Airbnb needs to fix their star rating problems!

Nicole158
Level 4
Fredericton, Canada

Airbnb needs to fix their star rating problems!

brian.pngThis is totally unfair, and I really hate that Airbnb considers anything less than 5 stars a bad rating. I've read of people's accounts being suspended for bad star ratings..... If they write you a good review but give you less than 5 stars, you should be able to appeal it.
It would be nice if Airbnb either eased up on the hosts or let the guests know how much their star rating will effect the host.

87 Replies 87

I honestly don't think it's her responsibility to educate the guest on how it works. She is right. The system is lopsided. I just got my first 1-star rating. The reason was that of construction outside that I had no way of controlling. How is that fair? When the super host rating is a massive difference between someone and ONE guest can ruin that, how is that fair for the hosts that put all their effort into making it a good stay?

Annette33
Level 10
Prescott, AZ

As a host, as well as a guest, I am so sick of the ratings game!! Yes, anything less than 5 stars is almost considered a disaster, and Airbnb encourages the present system by penalizing hosts if they receive  anything below the 4.8 ratings, f.e. by withholding superhost status, another thing I believe only leads to friction.
I would never want to "encourage"/ beg a guest to give me a 5 star rating, not even to leave me a review: they will do so if they want to, and I respect that.
As others have pointed out, downgrading a place because it is 5 miles from downtown, even though when clearly stated in the description, is just unfair. People from other cultural backgrounds perceive a 4 to be already a great compliment, and a $39.00 a night place cannot possibly offer what a 4 star hotel offers.

 

what can be done?
1.) Sorry to say, but Airbnb is the main culprit here, they need to back off their push for those 5 star ratings, truly encourage guests - and hosts - to be honest and fair in their judgement AND quit punishing hosts for the ratings they receive. Guests will decide who to book with on their own. As it is now, Seeing those 5 star reviews everywhere, what good are they for the next potential guest??

 

2.) We as hosts can be pro-active by posting honest reviews on guests, I don't mean to rant and rve, that is highly unprofessional, but if a guest was too loud, didn't communicate, etc.. that can be mentioned politely. I have seen it numerous times that hosts complain about certain guests here but then post wonderful reviews on them, that is not helpful at all. 

 

Bob39
Level 10
Goldfield, NV

I had a perfect 5-star rating until one problem guest - she threw a party for 20 people and after she checked out I filed a claim for $67 for items they damaged. In retaliation she gave me a 2-star rating, which knocked my average down to 4.6. Now I can't qualify to be a Superhost until I get at least 6 more 5-star ratings in a row. All because of her 2-star rating.

I can't believe they would do that - Airbnb, I mean. Even though I'm sure you explained in your review of the guest, Airbnb takes none of this into account. I have just been temporarily paused because I went below a 5 rating and I'm reading to go out to SF and smash their faces in. Only kidding! But it's just so unfair and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do 😞

 

I had a similiar issue, where the guest initially left an all 5-Star rating.  Once we left our review of her stay with her guests, which broke and disregarded a number of House Rules, which should have resulted in the termination of their stay, she went back and removed one star for overall experience.  I emailed Airbnb about reinstating the initial rating and citing that messages between us about broke House Rules and her retalitory adjusted star rating.  Did you try to email Airbnb to address that rating issue?  If so, please let me know what your experience was.  I will report back to you if I hear anything.

@Suzanne-and-Shaun0 , this scenario is not possible: you only get to see a guest's review either right after host and guest both wrote a review, or if one party didn't write a review, after 14 days. Then the review period is over. There is no such thing as looking at a review one has gotten and then going back to change one's own review in a retaliatory manner.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/367/can-i-edit-a-review-i-wrote

How did that happen?  It's not possible to change the star ratings once they've been publshed. 

Erik209
Level 2
Hoffman Estates, IL

I’m frustrated that a single guest has such power to threaten your ratings. I had one guest named Sean who told me his plans changed and he had to leave town for ten days. He didn’t ask me for a refund or tell me anything was wrong. (Turns out nothing was)... but he knew if he canceled with my moderate cancel policy, he’d lose some money. So he took some photos off of Google images and faked a bed bug complaint. My room was delisted and I was forced to hire a remediation service to prove there was no bugs. Just to double down on his lie, he gave me a one star rating and wrote a nasty fictional review. It took me weeks to convince customer service to remove his review. Bad guests have such power over us.

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

Some time ago I put up a suggestion on Host Voice to replace the stars with a simple thumbs up or down. It is all you need. Recommend? Not recommend? But unless a suggestion gets a certain amount of thumbs ups in a short period it gets removed, and mine didn't make it. I think many suggestions on HV gets taken down because people are so keen on writing a million new suggestions rather than taking the time to trawl through and tick the ones they want. If you feel inclined, and like the idea, put the suggestion up again. I will go and give it a tick!

It really is the simplest thing, and nothing to really think about. No fine tuning, such as was it a 3 or a 4?

@Sandra0 -I totally agree with that idea. It would make it so much less stressful on the hosts! Thumbs us or down would be so much better than this ridiculous star syatem.

It’s not very specific and ripe for problems and even more retaliatory reviews 

That's a fantastic idea and I would love it if you would post it again on Host Voice. (New room for those hosts who don't know about it) "THUMBS UP or THUMBS DOWN"

After you post it again, go to the community Help room and ask all of the hosts to click on it to get the attention it's needed! It's a fantastic idea. Love it.

Here's what I currently do, I put the Star Rating IN THE REVIEW... So each host knows exactly how my guest was for each category. No guesswork there. Some guests are great communicators but can be incredibly messy. So I get them a 5 star for COMMUNICATION and 3 star for NEATNESS.

But you know what else is fantastic? HOST writing Honest Reviews... I just had the 2nd worst experience in our home bc I accepted a guests who had a few good reviews.. (She was great, but her husband made everyone in my home cry.. Including his own wife!) AND UPSET MY SWEET HUSBAND!
there is no way the other hosts were being honest when they wrote about this alcoholic rude demanding complaining bloke from the land of Big Ben! No way at all.

And I can assure you my review of him is very honest as well as how much we liked his wife.
I wrote in my review at the very long detailed end that we would be happy to host her again if she came alone. Seems the 2 positive reviews written about her were before she married him two years ago and last review was about them as couple. And that host was not honest at all. *smh

Oh yeah - Before i forget to mention, she (wife) specifically asked me not to write about his bad behavior in my public review. Even SHE was embarrassed! She should be because he could've been asked to leave for breaking a major rule on Night 2 but we chose to forgive him and allowed him to stay. Bad decision. Never doing that again! He was terrible. Especially after drinking 3+ hours EVERY night.
My own kid admitted to me on their check out day that she was afraid to even leave her room. I will never allow my child to feel unsafe and stressed in HER HOME AGAIN. I feel enough guilt to never allow another guests to behave like that again and stay!!!!!!!!

Oh and one more thing... Here's some honesty for other hosts... Can you please stop going onto the community center and blaming Airbnb for mistakes made because you didn't take the time to read how hosting works - LEARN EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU PUBLISH YOUR LISTING! I CANT STRESS THAT ENOUGH.

And stop complaining that ABB hides their phone numbers.. They actually don't. It's EVERYWHERE... And I have never had a problem communicating with the AMAZING AIRBNB STAFF that work 24/7 via email or phone call in 14 months. It's also published everywhere on the Community Center by the HUNDREDS OF HOSTS who were kind enough to post it...including me.
Now THAT'S a rant - LOL!!!! @Annette0 (loved your post )
If you feel that me or another host have helped you, feel free to click on the "thumbs up" button at the end of any post. Thank you so much.

Aloha, Momi

Great way to contact Airbnb or via Twitter at AirbnbHelp / Facebook


@Hi @Sandra126, your suggestion is really what we need, too bad that I didn't see it in time. I would have voted for it.

Sandra126
Level 10
Daylesford, Australia

@Ralf5, I put it up again just a short while ago again. Go and do it! Have a few ticks already. How to find Host Voice:

On the top right ot the forum screen, it will say Discuss - Discover - Meetups. Choose Discuss, see the menu options and the very last one says Host Voice.

@Sandra126, just ticked it