The new system for reviews

Sam163
Level 7
Herstmonceux, United Kingdom

The new system for reviews

I've just been reading about the new review sytem which asks the travelers why they give less than five stars - this is great, really helpful. It's been difficult before to work out who gave less than five stars for what as it didn't show up before, you just saw their comments and then had to check if your stats had gone up or down. If I get less that 5 I follow up to find out why - sometimes it's because people just don't give 5 out of 5 or because they think they are comparing to top hotels because it's stars. I've been trying to find an email address to contact Airbnb to tell them this but can't find one. I think if they just put one sentence up there for travelers saying that putting 4 stars means something was wrong rather than it wasn't five star hotel accommodation it would be helpful. If you're advertising a rustic retreat or a boat it should be marked out of five as a retreat or boat. Actually if you allowed travelers to give half stars there'd be loads mor 4.5 reviews. Some people just don't believe in perfection, or there might've been one tiny thing. I would get rid of the stars altogether and get them to mark out of ten.

19 Replies 19
David126
Level 10
Como, CO

@Sam163

 

I assure you there is no way AirBnB do not know, has been discussed here many many times and has been covered by Host Voice many many times.

David

im just going with the flow on this star rating system.i have a short note i cut and paste,i beleive i saw it on onr of the posts here.

i suppose i have had ten bookings and all but 1 was nothing but a great  vacation for my guests.

i have a lot of luck with couples with or without children.i wont bother my guests but i am around and have all the rules  and instructions printed in my guest book.be well all

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Hello @Sam163,

 

Thanks so much for sharing this here. 

 

I just wanted to highlight this thread: New Review Flow here in the Community Center as I am asking for feedback on this and thought you might want to take a look and add your thoughts there too. 🙂

 

Thanks again,

Lizzie


--------------------


Thank you for the last 7 years, find out more in my Personal Update.


Looking to contact our Support Team, for details...take a look at the Community Help Guides.

Sarah556
Level 1
Marseille, France

I am new to this, but do not understand why we the hosts have to give reviews on our guests, then they do not have to review back, when you have bust a gut to make their stay worthwhile.

This has to be a two way system, because I now feel where I have overlooked some issues with my guests, cus I am an all round nice person, and they have not had the courtesy to review my product offering - maybe I should have stronger with their personal feedback. This has to be a level playing field.

I would like to suggest that the Airbnb review their "review system". It does not bring about reconcillation but retribution and does not help people learn and move on or make amends and imprive. People make mistakes and should be given the chance to fix things before it is public. This review sysytem is like a tattle tail system - unregulated - anyone can say anything - unbridled - true ot not . "She said he said" It needs to change. If there are "issues" Step One - Host and guest should be encouraged to initally communicate privately. They may be able to resolve the issues between themselves. There may have been a misunderstanding or miscommunication that could be fixed with a private conversation. I think a public negative review should be the very last resort. This can ruin reputations and a guest or a host's future ability to use Airbnb. I belive in encouraging an attemp at reconcillation first. Airbnb is making a big mistake allowing people in the heat of a bad experience to vent - and the comments are there for ever!

I have used Airbnb 3 times - I got great reviews twice - and then I rented a rundown airbnb in a rough neighbourhood. As well I got very ill when I was there.  I left a very non discript review - nothing negtive (publically) but wrote a private comment to her as per some cleaning and mantence I thought were necessary. She however wrote a scathing review of me. Maybe I could have cleaned up better but there was nothing damaged, stolen or out of place. She wrote a nasty review saying we left the place a mess - did not do dishes (this was correct)  but there was no sink stopper, 1 dish towel which we had already used, no dish drainer that I could find.  I left a note explaining this - As well at night - 2 nights - there were parties in the street right under our windows for hours every night. Drunk people yelling and breaking glass.  My friend did yell out the window after 2 hours to ask them to stop. The Host said we shouted profanties and defended the people making the noise  - saying it was a "St Patricks Day Party" If she had emailed me I may have offered to pay for the washing of the dishes and the other cleaning and appologised for yelling at the drunks - but no - she posted this with no communciation with me. She was not there so she was speaking from hear say as per yelling profanaties.   that never happened. I then went back into the review and had to defend myself and disclose how shabby the place was and how it was a rough area - we both lost!! This is not good productive communication.  No one wins. I will not use Airbnb again as I can not afford to be at the mercy of a host as my reputation is important to me. 

I am a new host for Airbnb , unfortunately I have had a somewhat similar situation . My third guest wrote that the room was  o.k., and then proceeded to say *but there was one major problem. Bugs, but added in parentheses (well only one) around the toilet

Needless to say, I was and continue to b e extremely upset , this is what I feel is a setback.  This is the desert, the seasons are changing, and the crawly critters are unearthing themselves. We all here in Utah SPRAY for these critters, what did she do with that  ONE bug, she did not show to me, nor did she tell me about it in the a.m. before they left. I have written in my host list that all food eaten in the room must be contained in the frig. or the trash can outside.  Not in the bathroom trash. My guest room and bath are SPOTLESS, I take pride in my home. I am deeply offended by this persons claim , and before her visit as well as the others after her my  reviews are excellent. I must say I was so taken aback that when I replied to her critique I did not go into detail ... what I should have answered is what I just wrote in this discussion reply.

 

Yes - Airbnb needs a good communications consultant as this system does not
work!
What I did not say was that the last Airbnb I stayed in (the 2 previous
were great) had ALL 5 star ratings!! How could anyone give this place  a 5
star rating? What does 5 stars mean - nothing.
It was shabby, old furniture, the sofa was old and dirty, window screens
ripped , cigarette burns in the lounge chair cushions - all over - very big
burns like someone fell asleep smoking or drinking!  5 or 6 electrical
things plugged into one socket - dangerous.  Garden tables for bedside
tables. Her personal clothes in the drawers, and closets and the fridge had
her food in it.  It was generally clean (except for the living room
furniture) but not 5 star accommodations  My comments now look like I am an
awful person as everyone gave her a 5 star rating . So I rented it thinking
it would be great! I had just (the previous week) stayed in a 5 star VRBO
farther up the cost...! there was no comparison!!
I usually stay in VRBO  - it is much better run organization. I will
continue to do so now!  You may want to think about that option... Sorry to
hear you had this bad experience - I think Airbnb should inspect
accommodations. All complaints should be private and give hosts and guest a
chance to work out the problem and speak with one another. Only if there is
repeated abuse should a person's name say go on a list or the apartment
taken off Airbnb . No one should be able to make comments with no
accountability and post them to stay there for ever.  This can be very
damaging to the reputation of a host or a guest.  There could be reasons
for what ever happened. I usually do dishes - I was very ill when I left -
I did leave a note - and the equipment required to wash dishes was not adequate
.  I do not think a guest should be required to take out garbage and
clean the facility - this is a holiday - this part of what I pay for. Sure
they need to take care and make sure nothing is broken and the place is in
order ...  but clean the apartment! I ran a bed & Breakfast years ago - I
did not expect my guests to clean up their room everyday ( it was there
room - I did not check all the time) - or empty the garbage before they
left! This a very flawed and dangerous communication tool. it is poentially like unleashing the devil - any distrurbed person ( host or guest) could write anything and you have no recourse!  
​Suzanne ​

Mandy46
Level 2
Witham, United Kingdom

How do I tell if guests give 5 stars or less? My last guests were shown to give 5 stars- 5 stars show beside their review- but then I got private 'check in feedback' saying  'Your guest had some issues with the check-in process: entering the home'. Does this mean that they gave a four star rating for check in? (theres only one four star, the rest are five star) Do guests only get the additional boxes if they give less than five stars? I contacted the guest to ask what the problem was so that we could rectify it and to try to gauge, without asking, if they'd given us four stars and they said it was nothing at our end, it was just that they ddin't have the arrival details available when they arrived so they couldn't find it!!!!!

@Mandy46, I just  noticed that the guest reviews now include the star ratings - I don't think this was the case before. I reviewed all 92 of mine and there were some surprises - but it does seem to be possible now.  Find it under stats/ratings - all the reviews are there with the stars. 

I was surprised to learn that I have 88% 5 star ratings - and reviewing these I realize that some of the people I most enjoyed hosting actually left me 4 stars!!!   The most recent 4 star review complained about the steepness of the hill I live on.... not something I can really control!  They even bought me a parting gift of a book.  I just don't get it!  oh well. 

I find it maddening when your guest sends you a private note and tells you how wonderful etc. everything was, and then does not leave a review. I even send a thank you note privately and ask for a review a.s.a. p. as I am a new host.  Airbnb should not assume that no review means a bad review***some people are lazy or just have no clue. 

Or because your guest is from another country and has not used a remote for the fan and light fixture ...they say there was a problem. I think Airbnb must find a happy solution in deciphering messages such  I could not figure out how to use a remote. Or I have a keyless lock and a regular room lock. I have a very large note which reads: This lock must stay in the up and down position (and I drew a picture of the letter capital I ) otherwise you will be locked out, I have no key for this lock for your use. (because I would be at the hardware store every week changing it)_ I have had three people lock themselves out,  I now have notes everywhere I feel as though I am treating adults like children but it almost seems like self-defence. My next break the second lock will be gone...

Sherry55
Level 1
Oakhurst, CA

Under the new Airbnb page format my guests cannot locate where to leave a review of their experience at my mountain vacation home.  I have been a super host for the past year with a 4.9% five star record. Every guest had left a review until the format changed and I have not received a review since then.  I don't get my messages in a timely manner. I have loved being a host until 10 days ago and now I am very frustrated with the new set up.  Is anyone else having similar problems.  I have tried to call the contact phone number but I haven't had any luck actually reaching a person.

 

The frustrating thing for me is that there is no frame of reference for the 5 stars. Most of the time I get 5 star reviews. However, I am always toeing the 80% line of 5 star reviews because I have had several guests who seem to be comparing my older, studio apartment on the beach with the Hilton down the street. The review write ups have nothing but positive things to say (always including how accurately the place was described in the ad) and then say something like "Only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because of the view, although overlooking the pool is not bad at all" or "Could use new paint" or "A little outdated." Meanwhile, I am very clear in my ad that the place is outdated, I have clear pictures, and I explicitly state several times that there is no ocean view from the apartment. On top of all of that, the unit is priced appropriately (I have never had any complaints). If you are going to stay in a $80 studio apartment on the boardwalk at Virginia Beach, you should not expect extremely high end accommodations.

 

I have given feedback to AirBnB several times that the star system should be automated. For example, if a guest gives me 5 stars in all 6 categories of accuracy, cleanliness, communication, check in, location, and value, it should be IMPOSSIBLE for a guest to rate me 4 stars overall. Even if one of the categories earns only 4 stars, the overall experience should have an automated average of 4.8 and round up to 5.  It is absolute madness to earn 5 stars in all categories except overall.

Stuart55
Level 2
Noosa Heads, Australia

Felicia, I hear you, we often get 5 stars in most categories, but an overall 4 star ranking.  Our place is an older original beach shack on an island off Brisbane.  Most people love it, I wonder how airbnb can address it as I think people rank the place lower due to its age, not by the amenity provided.

Jack70
Level 5
Las Vegas, NV

I would like to know if I can write a review that is going to be negative. I had a group of young men last week, they  checked in and went upstairs to thier rooms which have a very big balcony, they stayed up there all afternoon and all night, that first night one of them went out and bought something to eat, he also brought back a couple of young ladies, which we stopped immediately, House rules. I could tell he was high on something, not alcahol. the following morning we found some emty medical Cannibus containers laying on the back patio floor. We did not feel confortable with the situation, they came to Vegas to just sit in a balcony for two days just smoking pot. Medical pot is legal here in Vegas, my guestion is can I write that in my review.