Hello fellow hosts.
I am sorry to be a downer, but I just wanted to express my opinion regarding Airbnb's rating and review system. I feel it is unfairly weighted in the guests favour and as a result I am feeling a little discouraged.
Airbnb tells us that the star rating, once a review has been posted, cannot be altered by them. I find this hard to believe. Ask any person in the street what they know about airbnb and they will tell you - it's huge! HUGE. There is a LOT of money being made. Can't they afford a program that enables them to enter and delete an unfair or untrue rating? Nup, I don't buy it.
Secondly, whenever I have contact with airbnb, they thank me and congratulate me for being a superhost. Nice. But my dashboard doesn't make me feel so good. When I get a 5 star rating, the stars are in green. But then I get a 4 star, and oh oh, naughty me, the stars are BLACK and I feel I've been technologically admonished. Also, when a guest leaves me Feedback - it's there forever, regardless of the percieved problem either having been addressed, or it simply being untrue.
So whenever I look at my Overall Rating, I firstly have to see the Feedback (again, in black) relentlessly reminding me of the negative feedback I got a year ago. Sometimes it doesn't even tell me what the problem is. Telling me 'Photos', or 'Listing' is not helpful.
So, airbnb, my Feedback to you, is that you get with the program with all the glitches that can be felt as little flicks on the ear to hosts. The reason I am a superhost is because I put maximum effort in. I spend at least an hour cleaning (and then 3 loads of washing...sheets, towels etc, and dish and cleaning cloths), sometimes a lot more if I have had guests who treat the place like a 1 star hotel. I am a super cleaner. I often have to scrape snot off the gorgeous new shower panels, I am continuously picking long strands of black hair off the walls, off the sheets (after washing) off every bit of furniture, and carrying every strand out to the bin because I know if I don't remove it from the house it will magically make its' way back onto the bed. I have had faeces to clean out of sheets and all manner of suspicious messes. I work full time too and when I get a series of one-nighters, I feel all I do is clean. Then I get a 4 star rating for cleanliness (in black) and I think Why do I bother? I can handle the 3 star location malarky (not much I can do about that - they can see pretty much exactly where my place is on the map, and I also detail its' location in my listing description, so if they are unhappy with it, all I can do is suggest they read the actual listing description and look at the map in future. All too late for my rating stars). But marking me down for cleaning and giving me "Feedback" which is harsh at best and sometimes actually incorrect....well, as I said, today I feel like packing it all in.
I hosted my first Serial Critiquer recently. He was a slightly pompous, white middle-aged man who took it upon himself to give me lengthy negative feedback, ignoring all the positives in the place. It was unfair. I stalked him and read his previous reviews and realised he was a habitual complainer. But because it didn't breach the review guidelines, it's up there for good. I don't think this should be allowed. I should be able to phone and explain my position and airbnb should be able to remove his review, ESPECIALLY when it is clear that he is the odd one out, out of more than 100 other reviews.
I put my heart and soul into my apartment. Airbnb advised me to add some personal touches too, which I have done, all in good taste. And so when I get a hard to please guest, I take it personally. How can I not. This is my home.
I have blocked off a few dates in a row, because I want to give myself a break. I want people out of my house. They can leave their full bags of dirty nappies elsewhere. That's all I can do. I can't rely on Airbnb to support me anymore than handing out their scripted gushing congratulations and telling me (disengenuously) how much they appreciate my being a valued member of the airbnb team.
I am now going to pen my open letter to the local paper, titled "confessions of an Airbnb host" because I want people to know how hard some of us work, and the **bleep** (both figuratively and literally) we are forced to siliently put up with while smiling and welcoming the next guest and wondering if they too will be the nice to your face, but stingy with stars person.
Don't get me wrong. I think AirBnB is great. Most of my guests are lovely. Some have been amazingly kind (taking me out for dinner!) It's been largely a good experience. But I have worked **bleep** hard for it, and I feel my time here is drawing to a close. And when I do pack it in, I won't blame the guests, I will blame airbnb's ratings and reviews system.
Thankyou for reading.
