Honest reviews of a bad guest

[Wendy-And-Lisa0]

We have been hosting for four years and are booked almost every night of the year. I BEG hosts to leave honest reviews.

We've all left less than honest reviews for a sub-par guest out of fear of some form of retaliation. If hosts continue to do this, the sub-par guest will continue their sub-par behavior and YOU might be their next unsuspecting host.

We encourage good guest behavior from the start - ie. have a COMPLETED profile with a HEAD SHOT withought glasses or hat, tell us about yourself and anyone joining you, number of cars, check in time etc. We meet our guests at check-in (which for the most part they seem to greatly appreciate)and go through FOUR pages of items / rules/ quirks of the property, so we can be certain they know what is and is not okay.

We check in with them periodically to make sure all is well. At check out we ask the guest to text us to let us know they are leaving and "to let us know all the house rules were followed". Communication is VERY VERY VERY important. Personally I wish that when reading the reviews hosts have left about a guest there would also be a link "reviews I have left" so a host can see the type of reviews the guest has left past hosts.

Hosts.....we need to pinky swear that we'll be totally honest in our reveiws of a guest we wouldn't welcome back so we can protect one another. Even saying that simple sentance is enough, without going into detail. "I would not host ______again"

[Sarah977]

@Wendy-And-Lisa0  You have my pinkie swear. Although I have been lucky and had almost all top-notch guests I would welcome back in a heartbeat. There was one young woman I hosted when I was new to this, who others might have given a bad review to, but as she was only 20, was a first time airbnb user, and was actually quite sweet, I gave her a bad star rating for cleanliness only and spoke to her privately about the fact that she sprung her boyfriend on me without mentioning that she would be meeting up with him here in town (she of course booked for 1 and my listing says it is for 1 guest only). She went into town the first night, I went to bed, and in the morning she emerged from her room with a guy! At first I assumed she had just picked him up at the bar, but she went on to introduce me to her "friend" and assumed he could stay as well. I did let him stay, charged her an extra $5/day since they were just squishing into the single bed and shared the towels and they were both really nice. So I let her know that springing an extra guest is not at all okay,  that I would not mention it in my review, since she was new, but that other hosts could give her a really bad review for that and she shouldn't do it again. The cleanliness issue was over the state they left the room- no actual damages, but a veritible pigsty. They did use the shared (with me) kitchen quite a bit and did clean up after themselves there. 

Would you have given her a bad review?

[Eugénie1]

Abolutely I would have given her a bad review.  How are other host to make a decision to host someone, especially now with instant book, if you as a host cant make a decision to give a bad review for someone who was totally disrespectful of your home. I suggest you address your listing and make some hard decisions as to what you expect from your guests.

[Sarah977]

@Eugénie1  She was the only guest who I ever had a problem with this way- there is nothing wrong with my listing- 99% of the time I get exactly the kind of lovely guests I want, who are well-suited to me and my place. As I said, the reason I didn't review her badly was because she was a new user and young, and I really got the impression that she wasn't trying to pull a fast one with the boyfriend, she just didn't realize that was a no-no. The mess they left behind in the room is actually quite common among that particular demographic here, not at all unusual, more like the norm. And, as I mentioned, they were very good about cleaning up in the kitchen and dining area, they even always invited me to partake of whatever they had cooked. And apart from that, they were quiet and respectful. I had hoped that letting her know privately that an extra guest is not okay and rating her down for cleanliness would allow her the opportunity to be a stellar guest next time. In other words, I would not necessarily NOT recommend her.

[Lilly28]

@Sarah977,

I wrote several times that something has to be done about the revew system. Hosts answered me - no, like this is o.k. In your case I would write very good review of this girl - and I would not ask for exta pay.

What I suggest is guests who are booking for first time and are not writing you a review - to be punished! I am fed up of first time comers who use me to write them good reviews and then be free to use the system. In my requirements I set guests to have previous experience and good reviews. Then first time visitors are asking me to do them the favor - I agree, with most of them I had lilltle problems like yours. But after that not having a guest review? It is nonsense, I felt like used as a fool! Therefore I suggest for the first users of AirBnB hosts to have the right not to write them review until the host did not send his, and the system to inform the host - your guest left you a revew. And only then I will be writing my review.   

[Sarah977]

Lilly- Since airbnb has decided in its bizarre anti-logic to rate hosts on the # of reviews guests leave (not on the quality of the reviews, mind you, just on the number, which is akin to rating us on whether our guest took a shower today, we have no control over what guests choose to do), following that antilogic, guests should also be rated (and have the possibility of being delisted from the platform) for hosts not leaving them a review.

Actually none of the above should happen, it's absurd. If airbnb is so concerned about the number of reviews that are left, hosts should be rated on the number of reviews they write for guests, and vice versa.

[Zappa0]

@Sarah0 valid point!

[Karla128]

I agree with you , Sara

[Karla128]

Correcting my mistakes here, I agree with Lilly, and I undersdand why is Sarah saying good reviews to the new guest. The point is this, each person has difference on what they can tolerate in living in same house. 

I am glad this conversation starts up, now I will ask more questions from other country hosts reviews, I think standers are different. So, by just have good reviews to other host, may not for me. 

Thanks for sharing. 

[Felipe214]

Once I left a very bad review to a guy who stayed at my place for 2 nights, but he didn’t leave me a reply so I guess that other hosts will never be aware of the kind of guest he is. I think Airbnb must have a much more strict policy about the reviews and should not allow them to book again if they haven’t completed a review. 

[Sandra856]

@Felipe214 The review you left the guest will always show up on his profile when the 14 days you got to review each other is over. Even if he didn't write a review of his stay. 

[Dori14]

Hi Sandra.  How and where did you find this info out?

Thanks

[Letti0]

@Dori14  Either or both can leave a review that becomes public when both reviews are in or after 14 days if only the host or guest left a review. 

How long do I have to write a review after a trip has ended?

You have 14 days after checkout to write a review for a trip.

 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/995/how-long-do-i-have-to-write-a-review-after-a-trip-has-ended

[Angie29]

---

@Dori14 wrote:

Hi Sandra.  How and where did you find this info out?

Thanks

---

Either, or both, can leave a review but it only becomes public when both reviews are in or after 14 days even if only one party, either the host or guest, left a review.  Until then neither host or guest can see each other's.   

How long do I have to write a review after a trip has ended?

You have 14 days after checkout to write a review for a trip.  Also if you go to your inbox and check the emails/conversations between you and the last guest to the left on the screen it will show you the countdown of the days left for you to leave a review.  I think it's new because I just discovered it and very helpful.    

[Sataporn0]

I am totally agreed with you Felipe . Something needs to be done