Guest Had Airbnb Delete Negative Review

Stephanie636
Level 10
McKinleyville, CA

Guest Had Airbnb Delete Negative Review

I had a difficult guest who broke the house rules, showed up with more guests than she paid for, and left a mess. I left a review accordingly, specifically stating that I did NOT recommend her to future hosts. She called Airbnb claiming my honest, objective review was “unwanted contact” so they removed it citing harassment (?!). I’m utterly stunned. So much for integrity, Airbnb! If hosts can’t forewarn other hosts about bad guests, what’s the point of reviews?! Feeling abused and unspportd as a host, I’m compelled to delete my listing altogether. This is shameful.

207 Replies 207
Phil-and-Lacy0
Level 5
Key Largo, FL

We have been with Airbnb for 10 years and have manged to accumulate great reviews as both guests and hosts.  We had a profoundly negative experience with a guest who brought multiple extra guests, left young children unattended in the home, destroyed toys, outdoor lights, and other items, and flat out lied to me and to Airbnb about our interaction.  

 

We contacted Airbnb during the stay as we were unsure how to handle this.

 

We left an honest review based the experience and left a "Do Not Recommend To Other Hosts" message. 

 

Airbnb removed this review, sadly. 

 

Now how will other hosts know? How will they be warned about this individual? The "Instant Book" feature with the "Good track record" feature are now useless because this person can prey on other unknowing hosts. 

 

We are deeply frustrated and disappointed in how this was handled.

Bhumika
Community Manager
Community Manager
Toronto, Canada

Hey @Phil-and-Lacy0 ,

 

Did you also contact Airbnb Support after you found that the review was removed? Did you get any information?

 

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Please follow the Community Guidelines

To be honest, Bhumika, we are so frustrated and disappointed with this result after having spent about three days going back and forth with support that we have little interest talking to anyone again. We followed guidelines, followed the rules, followed recommendations and in the end have been left with a very negative experience. 

Thanks for your input and inquiry. 

No matter what happens this person appears on Airbnb to have a spotless record. For all we know when we accepted her reservation she had another 3star, negative review removed. 

What we learned is that no review doesn’t necessarily mean that the member didn’t actually receive a review. It can also actually mean they had a bad review from a genuinely bad experience removed. 

@Stephanie636  Don't worry, its annoying, focus on your nicer newer guests and forget her, gone, dusted, some other host will suffer next time she books! We all need a list, name and shame list, prob not on this site, another whereby we can check....!!! take care.

Kath9
Level 10
Albany, Australia

@Stephanie636, wow, that is shameful. @Syl11, I don't agree with your synopsis of the situation. The whole idea of honest reviews is that other hosts shouldn't have to suffer! What is the point of the review system if Airbnb can just remove a negative review at the guest's demand? I'll bet anything they wouldn't remove a host's unfair negative review... I'm really sorry that happened to you Stephanie. Shame on you Airbnb!

@Kath9  exactly what i meant, airbnb deleted the review could result in another host having to suffer!!

 

So, Airbnb acknowledges @Stephanie636 as a super host and all the hosting it takes to get the distinction, but goes to the lengths of removing a bad review because the guest didn't like it. That truly is shameful and very bad for business. I wonder what Airbnb offered @Stephanie636 as an explaination for that poor judgement. I'm curious if it is common practice for Airbnb or poor judgement on the part of a particular Airbnb case manager. Sorry that happened.

John1080
Level 10
Westcliffe, CO

@Stephanie636, was this the  wacko guest who complained of a mouse and left a butcher knife in the bed?  It sounds like she's a con artist to me.  And, did they delete her review of you too? 

@John1080I think it is that wacko guest!

@John1080 @Syl11 YES! That very guest. Time seems to have gotten away from her and she forgot(?) to leave me a review, so once the 14 days passed only my review of her posted. She seems to have realized this yesterday, and called to have it removed - and it was..with a note to me that she found it to be policy violating for unwanted contact/harassment. (Mind you, I’d reported this user’s profile weeks ago which also thereby barred my access to her, so we’ve had no further contact until the review posted). After two prior claims brought by this guest were settled in my favor (they did deny her the refund she demanded for violating the house rules), isn’t it a contradiction that they disallow my negative review? How can I be sure, as a host, that I’m not exposing my home and family to other badly reviewed guests who simply called to have their feedback removed? What integrity is there to a double-blind review process where Airbnb intervention can be invoked to benefit one party? Why is the word of their Superhost not enough to stand? I have so many problems with this. 

@Stephanie636  This woman is an experience scammer, I had one of those and they spill their bad selves everywhere. We learn to pick them out in future, and avoid those types to host. Only way forward is to be rid of them forever. Cheers Steph! 

 

(note: you will get requests/inguiries again from similar traits but check what type of reviews they leave their hosts, you can gage it and find a way to decline them).

@Stephanie636 @Syl11, I'd say she probably makes a habit of this not only on AirBnb but in life in general. I'm sorry you had to have the misfortune of running across her, but at least you didn't have to give her a refund, so at least that portion worked out and it's great that she didn't leave you a review at all, as it would have been negative. 

 

It does seem from most stories being told that AirBnb typically unfairly rules in favor of guests. If a person is a Superhost without a history of frivolous claims, AirBnb should at least attempt to be more fair to hosts. 

@John1080  Its obvious airbnb allow them to get off, these scammers continue to use airbnb to book their stays and its money, how do they (airbnb) not realise it can come back to bite them from another one of their stays, these people are disturbed and need professional councilling!

Im having one of those nightmare guests right now. How do u check the reviews they have left hosts? 

This guy had great reviews and yet in one night has made us feel not only uncomfortable but unsafe in our osn house.