Reviews - Double standards

[Luke279]

Hi everyone 🙂 

I want to ask hosts about double standards from airbnb in terms of how guests can review us hosts when a booking is cancelled in the 48 hour window leading up to the booking. If it's been cancelled by Airbnb through extenuating circumstances, or any other reason valid that guest can still leave a review, either out of frustration, malice, or however they justify it. They get to comment on categorise they haven't experienced , i.e cleaning, value, location etc etc as they never attended the reservation, yet feel they have a right to review the listing as they please. 

I have experienced this so many times, especially lately with the situation we are all in, guests want to vent and the nearest thing is us hosts. I honestly don't think they realise we can review them back, though i refuse to as it just becomes petty. 

The massive issue with this means us hosts then have to contact support and try get the review removed, which can become a long process especially now with the backlog. 

Surely this should be an automatic feature if reservations are cancelled for legitimate reasons neither guest or host can leave review?!  

[David3267]

Hi there, if this is correct then it seems utter madness. Still, the chances of Airbnb changing anything are remote...unless it works in the guests favour. They'll probably move to a system whereby if a guest even just browses your property on line  then they can leave feedback. Better be careful in case they introduce that!

[Louise0]

I don't believe this is correct.  Certainly, it has not been my experience.   Guests can't leave a review unless the cancellation is on the day of check-in or later.

[Ange2]

@Luke279    It is not supposed to work that way. But there are a ton of things that are not supposed to work in the way that they do.  Call Airbnb and ask them to remove the ratings/reviews.

Guests are only allowed to leave reviews if they cancel on the arrival date ( although that is equally as crazy if they never arrived).

[Sarah977]

@Ange2  I can sort of understand Airbnb's thinking on this, although they need to tweak the process. If a guest cancels day-of check in, they could have arrived to find the place dirty, or not accurately described. Or maybe the host never showed up to let them in, and didn't answer phone calls or messages. In that case, a guest should be able to leave a review, although if they couldn't get in, they wouldn't be able to rate anything other than communication.

But they should only be able to leave a review if they cancelled after stated check-in time. That would eliminate most guests who don't ever show up being given the opportunity to review. 

[Ange2]

@Sarah977    I understand the need of being able to write a review  if it's a case of show up, terrible place, no access. But how does one prove that is the case and equally how does one prove it is not.

@Anonymous    The problem with "I am unable to comment on xxx's performance as a guest because he cancelled his booking without arriving."  is that you have to star rate in all categories first (no blanks allowed) before you can go to the section to write a review.

How do you honestly rate cleanliness and house rules for someone you have never met?

[Anonymous]

@David3267   This article details how a UK regulation forced Airbnb to allow reviews for same-day cancellations:  https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/27/airbnb-agrees-reviews-loophole-intervention-cma-r...

It is also true that the CMA does not require platforms to use a star ratings system, which tends to be a greater worry for hosts than text reviews.

At any rate, I don't think it's ever "petty" to leave an honest, unemotional review of your experience - even if the extent of that review is "I am unable to comment on xxx's performance as a guest because he cancelled his booking without arriving."  The point of this is not to retaliate against the guest, but rather to help other hosts make an educated decision - and also, to put the review you receive into the proper context.

[Sarah977]

@Ange2  "But how does one prove that is the case and equally how does one prove it is not."

That's the issue and it would just be the host's word against the guest's. That's why I suggested that a review should only be allowed if cancelled post-check in time. It wouldn't eliminate all those baseless reviews, but it would eliminate the ones that cancel half a day before check-in time, because obviously they cancelled before arriving, or showed up way too early with a sense of entitlement.

[Chani23]

I'm so frustrated too, because I am NOT a liar or a fibber, and I think it's against my moral standards to write a review about a guest that NEVER stayed with me! I had to just give five stars because who am I? I don't know this person from adam since they never stayed. And the same goes for guests leaving reviews as you have mentioned here. It seems like airbnb, being the goliath that they are, would alter this to be more appropriate for both the guest and the host.

I'm just starting out, and while i am BEYOND grateful to still be getting bookings, it's what saves me month to month on making my mortgage. One bad review from someone that didn't stay would be terrible

[Sarah977]

@Chani23  I've never had this situation myself, but if I did, I would message the guest and say something like "Hi XX, since you cancelled day-of check in, we will both get a prompt to leave a review, but as you didn't actually stay, I wanted to let you know I'm not planning to leave a review, and assume you won't either, because there's nothing we could honestly review about each other. "

[Ute42]

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@Anonymous  , @Luke279  , @Chani23  , @Ange2  , @Louise0  ,

The information that a UK regulation forced Airbnb to allow reviews for same-day cancellations is one of the big fairy tales in the world of airbnb.

Here's what the british CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) published on july 27, 2017:

• The CMA became aware that people who had arrived at an (airbnb) property, but chose not to stay there when they saw it, were unable to leave reviews through the automatic system.
  
  Guests will now be able to leave feedback with important information, such as the suitability of the host or the accommodation, or the reason they chose not to stay (or to cut short their stay), regardless of whether they cancelled on the day of check-in or during their visit.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-welcomes-airbnb-guest-review-changes

And here's what airbnb made out of it:

• It is true that hosts and guests who cancel a reservation on the day of check-in or later can leave a review, even if the guest doesn’t stay in or enter the listing.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/To-Clara-Liang-Product-Director-Last-min-cancellation-because-of/m-p/751308/highlight/true#M178064

The CMA regulation was ment for guests who saw the property but decided not to stay because they thought it was terrible. The airbnb regulation is for guests who never saw the listing but they still can leave a review. The airbnb regulation has nothing to do with what the CMA intended.

The only reason for the current airbnb regulation is, to extort hosts to let misbehaving guests check in in fear of a bad review.

That's the truth.

[Sarah977]

@Ute42  How would Airbnb know if the guest actually checked in or not, if the host said they didn't, and the guest claimed they did? 

[Ute42]

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@Sarah977 

Pictures, video, police report. Just the same evidence we hosts have to submit if we want to prove something to airbnb.

[Sarah977]

@Ute42  But you can't take a picture or a video of someone who ever arrived :-))  

There's no evidence to submit in that case. It's like trying to prove the fact that a guest smoked in the unit because it smells like smoke.

[Ute42]

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@Sarah977 

It's not the host who has to prove that the guest was not there, the guest must prove he was there.

The guests evidence isn't our problem. If the guest can't prove he or she was there, no review can be left, it's as simple as that.

It's the same with the 1 Million host guarantee. If You cannot prove You have at some point bought the sofa which got damaged, You get nothing.

Sarah, You are siding with airbnb here, that's wrong.