The Rating System is just useless and can put hosts in danger

[Irena64]

It is absolutely pointless to even aspire to the “Superhost" status when you get appalling guests who write blatant lies in the reviews, and you can’t go back and change the rating you gave them and to let other hosts know that these people are just deplorable and to not let them near your property…

We work so hard to make sure our guests have a great time, and then a couple of wankers come along and destroy our reputation and there is nothing we can do about it?

From February this year, I will no longer be using this platform as the quality of guests have deteriorated over the past couple of years to the point where it's just too difficult (or dangerous) to deal with them.  I would have liked to know if other hosts had said "do not recommend" the guest, would have saved me a lot of stress. The way airbnb is set up hugely disadvantages the hosts who try do the right thing...

[Sarah977]

@Irena64 I'm really sorry that you've had awful guests. And yes, all hosts (at least those who post here) agree the rating and review system is totally flawed and unfair.

When you say you would have liked to know if other hosts said they don't recommend the guests, did you not look at the guests' reviews before approving their bookings? Because we can easily read guest reviews and see if they were recommended or not.

I also don't really understand it when hosts say they wish they could go back and change their review of the guest. I can understand it if a host jumped the gun on writing the review before they checked out the property, only to find that the guest had left a huge mess, damages, or stolen things. But then one shouldn't write a review until they have  checked these things. We do have 14 days from check-out, which seems like enough for that.

Of course it's devastating when a guest gives a good host low stars and tanks the rating. Airbnb should discount and remove outlier reviews, as they are obviously false and misleading. 

But if you've written an honest review of a guest, what is there to change? Our reviews of guests are based on our experience with them from booking through check-out. If we are honest when writing reviews, those observations and ratings wouldn't change. We can't anticipate that a guest who seemed fine is going to write a horrible review full of lies. So we have the option of responding their review, which, while it won't change a poor star rating they gave you, will effectively negate their written review. Something like " Wow, I never anticipated that this guest would leave a review that was completely untrue. I can't imagine why XXX would do this. I left her a review which reflected my experience of her as a guest, which was okay. If I had known she would decide to lie about the listing, I would certainly not have recommended her to other hosts."

If a host decides to leave a nice review for an objectionable guest, because they don't want to be mean, then I can see why a host would want to change the review when they see the guest has left a bad one. That's why we always need to leave honest reviews.

[Sandra126]

I read the review, he does have a point (though I have not been there). If, for instance, the mattress protector crackles it will feel as if you are in hospital. I suggest getting another one (I find the IKEA ones are not noisy) and then an underlay on top. No noise - very comfortable. You may not have realised how uncomfortable it is. It is hard not to get your hackles up when a guest is critical to your place, heart, love and work.

[Sarah977]

@Sandra126@Irena64  I like the mattress protectors from Costco- thick and comfy, soft, no crackles. Not waterproof, though. You'd have to put something waterproof under it.

[Irena64]

Thanks Sarah and Sandra. The guests were pleasant during their stay and left the place in reasonable condition,  so I left them a good review. Then I read theirs which was totally out of left field. If they were unhappy with something they certainly didn't show it during their stay. We've had probably more than a hundred people sleep on that bed including myself,  and no one has ever mentioned that the bed was noisy.  May be they were ultra sensitive... In any case they could have told me and I would have happily changed it or taken it off completely. But they decided to be nasty on line instead. This is why I would like to change my rating and not recommend them to other hosts.

[Sarah977]

@Irena64  Yes, that personality type is really irritating. It's not just guests- I'm sure we've all run into people who are super nice and friendly when they see you, then you find out they've been talking disparagingly about you behind your back.

That's why it's inportant to word your response so it's evident to others what these guest are like. "XXX never mentioned any of these complaints during their stay, giving us an opportunity to address them, which we certainly would have. What is interesting is that the hundred people who have slept on that bed have never had any complaints about it, nor about anything else that these guests now appear to have been displeased about. Although they left the place reasonably clean and tidy, I wouldn't recommend these guests, based on their desire to make public complaints about things that could have been addressed during their stay.".

To see the reviews guests have left for other hosts, just click on the host's profile photo who reviewed them, then scroll down the host's reviews from guests to find the one those guests left for them.

[Irena64]

Thanks so much Sarah, I'll be more precise with my responses to the reviews in the future and call out unacceptable behaviour. I am just so fed up with the guest behavior of late that I think I need to get out of airbnb and perhaps do longer term rentals. These are just some of the things our guests have done recently:
- carved their initials in the furniture
- brought a whole lot of candles, and left candle wax all through the the furniture, furnishings, rugs... necessitating replacing just about everything.
- turned the place into a spray-tanning studio... necessitating repainting of the entire unit.
- tried to rewire our electrical box (apparently the fan wasn't fast enough)... necessitating taking much valium (we're off-grid and they could have been electrocuted!)
- opened a drug distribution centre... necessitating night visits from the authorities, and for weeks afterwards having to turn away a whole bunch of druggies looking for stuff.
- spilt an entire cask of red wine over the bed... necessitating replacement of linen and pillows
- complained online that the TV is too small - like they've come to the most beautiful part of the world to watch my TV ?!? 
- broke the bed (MADE OF SOLID WOOD) through some vigorous activity...
- complained on line about an insect infestation - after leaving spilt soft drink and food all over the place and leaving the flyscreens open. 
- brought extra people (without paying for them) then complained on line that the place is too small.
etc. etc. etc.

People are getting worse, I think, becoming more entitled and more inconsiderate. I used to look forward to meeting new people and making them and their pets welcome. Now I absolutely dread it... always thinking... what are they going to do to my home 😞

[Sarah977]

@Irena64  You poor gal- that's awful. Even when my daughters and their friends partied at our house, they never did damage like that. (Spilled candle wax is one of my pet peeves- I put candles in pots of sand that are considerably larger than the candle and deep enough so the candle can't fall over- even if left unattended, it will just burn down into the sand, but of course guests like these would manage to create a disaster anyway). Actually after one of my kid's parties, I found one guy's initials carved in the coffee table- I made him come back the next day, sand it down, fill it, and refinish it.

And I rented my house in Canada one year (long-term lease, not Airbnb) to a young couple who turned my bedroom into a marijuana grow show, drilled a hole in my bedroom floor to put wiring through, and then screwed around with my electrical panel.

Another year-long renter took it upon himself to take the entire box of dress-up clothes that my daughters had been collecting and adding to for 20 years and which got used a lot, even when they were teens, at Halloween, as well as entertainment when friends with little kids came to visit, to the dump. The box was in the shed, not any of his business. Even though my daughters were grown by then, they were all so sad about that.He also drilled holes all over my house, even in beautiful old clear cedar boards 18" wide, the kind of lumber you can't get anymore, to hang up ugly plastic hooks for his clothes.

And other such antics.

I'm not sure how you avoid such awful guests like you've had, other than not using IB and being didligent about vetting guests. I host a room in my home and get great guests sofar (2 years). Personally, I would never rent out an entire home on Airbnb unless I lived right next door- I've just read too many horror stories here.

[Irena64]

Wow, sounds like you've had your fair share of bad guests as well. It's even more awful when they take your treasured posessions. 

I live in a touristy area which might explain why people treat my home like a hotel room, but even hotel rooms are someone's property and livelyhood. I do live next door to the property I rent out, but that doesn't seem to deter people from doing what they do...

[Sarah977]

@Irena64 I just had a look at your listing- it's charming. 

The folks that did that stuff to my house weren't guests- they were long-term renters with rental contracts. But I also property manage a couple small places for friends, so I've seen all manner of messes and damage. One girl at one of the properties left her dog in the house "by accident"- it ripped the curtains to shreds in its panic to get out.

One suggestion- I would change your wording a bit. "Complete privacy" sounds like it would be a good thing to say, but in a lot of guest's minds, it says "We can do whatever we want, no one's watching". Where you talk about interaction with guests, make it clear that you live on the property, so are always available to assist them with whatever they might need (I like the part about sitting around a fire with your guests). Try not to make it sound like you'll be out of sight unless they ask you for something. I'd play up the eco-friendly, organic garden parts and downplay the luxury, pool, perfect party house pitch (I know you don't say perfect party house, but that's what it could conjure up in a lot of guests' minds). Of course the pool is a great amenity, you do want to feature that, but obviously you're attracting the wrong type of guests.

I have a much more modest offering than you, but feel free to take a look at my listing wording- so far it's attracted exactly the kind of guests I like. You might get some ideas. I think marketing towards the type of guests you want, rather than just marketing the property, is key. In other words, you are telling certain types of guests that the place will be be perfect for them, rather than them deciding that the place is perfect for themselves.

And with guest that stay more than a few nights, I'd find a way to get in there to check out the scene, whether it's letting guests know that you come in to vacuum every 4 days, or change out towels, or something that sounds reasonable. That way not only are they less likely to trash it out, but you'll be able to deal with bad guests hopefully before they can do too much irreparable damage.

[Irena64]

Thank you so much, Sarah. Those are all excellent ideas! I definitely have to make some changes if I am going to continue doing short term rentals. I think I just got complacent over time and never thought of changing the original description I put up about 5 years ago. So, thank you once again for pointing it out to me.

[Chris1537]

Although you cannot change your review, you can have it removed.

My expectation of a good guest extends beyond their stay to the accuracy of their review. Those who choose to lie in their reviews have not met this expectation.

This has only ever happened to me once and because of it, the 5 star review I left for them no was no longer suitable, so I had it removed.

[Irena64]

Thanks Chris. I'll try that. It still doesn't solve the problem as other hosts will not be aware of these people's tendency to lie about your place. 

[Chris1537]

What I have started doing is to not only look at their reviews, but to also look at the reviews that they have left for others.

If I see that they complain a lot and leave bad reviews I won't host them.

[Irena64]

I didn't know you could do that... I normally look at the reviews the hosts left for them, but often people don't want to post bad things, so the review are sometimes a bit wishy-washy.