Preventing lies in a review?

[Lydia94]

I am a very unhappy host at this time and I like to find out from other hosts what can be done to prevent a bad guest to write lies in there review because I have a strict policy and will not return the money.

After 10 years of hosting I was hoping to know all the lies, but this was a new one for me. First the guest rentet the smallest room in my home because of the price. In our conversations she let me know that she is pregnant. My most important goal is to make sure all my guests are comfortable so I changed her to the largest room for no extra charge. The guest arrive late at night, go to work the next morning to the Cleveland Clinic, meet a friend to offer her to stay for free. Now she ask me for her money back. The awncer is NO. Now she tell me that my linen where dirty when she arrived. I send my employee to change the linen. My employee was the same person cleaning and sanitizind the room for this guest and she was very upset. My employee inform me, that the guest had eaten all the food from our welcome basket and the food was eaten in bed because she found the food crumbs and this is how the linen got dirty. The next day we had 3 new niceguest arriving and this guest startet making trubble for us. I informed Airbnb about the problem, but Airbnb was on the side of the guest and told me to return the money for the remaining stay. I returned the money because I need no guest in my home making trubble for me with my other guests and desturbe the peace in my home. I remember very clearly years ago when there was a problem between host and guests, the guest was not permittet to write a review. I as a host will not write a review for bad guests because I will not go in to the gutter with a guest. It is below me. If I have nothing nice to say, it is better to be quiet and say nothing. This is in the interest of all 3 partys and it includes AIRNB. It is not smart business to hang your dirty laundry out for the world to see. I can respond to the bad review, but I will not. With all the changes Airbnb is making the last few month, all this changes are for the guests and

no protection for the host. This wishes guest give me 2 star to ruining my reputation in business. What happen to any COMMON SENSE by Airbnb.

Now after the check-in and inspection of the room and the rest of the house, I have the guest sign the inspection sheet. I sink it is very sade, but I have to protect myself. I am sure I am not the only host not happy with the neww changes at Airbnb.

*[Post made into a new topic–title updated]

[Kabita0]

I am also a victim of this kind of a situation.

[Syl11]

@Lydia94 Because you hosts many guests its probably a wise move making them sign the inspection sheet, good idea Lydia!

[Ute42]

.

Hi @Lydia94 ,

I disagree with Your statement

I as a host will not write a review for bad guests because I will not go in to the gutter with a guest

Not leaving an honest review on a bad guest is unfair to the rest of the hosting community, because we all will get these people without any warning.

[Gaspar-J0]

I had someone stay with at my place for one night, he brought someone to the house for sex in the middle of the night (left two used condoms on the floor) of course without paying for the extra guest and putting everyone in the house at risk.  The next morning he said he was leaving and wanted a refund, which my cancelation policy did not allow, he threatened me with a bad review and left. I go ogled his name and it turns out the guy had three trials pending, one for battery, one for bodily harm and one for strangulation, which I detailed in his review as a warning for future hosts. A couple of days later my review was gone from his profile but his is still in my listing. That is how much Airbnb seems to care for our safety. There are a few things that are really wrong about this company, they need a serious competitor fast, and that is from my experience as a host and as a traveller

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@Ute42 wrote:

.

Hi @Lydia94 ,

I disagree with Your statement

I as a host will not write a review for bad guests because I will not go in to the gutter with a guest

Not leaving an honest review on a bad guest is unfair to the rest of the hosting community, because we all will get these people without any warning.

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[Lydia94]

Hi Ute, You have a point, and I will start writing the review for the guest just burned my carpet and my NO IRON bedsheets by not using the iron board. Than refuse to let my staff in the room to celan, but she insisted to do her job and found the rug in the wrong place on the floor to cover up the damage. Now the guest is denieing the damages and refuse to pay for the 2 year old carped and the new 4 month old sheets. This is a business so I have my invoices. Very sad, I don,t wish this guest on anybody.

Thank you 

[Gisele20]

I had a guest with all 5 star reviews. He made a mess, was drunk, smoked and left me a one star review because I caught him. So the rating of other hosts didn’t help me. I’ll form my own opinion 

[Ute42]

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Hi Gisele, cannot tag You and other CC members, don't know why.

Gisele, unfortenately there never is a 100% guarantee for nothing in life.

With a guest with negative reviews the chance that there will be no problems is only 10%, with an all 5* rated guest the chance that there will be no problems ist 90%. You never get 100% on anything.

There is even no guarantee that You will wake up alive tomorrow morning. Heard attack, stroke, who knows.

[Judith131]

I agree if you have a problem you need to let others know! let me tell you my horror story!

[Robin4]

@Lydia94

Lydia, you are obviously a great host, you have over 160 reviews and most of them glowing about your hospitality and your listing....you are doing nothing wrong!

From time to time you are going to get guests that just cannot be pleased, and unfortunately that class of guest is growing because they don't come from a hosting environment, they come from a hotel environment where everything is a phone call away.

Please try not be too disheartened....you are better than that!

I did not look through all your reviews but I did look through about the first 50, and the common theme is, how good you are.

If this woman said something in her review that is demonstably not correct you can apply to Airbnb to have the review removed.

My feeling here is Lydia, let it go, we are not fools, the review will say more about the guest than it says about you! You have the track record and this guest will be seen like the soldier in the Independence day march....the only one in step!

If I was permitted to make a comment about you Lydia, don't bring private feedback out into the public gaze! Private feedback is just that, it is the guest making a comment that they felt may help you without alerting the world. A guest gives a lovely review and the host starts responding to all sorts of stuff that had nothing to do with the review and we all end up scatching our heads and saying.....'what was all that about'!

Just one last point, as @Ute42 has said, the only way the hosting community can better itself at what it does is, if we are all honest about our experiences. It is important that you review....after all how would you feel if a guest came to you who had three good reviews but, a dozen hosts would not want to have anything to do with him again! You would feel like you should have been warned.

Don't be specific, just say something along the lines of...."I found the guest to be a reasonable communicator but not really suited to a hosting environment and although I wish him/her well for the future would decline the opportunity to host them again!" That says it all, you haven't accused them of anything other than being a pain in the rear-end.

I have gone on for too long here but Lydia....get on with what you do best and let this one go....ok!

Cheers.....Rob

[Lydia94]

Thank you for your support, I love people, I am in the service business for 50 years. Nobody can please the whole world and most of my guests are wonderfull. I remember years ago, when there was a disagreement between a guest and a host, and I as a host decide to return the money in order to have a peacefull home the guest was not allowed to write a review. To me it was the best policy. Most of my guests are young male Doctors and wonderful guests, exept if it comes to clean the kitchen after cooking and eating. We overlook it and some times my staff goes every day to clean the kitchen and I pay, I don,t charge the guest extra. It is part of business. But if a guest destroy my home, I expect the guest not to lie about it pay for it and we call it a accedent. But to lie and refuse to pay for it is another storry. I listen to Ute and I write the review, in this way any other host can decide for themself. I write the truth, for 4 weeks our communication was perfect, until the guest burn my carpet and my sheets and start insulting me and my staff and don,t pay for the damages. It is now in the hands of Airbnb and we see what happen.

Ciao Lydia

[Ute42]

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@Lydia0 , thank You.

[Judith131]

A guest came to my home he booked for a week said he was waiting for a room at the local wilson house, well I am a nurse and I know that this is a drug and alcohol rehab, I thought what are you doing in my house? Oh my gosh I said to myself! Trouble! Sure enough few days later he says they gave his room away he has to stay longer and Im thinking oh no thats not good I finally said look I know the willson house is drug and alcohol place I dont want any problems in my home. Why are you not going to the home really. He gave me the same story as he left town to go see his girlfriend two weeks later hes outside and the police are at my door looking for him, he had stolen his girlfriends credit cardes and went on a nice shopping spree the guests and I were told to sit in the living room while they searched my home. He went to jail and I notified airbnb changed the locks and billed airbnb. I was not happy. The druggies have figured out how to get into our homes as well had that one happen to, be concerned with people with no reviews.    That live locally!

[Zhe4]

here is another victim of lies, no matter what you did, they would never be satisfied. When you stay in 6 star hotel even, if you want to find a dirt, you can always find it.  I admire those liar really has time to write lots of fake lies on review and give 1 star for each item. fuken airbnb just do not care as  they already make money to their pocket.