My First Bad Review

[Michael653]

Hello everyone!

My name is Mike, a host out of New York and the Dominican Republic. I have been a host with Airbnb since January 2017 and have accumulated roughly 140 reviews – 86% 5 star ratings and 12% 4 star. However, I just received my first 1 star review after a very frusterated guest got upset that I was asking her to pay for damages to our home. The guest smoked hookah in our home and the amber fell on our dining room table causing a circular burn. Moreover, she completely disregarded our house rules – partied until 4 am, an hour late check-out, and overall just a lack of transparency.

This is the 1 star review she left: "Terrible location and hosts be careful they try to screw you for money for nothing."

*My question is here* How do I reply to her review without sounding passive aggresive, condensending, or abrupt. I've tried multiple times but just can't figure it out – the furthest I've gotten is 'Hi Irina, thank you the feedback.'

Any feedback is much appreciated! 

Mike

[Allison2]

So first off, I'm sorry you had such a crappy guest!

Next, your response is really for your future guests, not Irina. People can read between the lines when you have a single poor review amongst so many glowing ones. I'd go with what you wrote, which has an undertone of "Bye, Felicia" I appreciate or just not reply at all.

The only wrong way to respond would be something very defensive that might sound offputting to your prospective guests. If someone needs more backstory on that review they can click through to her profile and see the review you left her, along with her mediocre host reviews.

[Michael653]

Hi everyone! 

Just an update: 

When I initially called Airbnb (prior to posting here) I was told that the review did not meet the guidelines for removal. In addition, the case was escalated to a manager and they agreed with the first rep. HOWEVER, after reading all your posts, I messaged the case manager who granted the 'host guarantee' payout and she forwarded it to another supervisor in the trust & safety department. Needless to say, they agreed with all the hosts in the forum and deleted the review!! 

For any future hosts that read this forum, I'd suggest a few things if you're ever in this situation. 

1. Photograph all damages IMMEDIATELY (prior to the next check-in) and submit a request throught he resolution center. If you take photos on your phone, the date & time will be stamped to the photo and Airbnb will be able to see that. 

2. Wait 12 days before you review their stay if you know it's going to be a bad review. 

3. If you need to respond to a bad review similar to mine – one which doesn't address any specific issues – DO NOT reply with a long message. I feel like it will draw attention to the review, in addition to you having to 'prove' yourself to future guests which may raise flags if you were in the right. If you have plenty of reviews I agree with Allison - leave it at something short like 'Bye Felicia' (haha not really in those words) and call it a day. 

4. Post a forum and if other hosts agree that the post should be removed.. it will most likely be removed.. Just let the representative know that you spoke with other hosts in the community forum.  

Thanks for all the support and encouragement everyone! 

Mike

[Alexandra316]

@Michael653 She sounds like she was awful to host.

I think I would say something like:

I'm sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your experience staying with us. We try to be as fair as possible when charging for damages, like the burn to our dining room table that needed to be repaired after your departure from our non-smoking home. We expect that all of our guests treat our home with respect,  and unfortunately that wasn't the case with your stay, but we still dealt with the issues in a polite and professional manner.  I am sorry that you were unsatisfied with the outcome, but we wish you the best with your future travels.

All the best,

Michael

[Lisa723]

I would say, "This review is retaliation for my attempt to recover damages from this guest."

[Andrea1375]

Report it to Airbnb.  It is my understanding that they can remove retaliation type reviews. 

[Rebecca181]

I agree with @Andrea0 and @Lisa0: This is clearly a retaliatory review and hence violates Airbnb's Terms of Service. I do hope that you used Airbnb's Resolution Center to request your guest pay for damages; this will support your assertion that this is a retaliatory review and needs to be removed. Ask for the 1 star rating to also be removed - Customer Service CAN do this - they did it for me - So don't buy it if they say they can't. If you get nowhere with phone support, message @Airbnbhelp on Twitter - They seem to have magical powers there and often can take care of things when nobody else seems to be able to. 

Regarding the review. I would not start with 'Thank You for the feedback'. This is not feedback. This is a slanderous, dishonest, inaccurate, retaliatory review and should be publicly recognized as such. I would simply state:  "The above review appears to be a retaliatory review related to a damages collection issue - This review has been submitted to Airbnb for possible removal due to violating Airbnb's Terms of Service'. Something like that. Sorry this happened to you, and best of luck!

[Pete28]

This is a basic problem with Airbnb. Try and claim damages and get screwed with a 1* review.

Airbnb doesn't need to hire someone with an MBA to change the policy that if a dispute arises the guests don't get to review if they are found at fault !

[Gregory87]

@Michael653  Sorry to read about your experience.  Your rental looks very impressive.  

Others have provided good advice about how to handle the review and reimbursement.  I was wondering if you had thought about your vetting process.  In looking at this "guest's" profile,  I see that she was a host and had a number of reviews that would raise some flags for me including a cancellation of a guest and multiple people who commented on her space and concerns regarding the basic accommodations.

It also appears that the listing has been removed.

Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but these may be items you'll want to watch for in the future.  BTW, your review for the "guest" was well-written given the situation.

[Letti0]

@Michael653  I agree with @Rebecca181 and @Lisa this was clearly a retaliation review and I would ask that it be removed along with the star rating. Igf the first rep won't do it call and ask another one to or go to AirbnbHelp on Twitter.  

[Kate-Mary0]

I agree with the other answers. You do have a say in this too! So, explain the circumstances and offer the actual insight into what really happenend (but just make sure that it doesn't sound as if you are making excuses). Good luck and don't let one bad review get you down. For future bad reviews this article will help: **

**[Link removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines]