps with the laundry. 

( I feel the need to put in the details so that other hosts know exactly what I am talking about and they can watch out for these things) 

Appreciate your help. Thanks.

[Mary348]

Sorry I meant to write in the opening, " I have never given anyone an unfavourable review but I feel the need......'

[Emiel1]

Hi @Mary348 ,

OK, this is a story of what happened. And it is un unpleasant experience for you. But it is not a review. I think the actual review can be fixed in a few sentences, without all the details. The guest will probably also write a review, do not forget to comment on it, if neccesary.

best regards, Emiel

[Fred13]

   Your first sentence really says it all - it is a summation of the overall experience with this guest and 99% of hosts will get the 'picture' and should be well-cautioned. Consider leaving it to just that.

   Of course, leave any ~review~ on the very eve of the 14-day cut off day, if she still hasn't left one. IF she does give one before the timeline is up, then your ~public response~ maybe will need to change in case she tries to establish a false premise.

   I do get to talk to many, many guests personally, and they have impressed upon me that a host review that is short and a summation makes it easy for them to dismiss entirely a review from the occasional 'odd' guest.

[Mary348]

@Fred13

Thanks. I plan to drop the review at the last hour of the 14th day.( Cutt off time is 12 noon local time)  Im hoping that she would not review me since we gave her what she wanted. She has not written so far. She was very nice and friendly again after I told her that I would refund her but only on the unused nights. 

[Sarah977]

@Mary348  Yes, as @Emiel1  says. A review is not written in short story format, although it's fine to vent on this forum. Concise and factual review and other hosts will get it just fine. "Guest complained endlessly, rudely and threateningly about everything, things none of our many previous guests had any issues with. Cancelled 7 day booking after 2 days. This guest would be better suited to a 5 star hotel."

[Emiel1]

@Sarah977 ,

The whole story condensed into a few sentences, great job ! 

[Linda108]

@Mary348  I agree with the other hosts.  Short and simple thumbs down review.  Do not use the review process to vent.  Reviews are opinions.  Hopefully your communication was captured on the Air BNB so when, not if, the guest seeks a refund, the communication is available to Air BNB staff to read.  If you had only telephone communication, summarize in the Air BNB message system the guest complaints and the efforts you and co-host went to satisfy complaints.  Do not add your opinion in the summary.  Just "XX we are sorry you were not satisfied with our efforts to address the following complaints:  1,2,3 with the following actions: 1,2,3"  By the way, that no other guest complained is not a good "defense".  A negative guest will find items that you might want to look at in case there is any merit to the complaint.  Good luck with this, but think about how much worse it would have been if you had to put up with the complaining for 7 days!!

[Sandra126]

@Mary348, your opening line in the review is sufficient: Please proceed with caution if you decide to host this guest.

Any review less than perfect will make hosts take notice. Ranting reviews makes the host look unhinged and is best avoided, no matter how upset they have made you.

[Mary348]

Hi Everyone, 

Many thanks for your feedback. Alright I will keep it short. Would you have given her a  full refund of the unused nights? I was worried that if I didnt, she would document the lift installation and anything that she could find and Airbnb being pro guests may just grant her a refund of everything including. And  the bad review that she threatened on the phone. She is very smart. On whatsapp, she is like an angel but on the phone it was like a totally different person.  Airbnb did ask me to try to get that threat documented but she wont say anything that could be used against her and white. 

[Robin4]

 @Mary348   Mary I am so sorry you have struck a guest like this, we all fear it and hope we never actually have to experience it. 

You are a Superhost so this tells us a lot about you, it tells us that you know how to be a good host. 

Mary you must review this guest because if you do not you will be precluded from taking in further part in that particular review process. Keep your review short Mary and don't be specific. If you mention personal details the guest will have your review removed!

Say something along the lines of..... "This was possibly not one of my better hosting experiences and although I wish the guest well for the future, I would decline the opportunity to host her again".

Mary, that tells us all everything we wish to know. You have not accused here of anything other than being difficult and there will be no grounds to have a review like that removed.

Also, whichever way her review goes you will not have to backtrack and eat your words.

So often we see a host give a glowing review, and when the guests review comes it may be less than stellar and the host then launches into a tirade of justification that starts to make the host look a bit silly.

If and when the guests review comes, if it is poor Mary don't get into verbal bantering match with her, just stay aloof from any criticism she may make and just say..."I value the critique of my guests after all that is the only way we as hosts can improve. However on this occasion, compare my hosting record and I think you will agree this guests review says more about them than it does about me"!!

I hope this can help you Mary.....and good luck!

Cheers.....Rob

[Mary348]

@Robin0

Thanks for the advice. Appreciate. If you had this guest, what would you have done? Refund her the unused nights? Ask her to take it up with airbnb and let Airbnb decide? She wanted a refund of everything including the nights used and cleaning fee. Since I dont think Airbnb will fight for

hosts I refunded the unused nights. In case Airbnb let her have everything which would have been worse. There was nothing I could do to make it work. I dont know what she was really up to. Threaten to get me to allow her free or discounted stay or that she really didnt like the place or she had a change of plans and faulted my place. 

[Robin4]

@Mary348

Sorry for the delay in responding to you Mary. This is the problem with living in a 'global community' .......while some play, others sleep!

What would I do in your situation.....Mary, I don't know, I have never been put in that situation.

My feeling is that I would have refunded the unused nights, and take a financial hit.

There is every probability that this guest will lodge a claim with the resolution centre for an entire refund, and it is possible that this will be granted, even if you have refunded a portion of the stay amount.

What I would strongly advise is to try and solicit some form of statement out of her in the message stream as to what she wants and expects from you. You may even be lucky enough to have her threaten you with a poor review if you do not accept her terms! That would be a real bonus for you! By doing this you will then have a record which you can put to the Resolution Centre to say her actions were intimidatory and threatening. Do not have any level of contact with her outside Airbnb messaging.

As you have said, her manner changed when she thought there may be an evidence trail associated with her conversation, but it is worth a try!

There is a growing band of guests who do know how to use the system to their advantage Mary.

I am not saying this guest is doing that but many are aware of how to have their stay and not pay for it.

I have spent some time in a support role and I have seen the situation where a 'guest' stayed in a listing for three weeks, and on leaving claimed (and got) an entire refund for 'Bedbugs' that he and his partner had introduced on leaving the accommodation from a supply he carried with him for just this purpose! Although this 'users' account was subsequently removed from the Airbnb platform, after it was discovered this was not the first time he had pulled this stunt, the host lost their listing amount for that stay and had to provide an exterminators certificate to prove the listing was bug free before being allowed to host again. That scenario cost that host many thousands of dollars!

Mary, this is a no win situation for you, you are not going to come out of this well, but don't stoop to revenge tactics. I know others will tell you to 'lambaste' this woman in the review process but if you call her 'rude or threatening' there is every probability she will have your review removed....we have seen it so many times.

I know of one Superhost who has a perfect review record but who is actually the subject of the most vitriolic complaints from a number of Airbnb users on another website.

Good luck with this Mary, I wish I could be more help here....and I hope you do not come across another like this in your hosting career.

Cheers.....Rob

Before you write anything make yourself a cup of coffee and don't get involved with emotion....

[Mary348]

@Robin4

Thank you so much for your advice. It really helps me to understand more. Airbnb has just replied me on the following. The lady was away last 2 days and she just got back.

1. The guest will not be able to ask for further refunds as she has agreed to the resolution of the refund of the unused nights.

2. The words " rude and threatening" are acceptable so long as there are no profane or vulgar  words or name calling. 

3. I showed Airbnb the review that I intend to write ( short and simple and I incorporated your suggested sentences) . They have approved and advised me to do on the last day.

[Margaret265]

Thanks Rob

I'm going through a similar thing atm and I think your form of words is perfect for my review of the guest. She just couldn't manage the most basic things like reading the map to get here (apparently my fault), was confused by a 2 waylight switch (also my fault) and the dramas just kept coming for 10 days. 

Cheers

Margaret