@Catherine-Powell Like many have posted on here, my account was suspended after an angry guest levied an accusation. No notice to me. No requirement of any proof from them. No end in sight. The guest has 0 reviews, and I've been a host for 7 years and a Superhost for most of that time.
I have a large, Spanish style listing north of downtown Houston that is in a transitional / gentrifying neighborhood. The place is entirely safe. I myself stayed there for 6 weeks with my rescue puppy getting the place setup. It has a giant private gate, ring flood lights on the exterior, and kick in proof reinforced doors on all entrances. My listing location is accurate--I tell everybody it's 5 miles north of downtown, which it is. I also mention the flood light cameras and ring doorbell.
My guest Monday night, who has 0 reviews, immediately messages me claiming that they don't feel safe in the neighborhood even before entering the house (it's completely safe, but has some poorer houses). I tell her I am happy to refund the unused days if she wanted to cancel but that I had never had a safety issue at the location and mentioned all of the security features, but that I will not refund that night as it was already 9 pm and the maid had already cleaned the place. To me, this was very reasonable.
She then starts sending me and Airbnb an array of photos / claims. First, she claims the doors in the house don't lock. Luckily, I have smart locks and send them proof that not only do they lock, but she's had to enter the access code each time so she knows they lock, and I check the ring doorbell and literally see her asking for the code to enter and hear her referencing seeing what the inside is like in an effort to get the 1st day also refunded, so she literally checked in knowing she wouldn't be staying there and determined to find issues in an effort to get the rest refunded. I send the video to her and airbnb. Second, she takes a photo of a piece of tape the handyman used to cover holes he drilled into the wall above the fireplace to mount the TV. To be clear, she literally removed the TV from the mount to find this piece of tape and it was a literal photo of a piece of tape. She claims this piece of tape is a safety hazard and is actually a live and exposed electrical wire. When I mention if she pulls it down she will see a regular wall with a stud behind it and no wires, she then claims the place is in a different area than I advertised and takes photos of trash set outside for pickup as trash day is the next day (the gate is 100 yards from the house, so the trash is nowhere near the home and is exactly where it should be for pickup). That said, both bins are oddly knocked over and I believe she did that based on a statement from my neighbor. She then tries to claim the maid left all of her cleaning supplies in the entryway (she has been cleaning with me for months and would never do that, as they are all kept in the master closet which is behind a hidden / false bookcase). I receive no photo showing cleaning supplies of any kind.
She then threatens me with legal action if I don't give her a full refund. I tell her I'm an attorney and to go for it. She then reports my listing claiming the cameras are inside the house (keep in mind I sent her the literal video showing her outside at the front door so she knows they are not inside). Of course airbnb suspends my account while they "investigate" the cameras without ever talking to me.
I get an email from one trust and safety ambassader very early Tuesday morning asking to call me Wednesday at 1 pm. I tell them this is urgent and to call me ASAP and not wait for the following day. Nobody calls me. Next day at 1 arrives and again no call. Keep in mind I have called airbnb at least 15 times trying to fast track a resolution here. Nobody calls. Trust and Safety can't be reached, and never bothers to ask me for info. I call daily asking for updates and get the same story others complain about here--I get told to wait for an email that I will receive within a timeframe and I never get said email.
I take the initiative to send Airbnb my ring listing screenshots for all of my listings, so they can see where the cameras are at every listing, I send them my ring login credentials so they can check themselves, I offer to allow somebody in Houston to search the place if they would like by giving them an access code, I reference the guest issues, I send screenshots of my listing descriptions showing the cameras are on there and match the ring screenshots, and I send a screenshot of Airbnb's camera policy as well and illustrate I am following it. It's an easy investigation. All they have to do is read my message history with the guests and check the ring camera account or look at the screenshots of the camera feeds. It would take at most 20 minutes. They do none of that. I have no clue when this nightmare will end. I am losing thousands daily across all of my listings and employ a full team of maids as well, so this doesn't just impact me. I'm getting daily messages from guests concerned their reservation is cancelled because they can't find the listing in searches anymore, and my maids are concerned about when their next cleanings will be.
Airbnb needs to stop allowing guests who act unreasonably, break rules or policies, and more, to weaponize the review system and trust & safety. Unbelievably, this woman who didn't like the neighborhood and only checked in to find issues to try to get more of a refund, and then lied about my listing getting it suspended, she is still allowed to leave a review, and if she doesn't cuss I am likely going to have many issues getting it removed. The review system and safety complaints should be unbiased. Anybody who gets thrown out of a listing for rules or policy violations are obviously going to be biased. For established hosts at least require guests to provide SOME proof of the issue they are claiming before suspending an account. There are no cameras inside any of my listings so I know **bleep** well that guest could not have provided any proof of a camera being on the inside of that house. This entire thing has been alarming.
