Spiteful Dishonest Review Costing Me $$$. Clear code violation

Rod4
Level 1
Collingwood, Australia

Spiteful Dishonest Review Costing Me $$$. Clear code violation

Early December I take a booking for 5 nights between Xmas n Ny. This by someone who who’d never booked before but professed to be a host also. As is the norm, this booking rendered the place out of action for anyone else to book the place for these most popular days of the year. I left my Xmas celebrations to greet the guests at the agreed time and 2.5 hrs later ( and my celebrations well and truely over) they still hadn’t arrived and no notice. I left to head to a country retreat and about 30 min later they contacted me to get assistance to get into my key lock.

The next I hear from them is a scathing text and horrid review two days after the booking ended. The review is actually in breach of air Bnb regulations although they say it’s not. I pointed out the regulations but they clearly have some difficulty comprehending their own rules.

Since that review I have had 390 views and not one booking. I want it taken down but they refuse. Now I think I deserve compensation for loss of trade. Here’s the review. Please note that I’ve receive 50 excellent reviews ( which gained me super host) and then this one. The place was set exactly the same as it was for every single guest. There’s no doubt in the listing that this is my home. Not a hotel.

“I would never stay there or Deal with him again. In fact we booked for 6 nights & LEFT AFTER 15 MINUTES. The listing description is not even close. He lives there & all his belongings are everywhere. We had 2 young children & not comfortable with that”

Who in their right mind would leave 15 minutes into the booking and not contact either air Bnb or the owner.

 

after repeated requests to Airbnb to take this untruthful review down ( another example of Airbnb not supporting their hosts, taking her word without a shred of evidence against mine... and basically dishonouring the asset that makes them money.) I get this condescending inaccurate drivle 

 

“Firstly, congratulations on being part of Airbnb Family! My name is Joey, one of the Case Managers from the Airbnb Trip Experience Team. Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your concern.

Upon further review of the review that Domenic left, I apologize but we cannot delete it since there is no violation with the guideline review. Since you condone the review, the best thing you can do is to respond to it, which you already did.”

NO VIOLATION. ARE YOU KIDDING. 

FROM THEIR GUIDELINES

10.2 Ratings and Reviews by Guests and Hosts must be fair, truthful and factual and may not contain any offensive or defamatory language. Ratings and Reviews must comply with Airbnb’s Content Policy and Extortion Policy.

Fair Truthful Factual.
I prepared my place as I had over 50 times before. It's written in the profile that it is my home. She is not BEING fair or truthful with her ratings and comments. What's fair about a 1 star when everyone else has given 4 or 5. What's truthful or factual about it being untidy. It was perfect. She has presented no factual evidence to prove these claims. Only her word. And you believe her over me. What an insult!!

 

8 Replies 8
Carol407
Level 4
St. Louis, MO

Sorry to hear your story.  Concerns me as a new Airbnb host. Yours is not the first rant I have read that
Airbnb backs guests not hosts, when hosts are the ones that put everything on the line.  I guess we all need to research other home share services and distance ourselves from Airbnb?

Linda108
Level 10
La Quinta, CA

 @Rod4   You have such great reviews I am sure you were blindsided by this guest.  When responding to a negative review you have to remember that the "audience" is not the guest.  The "audience" is the potential guest.  Your response to the review may be somewhat off-putting.  A professional response acknowledges the guest perspective; summarizes the problem and hopes the guest is able to enjoy their trip...I know, BS!  Welcome to the world of business.  That way the negative review quickly fades away.

If you need to restart, reduce your rates for awhile so you get great reviews...AGAIN and then resume.

 

 

David126
Level 10
Como, CO

@Rod4

 

You will get weirdos, just a question of when. There are a few things that confuse me, she has a blank profile including no review from you, you said she left a review 2 days after, if you do not leave a review hers gets publuished after 14 days.

 

What I do if I have had a weird one, well sometimes I think it was weird but the review was fine, but if I think they will say something odd is to wait the 14 days, hopefully you will have had a few other bookings by then and reviews, and the odd one will get buried.

 

I am going to agree with @Linda108, any response should you choose to make one should be very short and be directed at future guests. Personally I do not respond, mainly because I very rairely read them, and do not see the point, best in my mind not to draw attention to it. So if you want to respond to reviews, respond to all of them, not just the odd ones would be my choice.

 

 

David
Amaia10
Level 1
Los Angeles, CA

I am in the same situation. I am a host, I have a bad review from a guest and I had to unlist my listing because I feel ashamed of who might read it and the things people think of me, my family and my neighbors.  Airbnb is clearly helping guest, we'll, I am a host with an unlisted property, and I was also a guest in few occasions. I have also hosted Airbnb 1st party host event in the westside of LA and rally at community meetings and at the City hall.

Well I am very desappointed after all the work I have done, I am not a superhost because I had to cancel a reservation because my daughter decided to get married and I need it the space and now, because a crazy lady spooked me, with rolling beds and a cat and I had to ask her to leave if she was not happy. I have to say good bye to the Airbnb community and hello to VRBO, and wimdu. Thank you for the great work done in the past and let's hope one day we can have a better hosting experiences.

I had two of those types of host-trolling guests who do not communicate issues upon arrival so I can rectify them  (my strict policy) giving them reasons to leave a bad review. My airbnb is a separate structure behind the main house within my property yet not a knock or a note and no response to my messages. What type of a guest is that?  The first experience was a guy who claimed I had no sheets when I did have sheets with extras. When I communicated with airbnb I suspected I was chatting with a bot when the responses had nothing to do with topic of discussion. Conversations became weirder as it went along particularly on guest wanting full refund which I refused to give. I was furious this time and only after agreeing to a $50 minimum refund did all conversations stop. My verdict:  airbnb has a tech glitch that prevents unsuspecting hosts and guests from communicating at a certain point of a stay.  Some bots are introduced during a chat where payout to host is the main issue and guest refuses to pay (when guest responses seem to not make any sense) which airbnb should vigorously investigate. 

Ever5
Level 2
Tijuana, Mexico

Looks like I am not the only one. A guest lied in his review but I got almost the same response from Airbnb, seems automated. I got this...  "We won't delete reviews unless they violate our content policy. Our team already reviewed your dispute, and considered that there are no violations on our content policy" The guest lied, isn't that against their content policy? Then I see he did worse to another host. My bookings have also declined. I hope a more fair and professional company comes along. one that can be objective and protect both guests and hosts. I don't understand how they don't care that the HOST who puts it all o the line has to put up with bad guests who can destroy, rob or lie.  Then they protect them. My biggest problem right now is that this person was not my first or last guest but people tell me his review is the main one that shows up on my profile. Why would Airbnb do that? 

Lisa1453
Level 2
Hamilton Hill, Australia

I have had two bad guest bookings that convince me Airbnb only care about their money and the guest. The first, two guys that left excretment on my sheets and linen, smoked in bed although the place had strict outside in a particular area outlined for  smoking. We warned them during their stay about the smoking so they knew they would not get a good review, then the excretement which they couldn’t have missed (they had access to a washing machine but decided to sleep in it instead I guess). So I held off giving them a review as that is my tactic for a dirty guest as let’s face it the review system is a joke! They will just book under the other guys name next time, then once they have blown that, through a friend. Who can prove that the person who arrives is the same person on “their” picture. Unfortunately, he gave me a review so I had to then review him. Surprise surprise it was a negative review, but very carefully worded. Just because they are dirty, disrespectful doesn’t mean they are stupid!  I made a damages claim as I had prof and they paid, but really no amount of money covers the trauma of seeing someone’s bedtime activities. So although they damaged my place, their review apparently was fair. Are you joking Airbnb?

 

Recently, I had a couple that were local, they got drunk the first night, we arrived back from a wedding at 11pm and the guy was half naked walking back and forwards in front of our garage completely wasted, then becoming really loud past midnight. I have two house rules, one on smoking outside but not to affect others and two, quiet time from10.30pm, lower voices and tv to normal talking level. Rule one broken day 1, day 2 they start vomiting outside in my garden at 3pm. I sent a very polite text messages to be quiet. It took all day for them to respond and apologise. Next 48hrs ok. The place started to smell, so we asked if the rubbish they put outside can go into the big bins we provide. The place still smelt. A new guest for next door arrived with 3 kids and they just kept smoking, so the family could not leave their door open. After a worrying sleep that our new guests would leave due to the likelihood that noise and smoking would continue we told them to leave with a refund of remaining days. Day 5 of 14 day booking. Surprise to us they are allowed to leave a review even though they broke our house rules, we have proof of this through text messgae and their acknowledgement that they did it! What a joke! On entering the property the source of the smell was vomit that they wipe up using my towels and a residual spray across the bathroom door, shower hob, vanity, bin and toilet base. Of course those towels were ruined. I decided that it was too much of a risk to take their bond as they live locally and may come with their friends and damage our cars or some other malicious activity, so how sad that I actually fear making a claim in case there is retribution.

Airbnb are so concerned with being socially and politically hip (help the refugees, pay cleaners the right money - which is another joke as I am the slave labour cleaning my own places as u can’t charge the actual true cleaning cost or Airbnb would be unviable for me). Ive reported their review as they said I sent them rude messages, Airbnb have my text messages but I don’t have any confidence it will be taken down.

To top it all off the case manager was trying to convince me to allow them to stay, i firmly stated I had made the decision, she came back with their reasons, that they just woke up (I gave them till 4 pm to check out, from a 9am notification to leave), they had no money to book another place (although money to get drunk and the rest) , that the house rules were not clear ( they r in the site and in a info book first page in the studio) basically had to shout her down with my one right to get not nice people out - Broken house rules.

 

I really think that the growth of Airbnb places is a short lived industry inAustralia, people will get tired of cleaning up after dirty people who can then leave a dishonest review or just a carefully worded review with a very low star so your average ratings plummet.

Airbnb need to take notice of hosts like me with over 200 reviews and over 90% up to 100% 5 stars across my 3 studios.  My reputation is proven but no a no review guest who looks nothing like her picture can give me a dishonest review, I provide the prof of them breaking house rules yet their review is still on my site.

Airbnb get off your ‘Hip’ horse and start providing protection for your established hosts!

I ve also had similar experiences - where guests leave unfair reviews -which has been very costly .