Don't expect any support from AirBnb for damages nor reviews:

Anna9908
Level 4
Morganton, GA

Don't expect any support from AirBnb for damages nor reviews:

I had a recent issue with a guest. He stayed and caused $145.00 worth of damage to an interior door. When I confronted the guest about it requesting he pay for the damage. He denied he damaged the property and joked that he saw it when he arrived.  I know they damaged the door because I was there and my cleaner was onsite examining the property before he arrived.  Immediately after I confronted him, he got defensive and left me a review.  That's when I decided to get airbnb involved. To be honest, I think I would have just let it go, if he didn't leave me a review.  My hope was that airbnb would pay me out for the damage. Would they pay out for the damage, NOPE! So then I asked if they would remove the review because it was clearly biased and sent in retaliation. Here is the example, he gave me an overall 3 stars, but rated me a 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, & 5 on sub-categories. AirBNB refused to remove it. I told them it was biased and left in retaliation. Even in the review, the guest states the property was amazing. 

Here is exactly what he said:  “great cabin; 4wd is no joke. but please do a thorough inspection of the place as soon as you get there; door jams, locks, windows, appliance, etc , and report any and all issues IMMEDIATELY as the owner will hold you liable for the damaging if you did not report the damages. the three stars are not because of the cabin; the space is wonderful and the amenities are great. the cabin was spotless when we entered and felt like home. two stars were taken for the fact that we were flat out accused of damages we didn't commit, which have otherwise ruined what was a great trip for my girlfriend and i. also, there are no blinds in any of the house so you do feel a little exposed at night.” 

 

Shouldn't this be removed?

Airbnb support sent me this message: "Airbnb’s review policy guides hosts and guests to write reviews which are relevant and will help our community make informed booking decisions.

We examined the content of this review, but we did not identify any violations of our policy. For this reason, we are unable to remove the review from the Airbnb website."

20 Replies 20
Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Anna9908 

The review does not violate Airbnb's content policy, so then it will not be removed.

But you can leave a public comment on the review, which you did not (but option is probably is still available).

Did you make a damage claim following this procedure:

What do i do if my guest breaks something in my place

 

If so, for what reason did Airbnb deny the claim  ?

 

 

 

@Emiel1  - Well, that's exactly what they said. However, this is a biased review - don't you agree? He wrote it in retaliation for me questioning him on damages post his stay. Airbnb policy literally only captures their examples of what is "biased". 

Thanks so much for talking to me!!! They totally removed it after a second look!! I really hope this helps someone else!! 😀

@Emiel1 - This was Airbnb's original response. No real details given "unfortunately, we are unable to reconsider our decision. Please know that, as further communication will not change the outcome of this case, we must respectfully disengage from further discussion.". Later I received a second response but can't find the details to copy and paste it in. It basically said that even though I was within my 14 days to "get Airbnb involved" in settling the dispute, I did not communicate to the guest before the next guest checked in. I do not feel how that is really relevant. I communicated the damage with the correct guest. That guest admitted that he saw the damage during his stay. So the only way this would be applicable is if you are saying the new guest who checked in damaged the door within 5 hours. It just didn't make any sense to me. The private messages should show it all. Even in the final "private messages" to the guest who caused the damage, he basically bashed me for not negotiating. If you didn't damage the property, then why would we need to negotiate? I also have a rental agreement with him and forgot to include it when I originally pushed the button "get airbnb involved" and airbnb never reached out to me for the document which states guests need to inspect the property coming in. 

You're right.  Airbnb does nothing when spiteful guests deliberately leave poor reviews. They talked about an outlier review policy but have failed to deliver on that.  

 

They are all woke talk BS and believe in rainbows and unicorns. 

 

They are not rooted in the real world at all and DO NOT value hosts.  They show bias in favour of guests 100% of the time 

@Emiel1 Here was airbnb's exact response to why they denied the claim (still doesn't make sense). 

"For damages to be eligible under our Host Guarantee, Hosts must notify Airbnb and the responsible guest, and attempt to resolve the loss and/or physical damages within 14 days of checkout or before your next guest checks in, whichever is earlier. Based on the information we have to date, this notice requirement was not met.

Your guest Jonathan on the reservation ABC##### checked out last March 10, 2021. And the Host Guarantee claim was filed March 11, 2021 at 08:09 PM. However, the next guest check in date was Mar 11, 2021 at 4:00PM, on the reservation ABC#####. The Host Guarantee Claim was filed 4 hours and 9 minutes after the next guest check in date. That is the main reason why claim is denied."

Mike-And-Jane0
Top Contributor
England, United Kingdom

@Anna9908 As someone who has no idea of what actually happened this review could well be accurate. All you can do is leave your version of the truth and let future guests decide which they prefer to believe.

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

I'm not seeing that review... guest from another country??

I didn't look past first page

Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Kelly149 

It was (!) the second review on the profile, but now the profile is gone...  (?).

@Emiel1 @Anna9908  Yes, your profile page is gone. Just get an error page.

Emiel1
Level 10
Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

@Sarah977And now the profile is back and the review is removed..... Airbnb in action, a live performance !

 

@Emiel1  I think we must have both tried to look at her profile during the brief period today when there seemed to be a system-wide outage. We could still post here, but I found I couldn't sign out.

I think you guys totally helped here!!! They agreed to remove after a second look!!

Dale711
Level 10
Paris, France

@Anna9908 ,

I totally agree with you ! 

The review is definitely unfair to you. It is untruthful and simply made it up.

Nevertheless , is out of your hand!

 

Airbnb will only remove the reviews if is violated the housing standards.

Yet, you have the option to defend yourself, write a public response and let the potential guest to acknowledge the reviews is faithless! 
Way to go!