Why work to maintain a 4.9/5 star consistent rating & superhost status when 1 lousy rating ruins it?

[Cheryl451]

Hi all - so my husband and I have been hosting for over 2 years now (it's a room in our home). We've worked really hard at providing guests with a top-notch experience which is reflected in our reviews (currently at 5 stars). So we had a guest this weekend past. He asked for an early check-in (10am) which I agreed to and also to add a 2nd guest the day prior to his arrival which I also agreed to. At 11am on check in day (with no message or call from him) I finally sent a What's App advising that my husband and I were going out of town for his 50th birthday and could not wait any longer for him to arrive. But that it wasn't a problem as our friend Lucky was house and dog-sitting. I What's Apped him Lucky's contact details and gave Lucky his and then advised him to communicate with Lucky who would then greet him and show him around. I heard nothing all weekend from this guest (his booking was Friday - Monday).

On Monday morning my husband I finally started to make our way back home from our camping weekend with mates. I check my What's App and see a message from an unknown number. It is this guest from another number saying he needs Lucky's number again because he didn't put it in this other phone and our dogs are barking at him. I sent a reply saying 'Sorry but I only picked this up now'. I then called Lucky to ask if everything was resolved. He said it was fine and that he had just stepped out for an hour to get some food. He let the guests in and they then woke him the early morning to let them out after they apparently showered.

We continue driving back home and I start checking my other messages. Now there's a string of abusive SMS messages from this guy. Basically saying that I was deliberately ignoring his messages and his 'last minute guest' and himself are 'afraid' to enter the house because of the dogs. Apparently it's also my fault that he didn't think to put Lucky's number in his other phone. And apparently he chose to ignore the fact that he could see I hadn't picked up his What's App message. Long story short, he:

a) did nasty things in the bathroom I wont' go into here;

b) deliberately dumped garbage on the bedroom floor instead of in the waste bin provided;

c) stole a wash cloth and some other small items from the guest room;

d) left a wet, dirty beach towel on top of the clean ones in the cupboard in the guest room.

Then he insists he slept in the car on Sunday and wants a refund??? So he apparently is scared of the dogs (only on Sunday as apparently no issues Friday & Saturday) but slept in his car, managed to get into the house in the wee hours of Monday morning to wake Lucky and then shower??

The refund request is bogus but that's not what really irritates me. First off, why do guests book at places with dogs if they're not comfortable around them? Our dogs are very friendly and affectionate and often mentioned as a plus in our reviews. Secondly, he's going to give me a crap rating and now everything I've worked to build up over the years (5 star rating and superhost) is wiped out. 1 bad review wipes out everything? How is that fair?

Seriously thinking at this point that it's not worth it.

Advice?

Cheers

Cheryl

[Ana1136]

@Cheryl451 don't worry, that 1* rating will in no way affect your superhost status of your future bookings since you have 38 5* reviews. You can answer shortly and politely keeping in mind that the answer is for your future guests. There is no way in reality that you will have only 5* ratings all the time and one bad review is not a reason  to stop hosting. I am sorry you had a bad experience with this particular guest but these are things that come with hosting. I understand that you might be upset and think it is not fair and in reality that is the truth but nothing you can do about that, just move forward and I hope you will have better guests in the future. 

[Cheryl451]

That's a relief to hear Ana. Thanks so much for your supportive and informative message. I was under the impression that it would remove that status as it would drop my overall rating considerably.

But thanks again. This is the first time I've gone on the community group and I really appreciate the quick response.

Have a great day.

Cheryl

[Qier-and-Philippe0]

Hi @Cheryl451 

Some guests don't read.

You have already got 24 good reviews since july 2018. If they are all 5 stars, one bad review would not take away your superhost status.

Maybe this guest won't leave you a review. In this case, don't leave him one or wait till the last minutes to leave it. If he leaves one, you can always reply to it.

[Cheryl451]

Too true Qier & Philippe. Thanks so much for the quick response & advice! I appreciate it.

Cheryl

[Alexandra316]

@Qier-and-Philippe0 Why wouldn't you leave this guest a review?

Please @Cheryl451 do other hosts a favour and do review bad guests: it may save a future host from dealing with this kind of nonsense.

[Cheryl451]

I defintely will leave him a review as I agree with you 100%. He's already sent me nasty messages about the review he left. But as I have guests arriving tomorrow and again next weekend, I thought it best to wait until the last day. That way his won't appear until that time either. 

[Alexandra316]

@Cheryl451 Yep, waiting to the last day is definitely a good strategy!

[Cheryl451]

If nothing else it will allow me time to reply with a tempered response. And after all, we Canadians are known for our 'politeness'...haha (I've been living in South Africa since 2008). Have a beautiful day ahead Alexandra!

[Alexandra316]

@Cheryl451 First of all, that guest sounds horrible: sorry you dealt with that. I really hope that Airbnb doesn't reward their bad behaviour by giving them a refund.

However, this one bad guest definitely isn't going to lose you your Superhost badge, even if they do review you poorly. If you have 71 5-star reviews (I assume they're all 5-star previously), ((71 x 5) +(1x1))/72=4.94 stars out of 5 overall. You only need 4.8 out of 5 stars to keep your Superhost: you should be fine.

If the guest does put anything in their review that violates Airbnb review guidelines - if they're abusive, lying, etc. - I would call Airbnb and ask them to remove it. It may not work, but it's worth a try. If they won't, make sure that you write a factual, unemotional response that tells your side of the story so that future guests will see it for what it is. You have many, many excellent reviews from happy guests: one disgruntled person isn't going to sink you.

[Cheryl451]

Hi Alexandra - thanks for breaking down the logistics for me. That's super helpful. This community group is such a useful resource!! I feel 100% better now - thank you for taking the time to respond.

Cheryl

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

aahh what an a s s h o l e!

[Cheryl451]

LMAO...true story....

That's such an amazing coincidence that you're in Croatia! My husband's parents are flying all of us there in August for a family holiday. No idea where mom's booked us or anything but any tips for must-see/do's? Do you offer any 'experiences' yourselves Branka & Silvia? Sorry for getting off topic!

[Maria188]

Hi @Cheryl451  I feel your pain! I have just had a guest cancel on the day of check in and despite my having a strict cancellation policy, they have been given a full refund by airbnb under the hugely unfair Extenuating Circumstances Policy- which of course is taken from MY payout. (If you are not aware of it, look it up. Its a killer for hosts). But the worst of it is they have been invited to leave a review despite having never arrived at my house. They are cross with me for not offering a full refund on the day of arrival but  I cant afford to do that. What am I? A charity? Like you, I am worried that a bad review will impact on my ratings and Superhost status and Ive worked SO hard over the past 6 years to build up my 5 stars. Good luck!!!!

[Cheryl451]

Are you kidding me Maria?? That is so grossly unfair. Why would they be allowed to leave a review if they didn't even stay with you? I am absolutely shocked by the leeway given to guests vs the protection offered to hosts. And absolutely you shouldn't have to give a full refund - especially since you most likely can't recoup that booking on such short notice. I tell you, just this string of conversations has been a real eye-opener for me. Good luck to you as well Maria - 6 years is an impressive run to be a host!