It is outrageous and unfair if a guest does not show up and they get to write a review

[Anthony48]

This is happening to me once a month or so, and I do not understand why Airbnb puts Superhosts and hosts through a real stressful multi step process to remove a review that should never have been allowed in the first place. To be clear:

- No show

- no notification (this is fine)

- no message interaction 

- when contacting them, it’s usually cancelled flights, and not in any way our fault. (We are next to the airport and really convenient,  but it comes with these type problems)

Magically the next day they get to write a review about our home when they never got near it, never checked-in, never in got in the same state. 

There is NO REASON they should be permitted to evaluate a host. If they aren’t entitled to a refund, this can make it even worse, and they can blame us for our clear cancellation policy. We have sometimes been forced to “bribe” a no show, virtually begging them to please not review us in exchange for a partial refund they absolutely do not deserve.

you can contact Airbnb and plead your case, but the answer is always NO at level one. You must demand a case manager, and it is always strongly implied it won’t make a difference. You must further fight to go up higher, and demand the stars and commentary be removed, and it is still discretionary. This is OUTRAGEOUS and TOTALLY UNFAIR. The guests NEVER got anywhere your home or experience or interact with you even by message, yet they get to make up some imaginary review based on your refund policy, which they WILL punish you for.

airbnb reps try EVERYTHING to discourage you and leave the absurd review from someone who cancelled or never showed up. They claim the reviews are not unkind or unreasonable, they say you are “doing well and 3 stars one time is no big deal”. They will say OVER AND OVER THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. this is infuriating! Why are we forced to fight for something that should not be allowed in the first place!

i have had them removed, but the multi level phone calls always take at least one hour, and this is absurd, unfair, and needs a policy.  NO GUEST SHOULD REVIEW A RESERVATION THAT THEY CANCEL OR DO NOT SHOW UP FOR WITH NO FAULT OF THE HOST.

[Alexandra316]

@Mark116 That's a great idea: love it.

I do think that people who haven't stayed should be able to leave a review, but they definitely shouldn't be able to rate the same things as a person who has. Maybe narrow it down even further to 1) Did you stay? If the answer is no, 2) Did you attend the property? Because if they went to the property and found it to be dirty, dangerous, etc. in a way that prevented them from completing their stay, there should almost be a third class of review that still allows them to rate cleanliness etc.

[Ariane7]

A cancellation or a no-show is the exact same thing, part of the contract signed is that if that happens for whatever reason they have to pay whatever, why should the host be punished for a guest not staying. As for a no-show or cancelled guest they should NOT be allowed to write a review of any sort. After all how can they possibly evaluate something they have not experienced...

[Ralph60]

Totally disagree. A review is not about payment, it's about the experience of being in a listed home. If they have never been there, they are not capable of writing a review. If policy allows this, then Airbnb needs to change it. There is a tendency to cater to guests more than to hosts. Not good.

[Louise567]

Actual I think it’s compleatly unfair for them to be able to write a review,,, maybe a comment from a no show customer, but they should be able to star rate you or comment on the property, 

[Denise13]

@Inna22I am in this mess right now. Even if you refund 100% they can still leave a review because the reservation went active. Airbnb told me they have no tool to make it a no-show nor do they have one for hosts. They told me I can put in a request for removal but we all know how corporate that feels now. I am disappointed that SuperHosts are asked to make the guests feel at home but Airbnb is not giving us the same personal touch anymore... they used to but maybe just getting too big as they prepare to go public? 

[Connie412]

So your saying because guests pay they can leave a review? Seriously? They shouldn’t be allowed to give you a review just because they paid. That seems unethical, like a paid review? Ridiculous! Booking allows a host to report a no show and Airbnb should to. Guest should no be allowed to be extorted for a refund or they will leave a bad review.

[Susie111]

@Anthony48 

Yep! I'm right now in that exact situation!

 First time Airbnb guest IB the same day for one night for 1 person and when he meets me and l explain everything to him and l find out that he planned to bring along 3 more "mates" l explain to him my house rules and and about my maximum number of guests. 

He goes away and sends me request for refund/cancellation.

And writes if l agree he will give me a "nice review" !

Seriously - so l felt it was time to get CS involved. And so far they have helped me.

So glad that all our correspondence was in Airbnb message thread. 

I did get paid for his stay in full to my surprise. 

But now it's review time...

Anyway if he gives me a review he will get one as well. 

So now it's a waiting game. 

[Alexandra316]

@Susie111 You can have the review pulled if he writes you one: he said that he would give you a good review in exchange for a refund, which is very much against the rules. If it's anything less than perfect, report it and get it removed.

[Anthony48]

I feel for your situation - but for those that read this thread and for you - your situation has almost nothing to do with what I am describing. I have also gone through what you are describing - and it also needs to be addressed in terms of reviews - but you interacted with them. They showed up. They didn't read your listing and broke rules, and you had a right to refuse them - but it's not what I am describing where no guest ever gets into town or anywhere near check in or the listing - and then gets to rate things like cleanliness, amenities etc. It's ludicrous.

[Kristina7]

Hi, Anthony, I have been in your situation many times. And I am not giving guests a refund for not showing up or made a mistake by booking without reading about the listening.I also have this as a house rule. I explain about the cancellation and terms. Some get angry and writing a revenge review. The ones that done this have Airbnb taking away the review after I reported them.  I also have told Airbnb that they should not be able to give any review and neither should I as a host .So more hosts should send this request to Airbnb.

[Alain618]

Sait juste pour obliger les hôtes à rembourse les gens qui sont en réserve chez vous 6 mois à l'avance ou plus .hotes et toujours baissés chez airbnb .... Oh mon dieu mon dieu !!!  Mais il est bien possible que vous ayez le choix de changer de plateforme pour une plateforme plus sérieuse.  airbnb n'est pas un fournisseur en appartement .le fournisseur appartement sait vous. Pas airbnb. 

[Gordon0]

Hi @Laura_C - can we get your feedback on why it's OK for a guest to leave a review on cleanliness and location - amongst other things - when they haven't actually stepped inside the listing? 

[Laura_C]

Thanks for tagging me @Gordon0 and bringing me into the conversation. The reason that this rule is in place is that there are instances where a guest has a really bad experience on the 'day of' (it may be before or after check-in), and we didn't want to hide that review. There was actually a regulatory requirement around that exact use case I believe that we needed to comply with. So a good reason for it. However, I agree that it's implemented in a bit of a clumsy way. We have a team looking into making it more streamlined, so that we can still protect that one instance but make the overall system more logical for hosts. 

[Anthony48]

It is so great to see an admin here! thank you so much! I feel "heard", and all my calls and comments with level 1, level 2 case managers etc - the discussion about the policy falls on willing, friendly, but really deaf ears. I want to leave you with one very important point. It has happened to me about 4 times. 3 times after much stress and an hour on the phone every time, reviews and stars were removed.  1 time - I got a case manager who dug their heels in with the exact same circumstances and just wouldn't budge. Maybe my tone wasn't great - but this flies in the face of having a consistent policy. The last time? If it wasn't for me getting the guest who did not speak English to say the words "please remove my review" in an actual comment thread - it wouldn't have been reviewed. That wasn't appropriate for me to ask a guest to do. They were kind and just didn't understand the situation. Another case manager removed the comments - but not the stars. This is just inconsistent, and the bottom line is simple. IF the guest does not show up, does not have interaction with the host, pretty much abandons the reservation entirely - even days later - WHY should they be allowed to review things like "cleanliness" etc?

[Emilia42]

Hi @Laura_C, please also note that it is frustrating when leaving a review for a guest when the guest has not stepped foot on the property/been at the listing. We cannot rate a guest on 'cleanliness' and following 'house rules' if we never actually hosted them. With the current review process, we must indicate star ratings for both of those fields before being able to submit a review. I, for one, am uncomfortable rating those circateria when I don't have any experience actually hosting the guest.