Not great review, with untrue statements made

[Alison546]

I recently had a guest stay for the weekend. Right off the bat, she wanted a discount for the space just because “she noticed we were a newer listing”. I explained that she was getting our lowest rate for the space. It was clear that she may possibly be used to staying in hotels opposed to Airbnbs, especially considering the next parts of the story..

As soon as she checked in, she was complaining. Texting me with photos of the shower and mat saying it wasn’t cleaned (it was). I explained to her that I can come and clean it for her again asap if that would make her more comfortable, she said don’t worry about it. 

10:30 that night, I get another text with pictures saying that the toilet is leaking (very minor leak, but a leak nonetheless). I’m up until 2AM that night calling around to the emergency plumbers, trying to find someone who can fix the issues ASAP. I end up finding one and getting the issue fixed that next morning while the guests were out in town. I brought them fresh bagels and orange juice as a peace offering and service recovery. She was pleased.

Finally, I get a third text saying that one of our outdoor lounge chairs broke while she was reading outside. She sends a photo. I apologize and explain how I’m glad she didn’t get hurt, but at this point, the pickiness is getting frustrating. I was thankful that they were only staying 2 nights.

I was nervous about the review. She left it only a few hours after she checked out, so I KNEW it had to be opinionated. She ended up leaving a better review than I expected her to, considering all of the things that happened during her stay. But, my bosses (the owners) are very unhappy with it. It might as well be a 1 star review at this point. In her review, she mentions something about our space being noisy and right next to a major highway which is absolutely untrue. I live in upstate New York, the house is on a road which is nothing else but corn fields and about 2 other houses. If you drive slightly down the street, you can access a main route, but it is by no means a highway or major road. There’s probably 1 car that passes every 10-15 minutes, and on our road, even less frequently. The review ended up being 4 stars, which dropped us down to a 4.7 overall (we only have 3 reviews at this point, all others are 5s), which is a shame for us because we’re trying to meet the standards for Plus as soon as possible. 

Advice? The owners want me to get it taken down, but after reading into it, it doesn’t seem like that happens often unless she broke some TOS, which doesn’t seem to be the case. We’re worried that this small detail will affect the rest of our bookings, especially since we plan on listing their farmhouse next week. 

How should I approach this? I’ve read that possibly responding to the review may be helpful? Just uncertain of how to word that properly without sounding too, “NO, YOU’RE WRONG”. I like to leave a positive impression on our guests in hopes that they return, (although I would be fine if this particular guest did not. )

[Lawrene0]

A couple of things to put your mind at ease, @Alison546 . This review should not in any way affect the farmhouse you plan to put up next week. It will have no reviews. 

A four-star review is nothing like a one-star. Your recovery time will be faster. 

Perhaps write a draft here of your response to the guest, and savvy hosts can let you know whether it works. Right now I am thinking something like "Just a note that we are on a quiet road that is close enough to the highway to make arrival convenient, but far enough away that it cannot be heard!"

I don't think the rest of the written review will hurt you. She wanted to pay less, and didn't get to. Few will take that seriously, and maybe it will keep bargain hunters away.

[Alexandra316 · Accepted solution]

@Alison546 I don't know how much say you have on accepting guests, but I view asking for discounts to be a big red flag. I would consider declining a booking that starts off with a request for discount if you have an option to do so. It's already starting the stay on a negative note when you have to decline their request to get money off, and as you can see, you ended up with a high-maintenance, nit-picky guest.

I like @Lawrene0's suggestion a lot: I would also start by saying something like: "Thanks for the kind words: we're glad that you enjoyed your stay with us. Just a note that we are on a quiet road that is close enough to the highway to make arrival convenient, but far enough away that it cannot be heard from the yard or house. We are located in rural Upstate New York, and there is very little traffic in our neck of the woods! We wish you safe travels and best of luck with your future Airbnb adventures!"

[Anonymous]

@Alison546 I agree with @Lawrene0 's approach here. 

New hosts are understandably reluctant to decline any bookings, but in the future you might want to give a pass to requests that start out asking for discounts right off the bat. People who would rather ask you to take a pay cut than adjust their own holiday budget are likely to be your most high-maintenance and fussy guests, and their reviews tend to reflect that. 

I do recommend looking at some of the posts from Plus hosts in these forums. Several of them are reporting that once they sign on, Airbnb starts demanding all kinds of changes to their property, at  the hosts' own expense, and treating it as though it's their own inventory. Even stuff like taking your personal decorative touches away and buying some new, standardized stuff for the walls.  Also, when you look at Plus listings you notice that important host input such as House Rules is much harder to find. Once you get past the marketing it's hard to see why this is something worth aspiring to.

[Alison546]

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@Anonymous wrote:

@Alison546 I agree with @Lawrene0 's approach here. 

New hosts are understandably reluctant to decline any bookings, but in the future you might want to give a pass to requests that start out asking for discounts right off the bat. People who would rather ask you to take a pay cut than adjust their own holiday budget are likely to be your most high-maintenance and fussy guests, and their reviews tend to reflect that. 

I do recommend looking at some of the posts from Plus hosts in these forums. Several of them are reporting that once they sign on, Airbnb starts demanding all kinds of changes to their property, at  the hosts' own expense, and treating it as though it's their own inventory. Even stuff like taking your personal decorative touches away and buying some new, standardized stuff for the walls.  Also, when you look at Plus listings you notice that important host input such as House Rules is much harder to find. Once you get past the marketing it's hard to see why this is something worth aspiring to.

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Regarding future guests asking for discounts: I definitely learned that from this experience! Thank you! And also, thank you for the insights into Plus. I will have to research that more as it sounds concerning!

[Sarah977]

@Alison546  The owners should spend some time reading through posts on this forum. That the guest left a 4 star review, was nit-picky and made up lies about it being noisy isn't your fault- there are lots of guests like this, and much worse. The owners shouldn't be acting like it's something you had control over- it sounds like you handled everything very professionally. If they are going to get upset every time someone leaves a less than perfect review, and expect you to be able to get it removed, which you won't, they need to rethink whether they really want to list on Airbnb, or you need to rethink whether you want to co-host for them.

[Mark116]

@Alison546 

I wouldn't even bother responding. It seems clear that she was upset because she felt the price was too high.  Future guests can see where the property is on the map.  I can't imagine airbnb will take this review down, though.

[Emilia42]

@Alison546 , I don't think the written review is that bad and I think it could have been A LOT worse had you not been a diligent and attentive co-host. You are going to get a few guests like the one you just had. Unfortunately for you, she was only your third guest. From reading your post, I don't think there is any other way you could have handled it better. I suppose it's up the the owners if they want to lower their price. But I wouldn't. Just move on to the next!