Is AirBnB ACTIVELY trying to get rid of hosts by ALLOWING inaccurate reviews in vilation of its own support agreement with hosts?!

Is AirBnB ACTIVELY trying to get rid of hosts by ALLOWING inaccurate reviews in vilation of its own support agreement with hosts?!

It seems at first glance that refusing to to allow guests who have stolen from properties to post retaliatory reviews would be a no-brainer. A quick glance at the forums here show literally tens of thousands of comments about this. It seems like preventing guests who have caused payouts by the AirBnB Resolution Center would be very much like "low hanging fruit" so to speak when it comes to quick ways of improving the review process. And yet AirBnB refuses to do it! Why??

 

I have a background that includes military, government and Fortune 500 consulting and this "fix" is a SUPER obvious and simple one to implement, yet AirBnB refuses to do it desptie years of outrage by hosts and damages and thefts from properties. Why? The only logical conclusion is that AirBnB DOESN'T ACTUALLY WANT TO IMPROVE THE REVIEW PROCESS.

 

That may seem super odd at first glance, however it makes perfect sense if they have "too many" hosts. How could they have too many hosts? Easy. If too many properties are on the market, then prices will drop and that will lower the AirbnB profits. Given that many jurisdictions are starting to "push back" on more properties listing themselves on AirBnB, (witness the prohibition enacted in 2019 against AirbnB listings in Toronto and Paris among other cities,) and AirBnB can't make more money as easily by adding more properties. They can, however, easily make more money by driving up prices, which are still quite a bit lower for a house than they are for a hotel room in many cases. 

 

How do they do that you may ask? By getting the concentration of rental options to self-reduce in certain markets. The closer they get to saturation in those markets, the higher the prices will go. And AirBnB ends up making much more money without doing a single, tiny bit more work! Same number of bookings, but more profits because the prices are higher. 

 

That's right, despite the rhetoric on their comments like the transparent ** posted here, AirBnB doesn't actually give a crap about hosts; they WANT hosts to leave! They WANT fewer hosts on the AirBnB platform, because that's the only way that their prices will go up!

**[Inappropriate comment removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

69 Replies 69
Bez8
Host Advisory Board Member
Vancouver, Canada

@William1246 

 

Hi William, 

 

I know what you're going through and it all seems to easy to fix.  I agree with you that the review process needs to be looked at a bit more in detail. It's so hard to get it right and yet meet the global trust demands when it comes to reviews. 

 

A guest who has shown no respect for your property or the Airbnb community needs to be punished. It's the bad apples that ruin it for everyone. 

 

There is one thing that I can promise you. It's the fact that Airbnb is listening to hosts just like you. It may not seem like it right now but just give it a bit more time. As part of the host advisory board it's my goal to be your voice. Airbnb is listening and has already made a lot of changes based on feedback. As you know nothing gets done quickly. But I assure you that @Airbnb  is listening to you. 

 

In terms of the retaliatory review, please have a look at the review policy. Reviews that mention things out of the hosts control violate the review policy. I haven't seen the review left for you. This is a beautiful community and there are millions of hosts just like you. You are not alone. I just want you to know that. 

You wrote, "But I assure you that @Airbnb  is listening to you." This is a bald faced, transparent lie. There is still a 1-star review up on one of my properties, despite me having CLOSE UP, HD VIDEO of her carrying my pots out of the unit and them being recovered from her car and handed to me! AirBnB wasn't even interested in looking at the video. **

 

You wrote, "It's hard to get right." Another reviewer stole from us last week, we were paid for the stolen items by AirBnB, they have a retaliatory review posted that discloses where I live, erroneously calls me a millionaire, insults me, (calls me desperate,) and more. It took me THREE HOURS to finally get put through your ridiculous, responsibility-avoiding corporate responsibility evasion machine of dumping your customoer service work responsibility onto ARISE, who then subsequently sub-coontracts to self-employed 3rd parties who then hire financially desperate individuals working from home who have ZERO power to effect a solution! 

 

**What's "so hard" about preventing guests who have stolen from properties whom AIRBNB HAS PAID DAMAGES FOR from posting reviews?

 

The answer? Nothing. You just don't want to. 

 

You write, "You're not alone." Waht is this, The Sound of Music? I don't want a hug, or some stranger typing useless nonsense on a forum! I want a clearly retaliatroy review removed. This isn't an effing drum circle, I don't care if nobody else has the same problem, I'd still want it fixed. The fact that TENS OF THOUSANDS of other host are just as upset about this easily fixable issue as I am means that your time would be better used making thei very simple, very obvious fix; rather than coming on here to unsult us with empty promises and spineless platitudes.

 

**[Inappropriate comment removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

Bez8
Host Advisory Board Member
Vancouver, Canada

"You aren't involved in making improvements, you're just a publicity moutpiece. What's "so hard" about preventing guests who have stolen from properties whom AIRBNB HAS PAID DAMAGES FOR from posting reviews?"

 

@William1246  I'm really sad because I can see how much you're hurting. I'm sorry and I wish I could make it  better for you. 

 

This very thing you posted I went through 3 weeks ago. A guest completely broke our trust and had a massive party and destroyed our home. Police got involved to remove them. I went through hell and my pregnant wife couldn't stop crying. A brand new account that didn't have nay respect for me or for airbnb. We got fined from our building and complaints from our neighbors. 

 

And yet they had the option to write me a review. But when the review had nothing to do with their stay and I reported it. 

 

So I know what you're saying. It MAKES NO SENSE. I get that and it seems easy to me and you to fix.  Everything takes time. Change takes time. 

 

In the meantime I would urge to contact the appropriate customer support or even better find your local community leader. I'm here to listen and you've bashed me over and over again and I'm ok with that. I know you're angry. You can DM me anytime and I'm here to listen and do my best to point you in the right direction given what I know. But your best bet will be the experts in the community here. 

 

All the best

@Bez8  I HAVE contacted the appropriate channels and gotten nowhere. Or can't you read? And what an EGO you have on you! I don't care about you or your opinion. And no, it doesn't "take time" in the form of two years to remove reviews written by theives.

**

**[Inappropriate comment removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

@Bez8 Your home is really beautiful - I love those windows! Did Airbnb remove the bad review? Were you able to successfully charge for any damages?

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

@William1246 WE KNOW!!! (At least those of us who come here often do.)

The review system serves Airbnb's purposes very well.... That's what a couple of regulars were trying to tell you yesterday on your other post....

Nothing we can do about it, except take our custom elsewhere. (Nowhere to go for us home share hosts who rent our spare rooms.) We take what we can, benefiting from the world-wide marketing, which has given me the pleasure of hosting guests from all over the world... 

.

@Helen350 

 

"But I assure you that airbnb  is listening to you. "

 

They are listening to us for years but nothing changes.

 

So far we got such messages from airbnb, now we're getting them from the board members. 😂😂

 

Bez8
Host Advisory Board Member
Vancouver, Canada

@Helen350 

 

I'm a host. I dont work for Airbnb. I've had experiences just like you. I believe in Airbnb as a platform and their vision. The past is exactly just that. I'm looking towards the future. I care for hosts. I'm a community leader in my local area and have spent months helping hosts new and old. It's so easy to be bitter and negative nowadays. I for one want to be part of the solution and spread positivity to our hosts who love what they do. 

"I for one want to be part of the solution and spread positivity to our hosts who love what they do.: Blabbing about 'community' does nothing but PISS PEOPLE OFF. I don't know you, I don't care about your opinion. I've been a Superhost for ten years and hosted more than a hundred and fifty thousand guests over the last twelve years. You showing up and singing "kumbaya" isn't helpful, it's stupid, annoying and frankly insulting. 

 

If you don't even work for AirBnB, then what are you even doiing here blabbing about, "Things are changing, just be patient" anyway? If you're in a position of influence, then why don't you stop wasting the time of other porfessional business owners here and use your typing fingers to pass along how pissed off tens of thousands and hosts are that some of these super-obvious solutions aren't being implemented!

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

I'm warming to this guy...... 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

@William1246 

@William1246  You have a choice here: You are welcome to leave the platform. It's as simple as that. You are CHOOSING to use AirBnB. There are other platforms out there. 

There is no reason to be nasty to @Bez8  who is trying to help, whether you agree with him or not. 

You go to a local supermarket, and time and time again they piss you off or disappoint- whether it's the quality of the produce, the bad customer service, or lack of parking. You complain and nothing changes. What do you do? You take your business elsewhere. 

 

I don't think your anger is appropriate in a community forum, where you are soliciting opinions from your peers. It's just like the world at large, where not everybody will agree with you. 

@Bez8 You wrote, "I don't work for AirBnB." Does that mean that you do their pandering and corporate disinformation disemination work for them for free? 

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

lol....

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

Why are you addressing ME @Bez8 ? 

 

Your little homily has NOTHING to do with what I wrote to @William1246 .  I wrote "WE KNOW!" based on the fact that I have read HUNDREDS of posts just like his before.... (Personally I've only had good experiences with Airbnb, and whilst I was initially upset by the odd bad review from people who did not read, in the early days, I have learnt from people like @Anonymous , & @Ute42 not to take the gold stars of operant conditioning TOO seriously - and to laugh it off even....

 

I am NOT bitter & negative, - chuckling as I write this -  just expressing a bit of solidarity with people.... ( @William1246 's a new kid on this block, he's going to have a hard time till he gets accepted as one of the 'gang' - lol! )

 

And we all do just fine jollying each other along, we don't need 'Host Advisory Board Members' to patronize us, Heaven forbid! - Like an alternative version of the mods, but with less good humour! 🙂