Negative Reviews

[Karen587]

Hi,

I'm new to hosting (having hosted approx 10+ bookings) and have had excellent guests.  However, I have experienced a guest with lower standards than expected and am cautious upon writing a negative review, despite her positive communication with regards to our hosting and her compliments on our house (via our air bnb message correspondence).  In most I believe her to be young, with different expectations and inexperienced with air bnb properties.  But I would love an expert to advise what they would do with the below scenario.  Any questions or elaboration please do not hesitate to ask.

Hi, I'm wanting some advice on how and whether to write a negative review on my last guest.

Cleaner has advised that the house was left in a 'pigsty' with extra cleaning required. Guests did not comply with general house rules (dishes, BBQ not cleaned, rubbish not removed from yard and some type of party had taken place with party poppers streamed over the house). All of which are against our house rules. In addition all cupboards, benches, furniture needed additional cleaning. Unfortunately our cleaner did not take photos so i am not applying for any security bond to be taken (on this occasion). I have advised our cleaner to document evidence if this ever occurred again.

In fairness the guest did ask if they needed to vacuum and unknowing the current condition of the house I advised the house just needs to be left tidy and house rules (listed in manual, fridge and website) adhered to - BBQ clean, dishes, rubbish etc.

Aside from the cleaning issues I found the guest to have prompt communication and handled an emergency electricity problem we had with the house very well. Which we attended to promptly and immediately with local authorities to rectify the problem.

I have left a simple message for the guest to call me (none of the above details) but the guest has not, as yet, returned my call.

I have prepared the below review but I am wanting feedback before publishing 

Public review
Maya and her group had great communication and acted responsibly in the event of an emergency.
Maya advised us of an unexpected power outage immediately and handled the situation calmly while we organized the local electrical company to resolve the issue.

I would suggest to any host to be very clear in your house rules and your expectations. Unfortunately our house was left in an untidy state and additional cleaning/fees were required. I believe clear communication with host expectations might avoid this situation from occurring again.

Private Review
Hi Maya,
Honest feedback is beneficial to hosts and guests and I'm sorry if our expectations were unclear.
Our cleaner has advised that the house was left in a disrespectful state and house rules were not adhered to
- BBQ was not cleaned
- dishes were not cleaned and additional dishes with food were left in the fridge
- all cupboard doors, fridges, microwave, some furniture, required additional cleaning
- rubbish was littered over our yard
- party celebrations resulted in additional cleaning (we do have a no party rule however we are flexible with celebrations provided you clean up after yourselves)

Our cleaner advised that additional cleaning was required and extra fees are applicable.

As a general expectation I would expect guests to leave the house in a tidy and respectful manner as it was presented to them and at a minimum, adhere to house rules.

I'm sorry if there was miscommunication with the need to vacuum however I was unaware with the state of the house with which you were leaving. 

I am very pleased with the level of communication you have provided throughout your booking process and through the electricity emergency, however I would recommend allowing yourself extra time in the future to return the house to the tidy state you were presented with.

Thanks
Karen

In summary I think the guest was young and perhaps unaware of hosting expectations 

[Marzena4]

@Karen587: Thumbs up for you. I am all in favour of educating guests how to behave at others' places.

Just add "However, I would suggest to any host to be..." at the beginning of that paragraph to atttract everybody's attention. And please check how much of that review will appear before that "More" link (how many characters go before "More" in reviews) - it would be good if at least that initial "However" was visible to prompt everybody to read further. Just a thought. 😉

[Bruce43]

@Karen587 I would just say "this guest is better suited for a motel.

every host will get the message.

[Bruce43]

Hello Airbnb host,

The name of the game is to lay down the ground rules first before menaces like me can actually get through the front door. Once we're in, you haven't a hope.

Or you could take the coward's way out and just grin and bear it - the sort of pathetic, weak-willed, self-denying attitude that parasites like me thrive on.

The choice is yours.

your first guest from hell.

[Greg89]

Ha ha awesome.
I got a push poll from Airbnb today. They are trying to get me to instant book by claiming things like guests that break the rules can be ejected and that instant book can require more than one review.
So five bad reviews and you're in 🙂 . There is no way the stupid automated system can know if it's a good or bad review. Or it could but it's not asking me what the minimum rating for the guest is.
And so how am I supposed to know if a guest broke the rules until it's too late? Just some bull**bleep** trying to get us to instant book.
I guess many places are kind of bulletproof and no need to worry too much. It comes out in the wash. However I have a very nice place and there is no way I will ever allow instant booking.

[Bruce43]

@Greg89 you are quite right I tried instant book my first month for some reviews.

It's just not for me I don't need the stress.

My listing is right next to my house, so I have less to worry.

Some hosts have to do it because their listing goes way out on page 88.

My favorite guests do not exist on instant-book.

When I was young, i just instant slept in the park in SF.

im old but im happy.

[Maria758]

Hey @Greg89

Personally, the "Instant Book" feature has shown us an increase in Bookings since we signed up for it.  Was the increase in bookings directly the cause of changing to the "Instant Book" feature?  Maybe yes, maybe no, but I kinda like the feature.

This feature really does have some great ...um... features to it!  Like "Host Recommendations" required and "Verified Government ID."  It's great!  With the amount of inquiries that come through, I don't have to filter through every single inquiry (although I still kinda do - but that's because I like to read about the guests) and those that don't meet all my "Instant Book Requirements"  are the only ones I need to have extensive dialogue with.

To make it even easier on me and my Primary Host, I have already Saved Messages in place that will tell them what we require before they can book with us.

As for, "...it's not asking me what the minimum rating for the guest is," I don't have this feature turned on for us, but I'm sure Airbnb is good about regulating this.  

Also, we don't activate this feature because I know what it feels like to be new to Airbnb and hope that someone will approve my booking even though I don't have any reviews.  I had a friend who went through the same situation and she was rejected with no further explanation.  Of course, that is another beautiful thing about Airbnb, accepting/not accepting pretty much any inquiry that comes through, but I try to give every inquiry a chance.  I HAVE DECLINED a couple, because they were REALLY sketchy, but that's another story.

I don't think Airbnb benefits "extra" from getting their hosts to sign up for Instant Book, but I guess if you have an extra nice place, which I have seen and saw with yours (Wow! btw), I would definitely develop a slightly more strict booking criteria.

Sorry to add my 2 cents when you didn't ask, just wanted to be the "Ying to the Yang;" the "Pro to the Con" regarding Instant Booking 😉

Happy Hosting!

Izzie, Co-Host

LOV Puerto Rico

[Maria758]

@Bruce43  You're funny.  I can see from your posts that you typically like to post up what everyone is thinking (lol).  ^_^

[Bruce43]

I fondly recall a more analog adolescence

[Marlon-and-Izzie0]

Lol @Bruce43, I'd love to be a guest at your crib for a night! ^_^

[Annette126]

Hi I have had a lot of visitors of all ages and nationalities.If some one has left my flat in a state no matter how nice they are I mark them down otherwise some other poor host is in for a surprise,I also would not waste too much time writing the review ,but be very clear in private comment. Guests are very aware hosts are timid to write harsh reviews. Annette

[Tony134]

It is the guest's responsibility to read the ad and be familiar with rules.

There is definitely a kind of guest that will be very nice to your face, but then disrespect your home when you're not there. Don't feel guilty leaving them a bad review if they earned it.

As a new host, you're concerned about this guest's future, but please keep in mind hosts need to know this stuff, and you are doing other hosts a disservice if you don't let them know when guests take poor care of their homes.

[Bruce43]

@Tony134  new rule: "Please do not boil your underwear in kettle"

[Sean119]

I would suggest putting the negative paragraph first so hosts see it first.

[Maria758]

Karen,

Let me start by saying, you have a kind heart and you can tell you care about your guests.  I think that is such an important trait, as a host and a guest, in this community - Airbnb.  

I just read this article that states, "It's no exaggeration to say that reviews are the glue that keeps the sharing economy together, instilling a potentially chaotic or unpredictable process with a sense of humanity and order. Reviews are what separate Airbnb from Craigslist." - Seth Porges, FORBES CONTRIBUTOR

I am experiencing a similar situation as well, however, ours is regarding a negative review we already wrote.  Although the guest has already surpassed their 14-day window to review and/or respond, they have expressed their dissatisfaction to the review we wrote for them.  We did not feel great about giving them the review, and this was the first time we had to give a guest such a low score, but I think it's important to provide honest reviews and scores.  

I have read some of the responses to your post, and I think we always have to remember, although we are offering our homes, we are offering it to guests, and our guests should be treated with compassion - always.  If you don't care about your guests, you shouldn't be hosting, and you clearly care about your guests.

Your review for the guest you mentioned is good.  It opens nicely, with some positive points regarding the guest, it includes the negative aspects, but it also explains why.  I also like how you apologize for any misunderstanding in your private review - although you are apologizing, you are not admitting to any fault.  Perhaps the only thing I would add is closing on another positive note, for example,

"...although the guest violated a few of our House Rules, it will not discourage me from allowing them to book with me again, provided they truly have a clear understanding of our House Rules " or "...aside from a few broken house rules, she had good communication."

When writing the review, or any review, always be sure to adhere to the Airbnb policies.  If you’re not sure about something, ask, or don’t include it at all.

I think there is a positive way to be honest, even with a negative experience, without sounding rude.  I also like to remember that these reviews are for future hosts and guest, and I would hate to give hosts a false expectation of my personal guest experiences, as well, I don't want future guests to perceive us as insensitive.

Just as guests rely on these reviews, hosts very much rely on these reviews to determine if guests inquiring will be a good fit for their home.