Airbnb doesn’t have your back

Ken244
Level 1
Atascadero, CA

Airbnb doesn’t have your back

 I am a super host many times over and I have never had to ask Airbnb for assistance with guests.  However a recent stay resulted in a huge party at my property, vomit all over etc I called to ask advice about this situation, worried about the fact that guest had not yet filed a review. I was worried about filing for damages and getting a retaliatory review.   I was told that reviews can be removed and not to worry. Sure enough, the guest filed a two star review. When I called to ask that the review be removed Airbnb refused because there was no offensive language or content.  That was never explained to me. 

 

 How can a host ever file for damages  without affecting reviews? Wait the two weeks and then file for damages? I had assumed that waiting was not wise in terms of collecting for the damages.   

 

I think I just went from the biggest proponent of Airbnb to the exact opposite. Unbelievable that Airbnb does not have  my back in a situation like this, even as a super host. The one time I need their help and it is nonexistent. 

 

Ken

 

 

 

6 Replies 6
Pete28
Level 10
Seattle, WA

Sadly that seems to be how they have decided to run their company. You can either eat the damages or get a bad review and loose business. 

 

Airbnb obviously know they could remove any review if the host claims damages, but Ive have rarely seen examples of them doing so.

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

Yes restitution requests should not be visible until reviews are closed.

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

It's so frequent to read on here of CS staff giving wrong information that it's hard not to wonder if this is done on purpose. 

 

So many of the problems are so easy to fix that eventually you have to conclude that the 'glitches' are there by design.  It is a purposeful policy that forces the host to choose between requesting reimbursement for damages or sucking it up to get a better review, since it would be easy to either remove any review that involved a paid damage claim at least from the numerical analysis or allow hosts to wait until after the 14 day period to make a claim, but they don't, which suggests the goal is to prevent hosts from making claims.

@Mark116

If you look at any glitch you read about here, that costs hosts dearly, but benefits either Airbnb or guests (or both in some instances), and type that glitch into the search box, you'll find hundreds of posts from hosts complaining about those very same glitches, going right back to the beginnining of the CC in 2015 (and most pre-date the CC by several years too) They never  get fixed.  Strange, that. 

Mark116
Level 10
Jersey City, NJ

@Ken244  Some people have success using the strategy of immediately reviewing a guest who they plan to request reimbursement or otherwise file a claim around damages, the idea being that the guest may see the review and write a review sooner, then once both reviews are written, you can then make a claim and their review is already written.  As I said, I've never tried this but others here use this stratgy.  BTW your place is spectacular especially the outside areas.

 

 

 

Why would you want reviews from someone you filed damages against? So many hosts worry about reviews from bad guests instead of being made "whole." If you materially relied on the "Host protection," when setting up your unit, you should push for the money. But I suspect they push back to prevent fraud. (We all know some idiot will try to use it to remodel and spoil it for the hosts with real damages.)

First - not sure Airbnb allows reviews from guests in dispute. I have had to ask for damages and the guest didn't leave a review. Even if they did - you can do a public rebuttal to it.

Plus - the guest CAN NOT see your review before 14 days are up unless you have also written a review. And vice versa.

But you can't wait to file for damages because unless you documented it quickly, your chances of recovery are less. (I sent my guest photos, that allowed Airbnb see I had a problem before the next guests checked in).

My neighbors had the guests from hell (more animals than permitted, cats tore stuff up) and they told me Airbnb took care of it. Also helping them remove another set of guests that even I could see where  problem. So it's all in how you document i guess. Send them every bit of correspondance and don't do anything outside of the platform.