Torn about writing a bad review

[Tina26]

I was excited and nervous about my first guest, as I am new to renting.  

I arrived at the house 30 minutes after check out time and they were still there, almost done but still bringing things out. They had contacted me to see if they could check out late but I had someone else coming in that day so I had to decline the request.  I thought it no big deal I can still clean and turn it around for the next guest.  All the laundry had been placed in the laundry room per check out request but as I am pulling out the sheets from the hamper I find vomit, lots of it all in the sheets, along with the mattress protector also (thank goodness for the mattress protector). I cannot understand why someone would leave them in the laundry basket like that, at least rinse them out or put them in the washing machine?  

As we moved on to clean the bathrooms, we found vomit behind the toilets in two of the bathrooms.  I had to bleach and disenfect all the floors in the bathrooms, it was disgusting. There were lots of leftover food in the fridge, food all over the floor, the oven looked like something has exploded, a broken glass, smoking on the back when its is strictly no smoking.

Now in the big picture nothing big was runied, everything cleaned up and all is as good as new so part of me wants to just let it go, remind myself that not everyone has the same standards but I also wonder of I should put it out there so the next person knows.

Thoughts please .........

[Clare241]

Thanks @Alexandra316 great advice. 

[Natalia84]

Why do you worry to word it carefully? Just write the way it was. I had hosted young parties and just now had another bad experience. So from now on, no people bellow 26 without proper adults! They lie, bring more people then they pay for, bring dogs to NO PET properties, piss off neighbours and leave the house a mess. Had enough. You can prove, just take pictures of all the mess and send to Airbnb. Good luck. 

[Liane-and-John0]

I am always torn with writing anything negative.   Recent guests were pleasant and the house was left pretty clean...excepting they burned some red sauce all over the top of the stove..down the front and onto the floor...and didn't clean it up. I had to 'soak with towels' and remove all the burners and go 'under the stove top'   to get it off everything taking an extra 30+ minutes.  Refrigerator was left a mess as well.   I don't expect anybody to leave an immaculate place....but this I felt was uncalled for...they could have cleaned it up when this happened.   Never quite sure how to write these reviews without getting some sort of backlash...

[Sandra856]

Hi @Liane-and-John0 🙂

I just had a similar situation. A very young couple was staying 3 days. They left the bathroom everyday covered in all kinds of shaped of bodyhair... :-/. I write in my houserules to please clean up after use of bathroom incl. hair as it is a shared bathroom. My guests usually leave the bathroom in a great state. I have old wooden floors and they apparently dropped a lot of red berries on the floor and just left all the stains for me to clean up. I just sanded it in order to get rid of the stains - it was impossible to get rid of as my floors are 90 years old raw wooden floors. Just incredible rude - they could at least have told me so I could try and get it of straight ahead when it happened.

I'm thinking of what to write in the review. The guests cannot read your review of them until after they have written one themselves - the review system is blind - so you shouldn't be afraid of a backlash. 

[Liane-and-John0]

The guests have written a review..which I cannot yet see..so they are waiting for mine.

[Sandra856]

@Liane-and-John0 Ohh, okay :-). I really hate to write less than great reviews but if I don't write one future host's won't be warned of the lack of respect. 

[Sandra856]

@Liane-and-John0 I was just confused about the "backlash" thing you wrote. So I thought that you maybe didn't know that the guest wouldn't be able to read your review of them before after they wrote one themselves. 

[Liane-and-John0]

To clarify...if I write a review...can't they 'alter their review' after reading mine?

[Mike1034]

@Liane-and-John0  The answer is NO to your question. Once a review is published, none of the reviews could be edited.

[Sandra856]

@Liane-and-John0  As@Mike1034 writes, they can't change/alter the review they have submitted when they have read yours. The review system works like this : you both have 14 days after check-out to leave a review. If you write a review it won't get published before the guest writes one aswell - and they will both get published the second the last part leaves a review. If only one part leaves a review it will get published when the review period is over and then it is to late to write a review for the one part that didn't leave one. So there is no way a guest can backlash. 

[Richard1215]

Here is my delimma.  Guest was shady from the inquiry through arrival.  Insisted on waiting to do a self checkin, instead of checking in while I was there     lots of hand holding during the stay, emailing and texting me with questions answered in the guidebook, which apparently she v didn't read.   I specifically told her if she parks in the building she will get towed.  Have that info in my guest acknowledgement, house rules, info sheet that I leave on the kitchen counter and  she of course parked and got towed.  She calls me at 2 am asking me to pay for her car being towed.  I say sorry but it's all over my listing that if you park you will get towed.  She hangs up   She does a self check- out,  no reply to my emails.  5 days later I get a call from my building management saying the guest has been calling and cursing,  being rude and disrespectful to the staff demanding they pay for her tow.  I reported the user to Airbnb and 3 hours later I get an email stating I have a review.  I know it is a revenge review for reporting her conduct to airbnb.   What can I do?  I was going to blow off the review but as I understand it, it will go public in 9 days whether i review her or not.  I'd be happy to honestly review her,  other than being needy and getting towed she did leave the place clean, so no issues there, however I would not recommend her to other hosts.  

[Sarah977]

@Richard1215  I don't see the dilemma. Just write an honest review. "Guest left the place clean, but seemingly failed to read the listing info or the guidebook at all, resulting in numerous calls and texts to host asking questions about things clearly stated. Parked where she had been warned (in message, house rules and info sheet in house) she would get towed, then expected me to pay for the ensuing towing charge. Made harrassing phone calls after she checked out to building staff demanding they pay for the towing. Not recommended."

No one wants a guest like this, Richard. Please write an honest review so other hosts are warned.

[Richard1215]

Will do.  Thanks for the reply. 

[Sandra856]

@Richard1215 I agree with Sarah and when you read her probably ranting review make sure to make a non-ranting response as she will probably never read it anyway (she won't get a notification that you responded) only potential guests will read it. I would make a nice non-emotionel, non-ranting response as it will make you look like a nice host and her look like an idi*t. Sorry you had to deal with her 😕

[Melody152]

As a frequent Airbnb guest, I always check previous guests' comments and, if the host leaves a snarky response to criticism, I  don't book there. A bad host can ruin the Airbnb experience for guests and other hosts, too, who are striving to offer a quality Airbnb experience.