Negative reviews

[Kelly251]

Need some opinions....Just had my very first negative review. Guest gave us a 2* , which I am shocked! I feel it comes from a retaliatory side as I had to have a uncomfortable conversation with her regarding her smoking and having visitors to our property.

Yes, it is in our house rules on the listing and also I sent the house rules again to her prior to arriving on site. We do not allow visitors, we reside on the property therefore can keep a close on on the coming and going of vehicles , due to the fact that we have resident dogs and horses. Some of our horses are not ours , so we keep a close eye to not only keep everyone safe but as well horses and dogs also pose a liability. 

1 week in to this woman's stay (1 month booked) she had her son show up on a motorcycle and  then found ashes from a cigarette on our stone walk way leading from the apartment . I had a conversation with her to discuss and she got very hostile and argumentative once I suggested she may have the wrong stay location, as these 2 items are clearly listed on Airbnb , also supplied to her in the inbox and posted on the refrigerator in the apartment. 

Am I wrong to feel I should address in a reply to her public post which is "I would not recommend a stay at this location." I do feel it retaliatory , as I felt during our conversation she was bullying me by justifying why her son showed up and that she requires her cigarettes for her anxiety.

Here is what I propose to sending back to her public review. Does anyone have any feedback from personal or business stand point?

Much appreciated 

Good morning xxxxxx as you can imagine we are terribly sorry to see that you feel that you can not count on us for a more comfortable stay. I hope this review does not reflect our conversation regarding our house rules, more specifically, restrictions to visitors and smoking rules , as it was only to bring to light that they are posted in our house rules on our listing , as well sent to you again prior to check in and posted on the refrigerator inside the apartment . I can not stress enough to our guests and potential guests alike , the importance on thoroughly reading through each listing to ensure it is a proper fit for guest and host a like, this will be the best bet for a most comfortable stay.

All the best with your future stays ,

[Lawrene0]

I would make it shorter, less emotional, less sorry, and more upbeat, @Kelly251 .

"XXX makes an excellent point. Our place is not a good fit for those who wish to smoke or to bring in extra visitors."

[Sue714]

@Kelly251 Agree with @Lawrene0 

Your reply should be Short and Sweet.

The purpose of a reply to a bad review is to attract New guests not to explain why this guest was unhappy.

I would reply something like:

Thankyou for you review, hopefully you can find a place that suits your demands and expectations in the future.

[Kelly251]

Thank you for your feedback much appreciated!

[Emiel1]

@Kelly251 

I noticed in your review for her you mention the 1 month stay and the houserules discussion..

I wondered:

Why does somebody stay for 1 month and write one sentence in the review

"I would not recommend a stay at this location" ?

Your public reply should mention again it was a 1 month stay, to place things in perspective.

About the violations of houserules do mention it, but with less words (shorter).

[Kelly251]

I can only summarize that she is having a difficult time with COVID-19 , as we are located in Ontario, Canada and apparently (from her words to my ears) is separated due to COVID from her husband and she said "decided to stay here" as the husband lives in Arizona, USA (hot spot) . She claims to stay here to avoid the HOTSPOT, and her grown children live in Toronto,  but then left abruptly 3 and 1/2 weeks in to her booking , did not tell me she was leaving , but I found our apartment key left in the keylock outside of the entrance. Then hours later she sent a message to the inbox and claims she left as she had a emergency surgery booked for the following morning and would not be back. Just not sure anything she says is truthful.

[Sarah977]

@Kelly251

[Laura2592]

I am sorry this is happening to you @Kelly251 . Some guests really can't accept if they are even gently reminded of house rules. 

I would keep the review response factual and fair-- something like the below:

"X was our guest for a month. Unfortunately she was not a good fit for our space as she disregarded some key house rules on smoking and visitors. We strive for excellence with all of our guests, but sometimes we just have a mismatch. We hope that future guests will contact us if they have any concerns about this review or need clarification on our policies before booking. We wish X the best in her Airbnb journey. 

[Natasha385]

Thanks to everyone for these excellent public responses. We are anticipating our first ever negative review in 6 years (as a bed & breakfast home share). It is so valuable, especially when in the throes of panic! ❤️ 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Natasha385 start a new thread and let us know what you get. Important thing is not to react immediately and be very measured in any response you make to the review

[Kelly251]

Thank you everyone for your feedback, it was all extremely helpful . Since we had never had such a retaliatory review before , we were unsure on how to handle. Your feedback and experience will be be kept and used as knowledge for the future. Thank you , Kelly