a bad review

[Caitlin37]

Hello Community,

I have received my first ever bad review. I am asking Airbnb to remove on the basis that I was given 1 star for accuracy - they said that my cat was here and they had to feed him - in the written review they mention it too- they give the impression that this was a surprise?!

My listing clearly mentions my cat, in fact, I write, you should be a cat lover if you want to stay and that he needs feeding 2x a day. My previous reviews mention my cat and how lovely he is. I also talked about the cat after these guests booked on our messages. As my cat is in the place, guests get a bargain of 2 double bed flat in zone 2 in London for £50 a night - that's around 50% cheaper than comparable properties. I'm not sure they can argue this is why they gave me 1 star accuracy.

What are my chances of getting this removed? I've asked Airbnb and they are looking into it but haven't come back with a response yet 🙂

Thanks! 

[Anonymous]

@Caitlin37  Airbnb has no reason to remove this review, as it doesn't violate the Content Policy. It's true that your listing mentions the need to feed the cat, but it doesn't mention medications, and it doesn't mention that even though you're giving guests responsibility for your pet you still might be showing up at the apartment unannounced.

Most damningly, though, your listing does not appear to disclose an indoor surveillance camera. This is a crime and also something Airbnb is taking extremely seriously as a result of some bad press. You probably don't want to be drawing attention to this review, because if anyone inside Airbnb takes a look at it you're at a high risk of having your listing deleted altogether.

[Caitlin37]

Thanks for your response. The pill had only just been prescribed, I messaged them about it and we discussed it a week or so before they arrived. At that point I did want to cancel them but they assured me they were fine with it. It's not an indoor surveillance camera, it points outside to the patio so we can see potential burglars. There are loads of other places in Brixton they could have stayed, I really wish they'd picked somewhere else. Thanks again for your thoughts. 

[Anonymous]

@Caitlin37 Outdoor surveillance cameras also need to be disclosed in the listing. Read through the forums, you'll see - lots of very reputable veteran hosts have had their listings taken down, even with full disclosures. With no disclosure, you don't stand a chance.

And while I can sympathize with your thought process (the customer should have recognized that their cheap rate came with strings attached), this is simply not how the internet works. People have a vast array of options to choose the lowest price for what they intend to obtain, from countless websites, and the vast majority do not confer responsibility for another living being as part of the deal. I strongly recommend that you reconsider leaving your cat at the mercy of bargain-hunters.

[Caitlin37]

You make some good points. I don't usually accept people straight away, as it is a bargain, so I'm aware this might be a driver for people. So I usually have a lot more conversation before accepting a booking to make sure they are good with cats etc. I made a mistake not doing that with this booking and it's turned out to be very costly. 

Thanks for highlighting the camera thing. I've snoozed my listing for the time being and will likely delete it but if I don't then I'll add the camera.

Thanks again

[Mark116]

@Caitlin37    Airbnb will not remove this review.  I still think you are wrong to put  your cat in the care of strangers, it is a tragedy waiting to happen.  

[Caitlin37]

Thanks 

[Sarah977]

@Caitlin37  Guests are not free pet-sitters. It's good for a host to mention that they have a cat or a dog and that the guests should be okay with these animals and not book if they have allergies, but that would be in a shared-home situation where the host also lives there with the guests. Expecting guests to take on responsibility for a host's pets is odd.

Also, your response to this review doesn't do you any favors. When the guest asked about the camera, you said it was "personal"? What is that supposed to mean? You can't have cameras in the house that you don't disclose in the listing info.

You mentioned in your response that when you were at the garage, you saw the guest and felt it rude not to say anything, but the best thing you could come up with to say was " I see you're having a lazy day"? Having read your other post about these guests, it was obvious that you didn't like them hanging out all day (in a space they had paid for and had every right to hang out in) so I would imagine your comment about the lazy day came across as passive-aggressive. It's a pretty inappropriate thing to say to guests.

I get it that these guests seem to have misrepresented their intentions and that upset you- no one likes to be lied to. However, their misrepresentation wasn't for the purpose of throwing a wild party, or apparently anything else that was "bad", only that they said they'd be out and about during the day and weren't, at least when you went over. I think the guests have some valid complaints.

[Caitlin37]

Thanks for your feedback. It's very useful to hear how things come across.

Other guests I have had over the years have enjoyed taking care of my cat  and getting a place for a bargain price in London.

You are right, I didn't trust them and I didn't like that they lied to me. I've always had honest guests before.

I'd hoped my response to their review helped to explain the language, amongst other things but it looks like it didn't. 

Thanks for honest feedback, it helps me understand how I could do things differently, so thank you.

[Anonymous]

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/site-allows-stay-peoples-houses-free-minding-pets

[Caitlin37]

Thank you 

[Caitlin37]

Hi all,

I've snoozed my listing, deleted my response to their review and am awaiting the case manager's response. 

I know of at least one other listing near me that leaves her cat but the price is market price. 

I can't delete this post but I'm done now, thanks to all those who responded. Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Caitlin