Being punked

[Shannon579]

Hello I had a weird experience happen. I think I’m being punked by local competition. I have two separate houses and I had both booked to different people from the same city. Both left me 3 stars and had the same issue. They said houses smelled like moth balls and they need to be updated. Nobody has ever smelled moth balls and the one house I spent 50,000 in renovating before I started listing it. They are both much cheaper than my competitors that are within 5 miles. I  think it’s more than a coincidence.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Shannon579 So both guests are from out of state - How is that likely to be local competition punking you? (I have no idea what punking is but assume its something to do with unfair reviews from competitors).

Interestingly you do say you use moth balls under the house so I wonder if some people are just more sensitive to smells than others.

[Shannon579]

This is two different houses, they can't both smell like mothballs

[Emilia42]

@Shannon579 Did you at some point put mothballs in or around the houses? 

[Anonymous]

@Shannon579  It's less than a coincidence. Your listings only have 11 reviews so far. You're still ascending the learning curve here, so when you receive critical feedback, try to take it on board rather than get defensive or devise improbable conspiracy theories. Nobody is trying to sabotage you here - if they were, they'd be talking about bedbugs, not mothballs.

The odor of naphthalene can travel far in warm, humid weather, so if you have mothballs under the house it's not far-fetched that guests have noticed it (including ones who chose not to mention it). Other things can also generate this smell - such as magnolia trees in bloom, and termite infestations - but with two complaints on the record it shouldn't be ignored.

The guest who said the property needed to be updated gave very specific examples of which features were problematic (old linens, furniture stains). Perhaps the money you invested in renovations was spent on other features?  It's hard to tell from your listing photos, as many of them are blurry and lopsided, with time stamps dating to 2016. 

The fact that your listings are cheaper than nearby homes isn't particularly relevant to the concerns of the most recent guest. Guests expect comfortable linens and unstained furnishings whether they're spending $200 a night or $20.

[Laura2592]

@Shannon579  I have an online business and have had people buy and immediately return things leaving me poor reviews when they saw that some of their long time customers had started leaving positive reviews in my shop instead of buying with them. That is part of the issue with the whole "review based culture" we live in. Though I have tons of feedback, most platforms require a less than 1% error rate and its pretty easy to drag the competition down with a few well-placed negatives.  I have definitely heard of fellow hosts writing negative reviews about competition or being excessively picky during stays. 

That said, I do wonder if there is some truth to these perceptions. Can you ask a friend to give you his/her unvarnished opinions about smells in your home? Sometimes we can't detect odors after long exposure to them. Why not get some nice but inexpensive sheets on Amazon? We use a bamboo fiber variety that if I remember correctly is about $30 a set. Were these guests communicative during their stay-- ie., did they ask about trash bags, etc? 

Not to be unkind, but your listing photos don't "sell" your place to me. I am not sure what your market is like but we are in the middle of nowhere, a good 25 minute drive from the nearest city and 10 minutes from a grocery store. We didn't know what kind of market there would be for stays at our place so we hired a photographer to make things look as inviting as possible. Our pictures are good representations of the in-person look and feel of the place. I would definitely up my photo game and maybe make some investments in some linens just to be safe. TJ Maxx and Home Goods have excellent deals on towels BTW. We get hotel quality sets for $20 each. Just buy everything in white so its easy to mix and match and can be bleached. I read somewhere that bathrooms with white towels are perceived as cleaner than those with other colors. Little things can make a difference. 

[Shannon579]

Which houses are you talking about that doesn't sell you? For people to say that two different houses both smelled like mothballs is what I don't get. I have a cheaper listing for those who need a vacation and or short on money and I have a more expensive house, that I've already spent almost 50k in renovations and the other side isn't done yet. 

[Shannon579]

Thank you!

[Laura2592]

@Shannon579  Sadly neither listing has photos that give me confidence. Off kilter angles, date stamps in the corners, a handful of photos. These places look a little "unloved." Check out any of the pictures of the hosts who have responded here to get an idea of how others market their places.

[Ann72]

@Shannon579  I honestly can't believe you wrote this in a public response to a review:  "The towels and sheets have been a problem for years. I don't know why but guests will steal or change them out."  1) The towels and sheets have been a problem for YEARS?  Why haven't you fixed that problem?  And 2) You're saying that after guests "change out" your good towels for tattered ones, you KEEP them?  You keep the crappy towels and expect the next guests to like using them?  Your problem is not a couple of guests who left less-than-positive reviews.  It's your hosting.

[Sarah977]

And @Shannon579, you can't just cover the mattresses with plastic with a sheet over them and expect that guests will be okay with that. You need to put a proper waterproof cover on the mattress, and a soft, comfortable mattress pad over that and wash and change out the mattress pad between guests.

And it's pointless to spend $50,000 on a renovation and then leave the guests threadbare towels and pilly, thin sheets.

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  speaks the truth. Even if you did a million-dollar upgrade to your home, it will still feel cheap and sleazy to the guests if the linens and upholstery are worn out. 

Building on @Laura2592 's suggestion, get each of your homes three good sets of durable linens and plenty of new towels. The ones that show visible signs of wear-and-tear should either be retired for your own personal use or donated to the animal shelter.  If you're finding that people keep running off with your sheets and towels (which is extremely rare but not unheard of) keep your spares in a locked cabinet so they're readily available for changeovers.

This article on removing the mothball smell actually applies just as well to other odors such as smoke and fried food:  https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-the-Smell-of-Mothballs

[Emilia42]

@Shannon579 

In your public response to a review, you write: "In early spring we throw mothballs under the crawl space of the house to keep away snakes, I'm not sure why you would smell them, that was 2 months ago."

Why is it so hard to believe that mothballs are smelled? You can smell mothballs for years!

[Danielle476]

This thread is hilarious.  Personally, I blame Obama.  😛

[Debra300]

@Danielle476,

I am so glad that I wasn't drinking anything when I read your comment, because I would have choked from laughing.