False booking and unfair response rate drop.

[Catherine-and-Bob0]

Hi All,

New host here so please be gentle!

I have 6 five star reviews on the trot and have worked very hard to exceed guest expectations and present a beautiful property.  But at the moment I'm feeling so down about Airbnb and its response to my efforts and comms that I'm seriously thinking of giving it away and maybe moving to a more reasonable platform - one that doesn't beat me up for stuff that is not under my control. 

The short story is that last Saturday I received a false booking from someone who just wanted to sell her hampers.  She stated in her enquiry that she had no intention of booking.  As a newbie, I saw the enquiry was just a sales pitch and got back to it when I could (I weas busy with my current guests).  I didn't realise a false booking was attached to the enquiry (false as confirmed by her enquiry).  So of course my reponse rating and consequent listing of my property has taken a big hit. 

I've rung Airbnb twice now and emailed them trying to get the booking deleted from my account and the response rating reversed which should be simple from their end.  And no response - they are still 'investigating' (for heavens sake, what is there to investigate except to have a look at my listing and account?).  And why don't they hold themselves to the same standards they set everyone else and respond within a timely 24 hours? And why are they so hard on hosts and so biased towards guests? And why should I have to run a complete booking process for a clearly false booking where I get punished if I decline and  I can't accept the  booking because its false?   Shouldn't Airbnb standards only apply to true bookings? 

Ugh!! Tears of absolute frustration here.  How do you get Aiurbnb to respond? 😞

Anyway...  rant over.  Feeling very down about this and wondering why on earth I bother.   

Any advice from you experienced hosting people is really appreciated. 

Cheers,

Catherine.   

[Syl11]

Catherine, don't worry about it. The response rate will recover. Its happen to most hosts. I had a cleaner who pretended to make a booking with dates but just selling services. I never respond. Perhaps you can respond by saying I'm not interesed in buying your hampers and it will show you respond to the message or eventually security finds these people cancel their accounts.

Security has found some odd ones now and then. You can report it and they look into it.

Even if you don't take bookings/accept bookings etc, respond to increase the response rate from now on.

Hosts have 20 5 star reviews and can get into trouble by a bad guest who give a 3 star and it can take over a year and half to get the percentages up again. Welcome to hosting!

Chill

[Catherine-and-Bob0]

Thanks Syl - I suppose I've quickly worked out that what ever I do  some idiot can ruin it - and that includes Airbnb.  I worked hard to get my reponse rate back over 90% after, as a newbie, I didn't understand its importance.  Which is why I'm so annoyed and upset. 

I think I've got to the stage where I need to decide if Airbnb is for me and worth perseving with - it seems such a poor platform - so clunky and so unresponsive.  I can't even have a reasonable conversation with guests (to try and meet their needs) that goes over 24 hours.  That's nuts.   Anyway thank you again for replying.  Much appreciated.   

[Syl11]

Hi Catherine, if you are annoyed and upset, it simply means you worked hard and care! Its normal in hosting. Because guests paid for their accomodation, some try to get the most out of it. When you get the right type of guests, they just want to be left alone to explore and enjoy their time. The demanding ones are the money conscious ones so price well so not to attract the exhausting types. 

LOL ! speaking from experience!

[Catherine-and-Bob0]

Yes that's true - I've only had one lot like that - every other guest has been lovely and left the property really well.   And it would be a shame to lose that just because Airbnb are so unreasonable and biased against hosts.  

[Konstantinos0]

@Catherine-and-Bob0 

I hear you loud and clear and concure! It did not use to be this way, but in the last year the situation has gotten out of hand and Airbnb refuses to deal with the issue! It has serious consquences!

[Linda108]

Catherine, you have a lovely home listed and are off to a great start with this business. 😄  I hope you continue, whether with Air BNB or not.  So much of this platform is automated that you have to treat most messages casually.  Now you know that you should be "automatic" as well for some of  it.  No big deal.

Also, I hope you will consider changing your profile picture to be more personal as you will appreciate the same from your guests.  I know Air BNB is slowly but surely requiring full profile pictures as this is important for many hosts, especially those who list shared spaces.  

Good luck!!

[Catherine-and-Bob0]

Thanks Linda,

You're certainly right about the automation and by extension the crappy way it forces you to treat guests.  I've always been really personal and responsive to guests and clients (tha's the way I was trained) so I find that automated responding stuff in crazy time frames really hard - particualrly when you don't genuinely believe in it.   

Thanks for the feedback about my proifile picture - I've always - lets say - been told my looks aren't very good - so I'm a bit sensitive about it - which is why I used a pretty scene instead.  But I'll certainly look at it.  Thansk again Linda - really appreciate your response.   

I'll sleep on it and make some decisions in the next few days.  The sad thing is Airbnb could be soooo good with just a few changes. Its a shjame that such a good concept has gone so badly astray.   

[Elizabeth429]

@Catherine0,

We have all gone through stages of different emotions when it comes to Airbnb. When I first started, I remember myself feeling truly happy only to find out it was just an ilusion. If you can, just hang in there, you will learn to deal with it with a business mind.

Just a piece of advise, whenever you have the need to talk to Airbnb, make sure you are calm, dont over explain everything, dont come up with your own conclusions (they hate that). In this case, I would have called directly and said something between these lines:

Could you please take a look to the reservation made for the 12th June (for example)? Would you please read the guest messages as well? And then let them know the purpose of your call. 

[Dustin25]

Elizabeth is right this Airbnb thing has its growing pains! You do get your responce rate up the more you do and if it was an inqury then you dont have to say yes or no to it just repond and move on. The same thing hapend to me when someone wanted to take wedding pictures from my house and wanted to see it. I said well this is not a booking so I can get to it and my reponce rate dove down now I resome even if its just a few words. Hang in there it will make you stronger and you will see someone post your same question and you will smile and think I was there once.

[Catherine-and-Bob0]

Thank you Dustin - very wise words and I apprecaite the kindn ess and support.  You're right - 'growing pains' is the right description!  I'll love and learn - and plough on for the moment.  And LOL!! - Gotta run - another bookings just come through so I better respons within 30 seconds!!! LOL!!  Cheers, Catherine.

[Catherine-and-Bob0]

Thank you Elizabeth, very much - it sure is an illusion - and a very unfair and biased one.  Up until this week I'd been very happy with how things were going for this property on Airbnb.   I'm now not at all sure with my confidence in the platform fairly severely shaken.  It's clearly got far too big - to the point that its clearly unmanagable and whoever planned the sites functionality clearly had no idea what they were doing.  Didn't they think to plan around false bookings? .   There are now so many guest complaints as well as host complaints on other websites - as a newbie its a bit worrying.

And thanks for the tip on dealing with Airbnb - I'll try that next time (if there is a next time!). Part of it is its such hard and satisfying work but its worthwhile when guests  like what you do and rate it as 5 star.  And to have Airbnb ruin it makes you think twice. - maybe I have better things to do with my time.  Its c ertainly difficult to recommend the platform with the way it operates and treats people.  Thansk again for your response. 🙂  

[Fred13]

   Catherine, the first thing that will help you is to become well-versed with the Airbnb 'language'. You went  from an 'inquiry' to  'trying to get the booking deleted' in the next paragraph. I know the difference in language is subtle, but with Airbnb, language and knowledge is everything.

   Also, Airbnb is a unigue 'animal'. It is a beast (or can be) in how it can get you bookings, in comparison to the competition. That is indeed its true value. It is NOT its Customer Service, the way it leans toward guests, the way it handles conflicts between guest & hosts, nor its 'sweetness' how it deals with hosts. And it is cunning, like most of the 'wolfs' that occupy the top in the American business ladder. 

    Oftentimes it feel like a 'pressure cooker', to the unprepared.  The faster you accept the above-mentioned realities and personally learn how to deal with them, the better for you;, and then it could all be quite a fun, profitable adventure. 

  Frankly, it is not a booking agency that accomodates wearing one's feeling on their sleeve, for it is not a very 'warm & fuzzy' entity. 😉

[Catherine-and-Bob0]

Yeah thanks Fred - I know you're right.  I'm certainly learning what an imperwsonal monolith Airbnb actually is.  And yes its me who needs to adjust or make other choices. Thansk very much for your wise words.

Cheers,

 Catherine

[Cathie19]

Hi @Catherine0. 

Always best to respond and keep the dialogue on the Airbnb message site.

”Thanks but no thanks. Please do not make a false booking to canvas or sell your hampers on my listing, for it is an inappropriate forum”.

Once the dialogue is in print, you have responded in a timely manner and follow it up with contact to Airbnb support alerting them to the scam booking. 

Stay true to your objective as a good host, and don’t sweat the small stuff! 

🙂

Cathie