Help before I post a negative review

[James1560]

Hello Airbnb community, I've just experienced a very difficult guest and I know many other have too. I am preparing my review for the guest which is 100% true but before I do, I was wondering whether anyone else could perhaps comment before I post it.

Here is the review I'd like to post:

** <guest_name> and his friends are new to Airbnb and they were unfamiliar with the importance of following the house rules. On the second day of their stay, I had received an email and a phone call which had reached board level of my apartment block. The email stated  “We have had a number of serious noise complaints coming from your property The complaints are not only excessive noise disturbance but include loud threats of violence and drug use, ongoing until 3.30am on Monday and Tuesday night.” This is not what any Airbnb host ever wants to hear and I was forced to call the Police and raise the incident with Airbnb. Once he and his friends had left my home I was able to assess the situation and it wasn’t good. There was clear use of Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas), vomit on the bedding and linen and the floor, hand marks on the walls, cigarette burns in my sofa and outside table and even a missing personal gift left by a Japanese guest …. the list goes on. I strongly suggest that you do not allow this person into your home. **

Could you please let me know your thoughts ladies and gentlemen? As it currently stands, I've lost all faith in the platform and have cancelled my bookings and blocked the calendar. 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@James1560 

"Police had to be called during their stay. A personal item has been removed. Vomit, alcohol and drug paraphernalia was left behind. Complete disregard for my home, the contents and my neighbours!"

Your review is factual and I really don't see any reason why it shouldn't stay. Your guest might not agree, but a lout is a lout and Airbnb members are safer knowing that this guest cold be a potential problem.

On what grounds did you argue against its removal?

[James1560]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 my complaint to Airbnb this morning was as follows..

"I left a review for the guest and it's been removed.

I am extremely unhappy about this. 

I think it's important that people know about the incident so it doesn't happen to someone else.

If Airbnb will not explain why it was removed then perhaps I can rewrite it and it's checked by you before it's published?"

[James1560]

@Mark116 - That's interesting! I complained to Airbnb and it's re-appeared! Thanks for letting me know.

[Mark116]

@James1560  Airbnb is nothing if not mercurial and random.  In fact, that is my biggest complaint, not so much that their policies are unfair to hosts, which they are, but the fact that their interpretation of their own policies is completely random.  It's always the luck of the draw, CS reps are like planets in their own orbit, what one does, another one can undo and vice versa.  There is no way to know even if airbnb will stick to its own policies.  That makes dealing with the company much more like gambling than dealing with your typical corporation.

[James1560]

@Mark116, it's good then that we're all communicating here and generating interest. Airbnb representatives are watching so if we can all contribute to making it a better platform for everyone then it's a great result.

Despite my incident, hopefully there are some positives to come out of this for the Airbnb community. 

[Susan1028]

Also know that there’s nothing stopping a bad gust from closing an account and opening another without even using their real name.  

Hosts bear 120% of the burden for loss and liability with little or no support from thus booking platform and we’re not allowed the same protections as commercial hosts as far as leased, security deposits, fees, and evictions for rules violations and funds recovery on our own property.

Meanwhike other platforms encourage you to enact your own provisions and check IDs and will ban guests who trash your place.

Airbnb could also care less about malicious “platform members” you tell the truth about or decline to host.

Major reasons why I’m done with Airbnb as of the end of Sept.

We’re charged more and provided less than    Booking through competitors who are happy to have our business.

[Anonymous]

@James1560  I'm sorry that your efforts were unsuccessful here, but before this thread fizzles out could you please post the review you left (or whatever you remember of it)?

The actions of your guests were reprehensible, and you deserve an opportunity to express this in your review. But for hosts who have been the victims of these bad actors, it's important to recognize that publishing a public statement about a person carries a serious legal responsibility. Even a single word can push a negative review over the line into defamation, and that's where it gets really problematic -  even when you have good reason to believe that someone has committed a crime, you don't automatically have the right to publicly call them a criminal.

I believe in honest reviews, but here are the top three things that should never be directly mentioned:

1. Drugs. It's one thing to qualitatively describe a bad behavior, or to state that the guest broke your rules. But once you make a  suggestion that illegal activity occurred, especially when you didn't witness it, you're giving Airbnb (as the publisher of the content) a libel risk that it does not accept.  ("Drug paraphernalia" is also a no-go, especially when it makes something relatively benign like nitrous oxide canisters sound more like syringes and crack pipes).

2. Sex. Any insinuation of intimate, behind-closed-doors activity - no matter how unpleasant its impact on the home environment - is bound to be taken as a violation of the guest's privacy

3. Bodily functions. Vomit, feces, blood, urine, and other excretions also fall under the category of too-intimate-to-mention. It's sufficient to say that the guests left an unpleasant mess or failed to clean up after themselves, without naming any bodily fluids.

Airbnb doesn't explicitly state any of this in their vague Content Guidelines, and they don't tend to give you a specific reason for removing a review. But if any of your word choices brushed against one of those three things - which others have warned you about here - I could have guaranteed you that the review wouldn't be up for long.

[Alexandra316]

@AnonymousGood guidelines... the review did mention 1. and 3. as far as I remember. Definitely 1. is a never and guaranteed to get the review pulled. 

[James1560]

@Anonymous - Thanks for the post. It's very well written and It's going to be helpful to other people on the forum going forward.

[Clara116]

@James1560 @Anonymous  I just grabbed this thread and how disheartening...............with all the back and forth and the fact that there was such obvious abuse and fault on the guests part.

Seems several hosts warned of posting about the stuff that gets a review removed. What I have read on Airbnb is to mention a claim with Airbnb or Police will also get a review removed quickly. They do hate any negative mention or press. Awful.

So sorry this happened. But I hope that many hosts learned about reveiwing bad guests and what NOT to post. Also, to WAIT...............time is critical..............Wait......the emotions are awful, I know this but they will have us do things we might not do the same if we wait and work to remove emotions.

There is a FB group and the name is guests blacklist airbnb ---- you can post this guys name and pic if you have this info. There are hundreds of names on there listing and more daily. Hope you have better guests with much more respect. Peace, and happy hosting, clara

[James1560]

@Clara116 - The review has mysteriously reappeared. I'm hoping it will stay.

[Susan1028]

If you want to warn other hosts, here’s what’s worked for me:

1- you both have 14 days to post a review.  If one or both of you posts, it will be published at that time.  I wait until mid way through the last day.

2- you have the last word because you can reply publicly to their review. if they post negatively/ inaccurately, you can post your perspective.

3- stick to the facts in your narrative and any reply. Keep it simple. Do not allow emotions to rule.  Stay grounded.  

Airbnb states reviews must be based on actual experiences during the stay or they can be removed.

its worthwhile to review the policy before creating your review/reply so yours can’t be successfully challenged by the guest.

Thank you for the warning. 

Also be aware that some guests can be banned for bad behavior, and if you choose to pursue damages, you’ll need specific information to do so within Airbnb and also if you wish to try in a local venue, so save screen shots of everything...and don’t expect Airbnb’ help without a court order. Your police report should have relevant info in it.  Get certified copies.