Host leaves blatantly false revew / lied about stay

Jeff2253
Level 1
Houston, TX

Host leaves blatantly false revew / lied about stay

Hello! I wanted to know if anyone knows of a resource available to address a negative review left by a host that blatantly lied in their feedback? I'm not talking about a small / agree to disagree kind of thing, but BLATANT lying. In a nutshell, we left a 4-star review for a property after we had multiple issues, but because I felt for the owner + they were being very responsive in communication, I didn't go into colorful detail about the problems we had (ie, no wifi at all, plumbing issue, super dirty/dead bug filled windows). Ultimately, the review they left us stated that the floor and "white couch" were covered in poop and they could not recommend us for a future stay. Not only was that untrue, but the property didn't even have a white couch in it! My wife and I care about our review rating because we don't ever want to be turned down and this was our first negative review. Am I just spinning my wheels here and need to move on or can I do anything? Thanks in advance. Cheers, Jeff-

7 Replies 7

@Jeff2253  If you had just left that review alone, plenty of future hosts would be willing to give you a chance. But after the extremely unhinged, nasty rant you posted in response? Nope. 

@Andew0I guess when someone outright lies about what really happened, especially when I did what I could to work with them (while still leaving a positive review) it struck a chord with me. Be truthful and establish a dialogue regarding what the issue is so we can at least try to work it out. Be deceitful, two-faced and embellish? Nope. Reputation and authenticity is important in the vertical.

Jennifer1897
Level 10
Irvine, CA

@Jeff2253 

 

Considering you have 4 other reviews I assume you know the review system is blind, thus meaning that your 4 star review had no affect on the way in which the host reviewed you, because they would not have seen it till you both submitted reviews or the review period (14 days) passed. 

 

That being said, nothing in their review of you violates any policies. It is essentially a he said she said as to what happened. While I can understand your frustration if in fact the claims are false, it's hard to prove that. While you can request Airbnb to remove the review, I really doubt they will.  Stating things like their sofa was beige vs white doesn't mean much. Dog poop on a beige sofa is still dog poop on a sofa. 

 

That being said, you should always take into consideration your response. A response to a negative review is an opportunity to politely state your case and should be done so in a short and concise manner. Like @Anonymous said, your response makes you look worse. As a host I likely would have overlooked the negative review as a one off, considering you had multiple other positive reviews. However,  you present as angry and  overly defensive in your response. You resort to projecting blame on the host by bringing up a multitude of other issues vs just responding to what the host brought forth as a concern, which is the dog poop.  This in and of itself would make me think twice about hosting you.

 

At this point I would just move on. 

@Jennifer1897  Fair point and appreciate the feedback. As mentioned above, I was so taken aback by the lie I reacted. This was more than just a judgement call or a gray area about what a person thinks or might construe... it was a complete fabrication + I worked with this host to try and rectify the issues. We spoke on the phone and in messages, all the while I was totally respectful, etc. All things considered, (i thought) we had a good report. Then this blindside............... Anyway, at the end of the day, I have moved on. Live and learn. (but don't lie)

@Jennifer1897 - Sorry, forgot to add this...

 

>> Stating things like their sofa was beige vs white doesn't mean much. 

Completely agree and not the point.

 

>> Dog poop on a beige sofa is still dog poop on a sofa.

That's the kicker. There was none. Anywhere. Not on the floor. Not on any colored couch. We also did a few extra things that were not requested by the host, like strip the bedclothes down and place in washer/dryer area, same with towers, cleaned dishes, placed them in counter/dryer rack, set a/c back up to where it was before, messaged host state that we had left + taken a pic of the key back in the lock box. Just little things that we thought a host would appreciate... #Done  Again, appreciate the feedback.

Louise0
Level 10
New South Wales, Australia

Just for future reference... Unless the host specifically requests it, don't ever strip beds.  It makes it much easier to spot and therefore pre-treat any stains if the sheets are left on the beds rather than bundled up in a heap on a laundry floor. 

 

I completely understand that you did this out of kindness to the host.  However, you actually made their job harder and it would not have been appreciated.

Louise0 - Point taken. I did notice that there was already a clump of sheets in the dryer when I was putting our sheets and towels on the washer. Oh well, no good deed goes unpunished.  🙂