Website for bad guests?

[Tommy135]

What do you guys think about a website where airbnb hosts can post their experience (with proof) of bad guests so other hosts are aware and reject guest bookings? kind of like a a blacklist for guests?

ive had guests ruin my cottage by leaving food all over the cottage. living room,  dining room, everywhere. It was horrible. 

also had a guest leave me a 3 out of 5 star review on things that i mention on the house rules, which I told her TWICE.. which she fully ignored when I told her to read it. 

I think having a blacklist for airbnb guests would be a good way to prevent these bad guests booking again and ruining host's airbnb business.

[Jeff158]

@Tommy135 

The legal implications are far reaching, even facebook removed a host group that ridiculed guests.

[Tommy135]

very good point

[Colleen253]

@Tommy135  Isn't that what the reviews and then 'thumbs down' we leave those bad guests are for? I know bad guests can just abandon their profile and make a new one, but that would also make a blacklist hard to use too, wouldn't it? Have you tried more thorough screening to weed those baddies out? Have things set up to require recommendations and good reviews from other hosts, or turn off instant book and get more preview dialogue going. As they say, an ounce of prevention...

[Tommy135]

yes your right about that.

my airbnb has instant bookings but im seriously considering removing that. 

[Colleen253]

@Tommy135 That will help a lot. I admit I do use instant book, but have it set to require ALL the verifications. It helps a lot. I can still get requests to book from newbies or others who don't meet my requirements, but I use the dialogue that ensues to give me a better idea of whether or not I should dodge a particular bullet. With the exception of one absolute horror of a guest when I was a new, uninitiated host, I've had the most amazing guests.

[Robin4]

@Tommy135 

There already is one Tommy! It's called 'AirbnbHELL' !

If there is a bad story going around about Airbnb, it will show up on AirbnbHELL.

https://www.airbnbhell.com/

One of our prolific contributors here on the CC a few years ago showed up on Airbnbhell, and in fact had a whole page of rather serious complaints.

So it pays to keep your nose clean Tommy, you don't know where it might end up! 

Cheers......Rob

[Susan17]

@Robin4 

Hmmm... I wonder who that could be, Rob? Maybe I'll just sit down and have a Marvelous Margarita, and see if that jogs my memory...  😉

[Robin4]

@Susan17 

Oh dear, Yogi, you are definitely sharper than the average bear!

Cheers......Rob

[Susan17]

@Tommy135 

Here's the story of the (now defunct) Airbnb Guests Blacklist FB group - and how it got shut down, just hours before the tragedies in Orinda on Halloween...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/let-s-be-careful-out-there/td-p/1168374

[Hank14]

There's at least one on facebook.  I stay away because it's a pretty toxic and negative space.  If hosts leave honest feedback we'll all be OK.

[Colleen253]

@Hank14 SPOT ON.

[Ann489]

@Hank14  yes, the group you referring to is fairly new.  It is run by a crazy guy who got booted from  pretty much every other Airbnb group on FB.   I agree with you, it is a terrible, toxic group.   I spent all of two minutes in it and then left.  I don't think it is going to last very long.  😉

[Adir3]

I share your experience. I have a family from Mexico staying in my Condo during Christmas, they have 2 small children: age 4 and 9. They were supposed to check out on December 29th at 11:00 am, instead, they went shopping for After Christmas bargains and wouldn't check out, and I had new guests arriving at 6:00 pm. I contacted Airbnb, and with their help, they asked the guest to leave the store and return to the Condo and check out. I entered the Condo at 1 pm, the guests were still out shopping,  and there were clothes all over the floor and shoes all over the places, it looked like a tornado tore the place apart. The cleaning person walked away and refused to take the impossible task of cleaning the place. The guests finally left at 2 pm, but there were lots of items missing. Also, they left the children unsupervised several times, as they would make a run to the grocery store, and the little boy got a hold of a scissor and cut several pieces from my couch to make "stake flags" for his tent. I submitted a claim for around $800 in damages, to get even the father gave me "1-star review".That is devastating since all my ratings in the past 12 months have been "5 Stars". I don't know how I will recuperate from this. I am so discouraged, Airbnb says that is nothing they can do with the retaliation rating, and I am to the point that I want to sell the Condo and stop hosting. Any suggestions? 

[Colleen253]

@Adir3 Tighten up your vetting process to screen for guests like these. You need to keep them from even getting in the door. Turn off Instant Book if you have it, dialogue more with your prospective guest and decline if they give you bad vibes. Often, the cost is greater than the payout, as you've learned. Not worth it. Also, if it were me, I'd have had no mercy - in at 11, hauling their stuff out and getting the place clean! At that point, they were trespassers. Don't be afraid to take charge and get 'er done. Your house, your rules...don't give guests like that the upper hand, ever. And, don't EVER let them get you down, or get in your way.