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.

[Sarah977]

@Shannon579  I can't believe you read through all the responses to your post and didn't get anything out of it aside from "I just shouldn't respond". 

Don't give your guests worn, pilly sheets and threadbare towels, don't have crinkly plastic on the bed under the sheets, get rid of the mothballs, and you won't have so many bad reviews you feel you need to respond to.

[Laura2592]

Here is what I got out of the advice given:

Have nice sheets and towels and not worn out ones.

Do not put plastic on mattresses. Buy a regular mattress cover.

Invest in good photos

Don't mention snakes

Respond to your reviews in a way that does not inspire more questions or decrease guest confidence. "Thanks for the feedback. I didn't realize this was an issue. I will certainly look into it for future guests." is sufficient.

Mothballs are stinky. If you use them people might notice.

Again, don't mention snakes.

[Shannon579]

@Sarah977 I didn't give her worn pilly sheets and threadbare towels. She lied on her review. That was the whole reason of my post is what can a host do if someone lies in their review. The house she stayed at has never had any mothballs anywhere near it. I even took several people to go and examine everything she said and nobody could smell anything or find any pilly sheets. I have not gotton any answer from anyone here, so I've hired an attorney to see if I can take her to court for libel. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Shannon579 Great to see US democracy at work. Sue, sue and sue again. There is nothing like  lining the pockets of lawyers to achieve zero real benefit.

[Emilia42]

That's really all Americans do, @Mike-And-Jane0. They sue. 

I am only half kidding . . .

[Sarah977]

@Shannon579  I don't know which specific review you are talking about, but in your response to a review you said "The towels and sheets have been a problem for years. I don't know why but guests will steal or change them out."

So it certainly sounds like you are saying that your good sheets and towels get taken by guests and switched out for worn ones. And that you just leave the worn ones for the next guests. If that's not what you meant, I'm sorry, but it definitely read that way to everyone who responded to your post.

[Laura2592]

@Shannon579  I have to gently ask why you would spend any additional time or money on this. Or even thought. 

As hosts we all get guests who challenge us from time to time. You don't have a lot of reviews, but these two have you suspicious. I don't know if there is any reason for that or not. But let's just say there is. Here is the solution: don't use instant book.  Vet your guests. Ask questions until you feel comfortable with them and then allow them to book. Let this go. Guests read this forum as well. If they see that a host is threatening a lawsuit for a review, you have really ruined future chances of booking, snakes, mothballs and crinkly plastic notwithstanding. 

Please don't take this the wrong way as everyone is trying to help you. But in order to be a successful host, you have to give up some control. You have to make concessions. You have to expect that some people won't be great. You have to expect to hear some feedback you don't like or that surprises you. I know you are tying your cost to value and expectations but your guests won't. They will all want different things. As the saying goes, you can't please everyone. 

Let this one go. You have gotten some really good advice here. Take it onboard and save your attorney money for something else. 

[Fred13]

@Shannon579 How did you get Superhost, if you haven't rented both places more than 6 & 7 times respectively?