Unfair Review - how should I respond?

[Tom86]

Hi everyone, 

Looking for some advice, following a pretty bad review from a recent guest... Any advice or support you can offer would be great!

I feel that they have made several comments which in fact are not true and some others bordering on rudeness, which I've taken quite personally. 

My partner and I have a puppy who is left for a maximum of four hours at a time in the kitchen, in between being walked every day by a dog walker. I clearly list the detail that I own a dog and a cat, and state that guests must be ok with animals to stay with us, however, he has stated that our listing is inaccurate (no mention of dog) and that our dog is left all day, every day in the kitchen - this is not true and paints me as a bad owner which I’ve taken very personally. His partner also said bluntly to our dog walker when they met that she did not like dogs.

Prior to every guest staying with us, I personally clean and inspect our home - though the listing is only for use of a private room and two bathrooms. Despite this, the guest left feedback stating that both bathrooms were both unclean on arrival. They also said that the kitchen was "very dirty" and smelly which I find offensive as I cleaned it myself before they arrived.

In their room for their two-day stay, they were given a drawer for storing their items, but chose not to use this and left in their review that they had a lack of storage and had to put their stuff on the ground. I can see that this can be constructive feedback and I will offer more storage to future guests, but they chose to not use any of the space offered to them which I feel is unfair. 

He also left comments on his review about the bed being unusually steep to access, however, it is clear in my listing from photos that you have to climb up wooden ladders to reach the bed on the mezzanine level. 

Finally, and worst of all... He left comments in his review about his interactions with me: "Nazan herself was very friendly and helpful to manage our arrival. Later thought she did not bother to get in contact or have a conversation with us."

I don't even know what to think about this because I spoke with them on multiple occasions, as did my partner, asking them about their plans and giving them recommendations for travel, things to do and places to eat. They came across as very quiet and didn't engage in conversation with me much, so I was conscious that they might have wanted to be left alone. As well as this, I state the following in my listing: "I am happy to give you as much information and interaction as you need. However, you'll have your own set of keys to come and go as you please and privacy in your own private room."

I'm particularly disappointed with this review, more so because my partner and I were both woken several times around at 3am due to them checking out at 4am, which they had not communicated to us prior to their stay. They also left food out in the kitchen and dirty towels on the sink in the bathroom and didn't hang them to dry. I did not complain about this at all, but wish I had been more honest in their review as a host, on reflection.

Any support you can give would be fantastic.

Thanks all!

Nazan

[Karen-and-Brian0 · Accepted solution]

@Michael360 I read their review and I'd be upset too - they really seemed to like your place and your pets, so the comment "Also, probably because of the pets, there is some slight smell and flies in the house", seems to come out of nowhere. And who doesn't have some flies get in their house from time to time? That has nothing to do with having pets, .... and they likely let them in when they came in. If you do decide to respond, wait a few days so you can calm down and then make it very professional. Were they bad enough that you wouldn't wish them on other hosts? If so, I like the "their travel needs may be better met by a hotel" line, code for "Trust me, you don't want these guests in your place".  Or don't respond - why sink to their level? Your other reviews are all really great, so others will see these guests for what they were & it shouldn't lose you any bookings because of it, IMO. Your listings look great.

[Terry297]

I lost superhost because a guest with allergy booked my pet friendly place without reading that pet friendly is discussed all over the listing. They did not call me and give me a chance . I would have found another owner to take them and just transfer the funds for convenience to the other owner. I know many of  the owners with similar properties around here. But they did not call me. They just left and gave me 1 star and also complained that I did not chase after them. My clean staff arrives just after scheduled check out and are instructed to strip and clean made beds as you cant be sure if they were slept in.  Since they were there for a few minutes my cleaners say things were moved around a bit. I was traveling (rare) so I never saw the place. I have lots of guests that leave the condo immaculate when they leave, but it still gets a new deep clean anyway. They should have called me. Their check out was on a travel day for me. I ask for guests to notifiy me on check out but most dont, so I did not think it unusual. Some guests like lots of attention. Some, after check in I dont hear from.  It is a 2-3 day rental with lots of attention before check in, then multiple reminders to contact me if there are issues or if they would like assistance planning activities. I had no indication of any contact from this guests to complain about their allergy.  I still cant believe this happened. 1 star is devastating to a 5 star owner's status. 

It takes oodles of 5 star reviews to get you back over 4.8 again. It is like getting a 0 on a mid term exam. Very difficult to recover from. I think airbnb could use more discernment and remove a 1 star based on the guest not reading the listing description on an important item like pet friendly. The place was clean, but it is pet friendly so not appropriate for someone with a severe pet allergy.  At least airbnb should do something to flag the unusual rating in a sea of 4 and 5 stars.  or weight it to 3 stars after review that it is unfair based on guest not reading the listing. Somme people are just mean to go from 5 to 1 and they gave me no opportunity to relocate them to another lake condo. I am still furious. It definitely cost me bookings as well as superhost status. And since my cleaners said they were great in a text after the clean,  I gave them 5 stars ..... before they bombed my business with 1 star. 

I have still not recovered my status I held for all these years. I think it should take more than one bad outlier review to put an owner to page 6 on the searches. 

[Tony631]

This is very unfortunate :frowning_face: Airbnb I agree should give an opportunity to the host to give their side of the story before making such detrimental decision that clearly harm your business. Host have more to lose, they should cut us some slacks or at least give a benefit of the doubt for someone who has held an outstanding status for long. 

Hosts should be given the opportunity to CHALLENGE AN UNFAIR, MALICIOUS, UNPRINCIPLED REVIEW by providing persuasive facts.

I'm so sorry 💔 for your experience 

I definitely feel like host should have some kind of syndicate or community that could back up an honest host by voting for them

[Fab2]

Hi @Michael360,

Your guest started her account in May of this year and her other review (aside from yours) indicates she sent someone else other than herself to NY and their kid, a big no-no with Airbnb in the first place. Not sure I'd rely on someone like that for fair feedback but that's just me.

Cool down indeed, then respond. But above all, don't let it ruin your day!!! I know the feeling when you do everything to be a successful host and some ungrateful guest expects 5-star everything for very little/night. It's not that bad of a review but do use it as a learning curve to better vet your guests going forward and build a stronger profile with more decent humans. 

Good luck to you! 

[Sandra126]

@Michael360, she would be a ''tiger mother'', doing everything for her cubs which includes booking accommodation for them, when they should have their own profiles.

[Michael360]

Thank you for all the feedback. The Mother did book the space as her kids are both 17 so I had to approve to have 2 minors come from China. She was sooo nice and stayed in touch with me the entire time until her children arrived. I sat around and talked to these boys for a little while because I am about to apply to graduate school at UPenn and that is where they were touring. It just really threw me that they would throw that in the end of their review. The desks I totally get, I just haven't found the right desks that I want but I also have a huge kitchen table, there is a table and chairs on the roofdeck, there is a sectional sofa with a massive coffee table, if they really needed to sit down somewhere and do dome "work" it is absolutely possible, with quiet and privacy. The flies thing well it is summer in the city what do you expect. I have nice french doors that lead out to my backyard from off the first floor so weather permitting those doors are open and guest love it, so does my dog!! Also the door to the roofdeck is left open when weather is nice. I have fly strips discreetly in a few corners but its summertime there are flies. And I am a total hippie so I burn lots of incense, I have glade plug-ins all around the house, and both rooms are stocked with an assortment of scented candles that I normally try to have lit when the guest arrive, its a nice touch. Thanks for letting me rant, I feel much better!!

[Jacqui37]

I have had 4 inaccurate reviews, the last woman even apologised and tried (?) to change it...it seems like the reviweing situation is biased one towarsd one side to me

[Katherine288]

I have been hosting for just over one year, and just yesterday received an inaccurate review.

Normally I ignore bad reviews - you can't please 100% of people 100% of the time. Also, it's healthy to have a bad review now and then to keep you honest and improve. I think a nice spread of reviews is a healthy indicator.

When I want to leave feedback on a review, I reply via the email notification when the guest has posted a review. This is a red button at the bottom of the email.

Yesterday, I responded to a negative review with the word "respectfully". I then proceeded to address every one of the criticisms with direct quotes from my apartment description, which the guest clearly hadn't read.

Karen & Brian's comment "travel needs best met by a hotel" is excellent advice.

Don't take it to heart. There are many idiots out there, and unfortunately many of them use Airbnb expecting bottom prices with hotel quality.

[Ella18]

Every once in awhile I receive an unfair review and it always bothers me -- especially when they are not specific so I can't make an improvement. But last week I had one from a couple who booked at short notice, and their goal was to do an activity in Asheville. I'm 25 minutes away almost in Hendersonville. My location is perfect for activities centering in Hendersonville, but also not that far from Asheville. They gave me only 4 stars for Location! Of course, by the time they booked everything in Asheville was no doubt already booked and/or twice the price! Their public comment was very nice but 4 stars for Location? Come on! And the host's comment above is right on. Some guests had best go to a hotel (at twice the price).

[Carey39]

Same thing happened to me. The guest gave me 4 stars for location because I was 30 miles from Asheville when she knew approximately where I was from the listing!  I think there should be some guidance as to what different star ratings mean as they relate to each category.  For example a less than 5 star rating for location should be about the quality of the location, not how far it is from an activity because a quest can figure out distances before they book.

[Ella18]

. I agree. The review system leaves a lot to be desired.

[Anthea29]

I had the same thing This austrian woman booked 2 double rooms but only paid for 3 people..it was raining and so  i generously said she could use my living room and make a cup of tea, which wasn't included in the offer..She then complained about my worktop where I was cooking etc. I spent 4 hours cleaning her bedroom and bathroom and then she said it was dirty!!

If you think people are going to be iffy then don't write a review.then they can't write a review so you are safe from their nasty comments. I gave 2 people a refund on one day and they complained about the communal mat!! Brits seem to be more tolerant and give better reviews..why is that? I've goy 18 reviews now so i might stop doing them as it's a pain in the ... also had some italians who had apary in my flat..Air B and B gave me no support and they had stolen thingss from my flat.

best wishes

Anthea

[Anthea26]

@Anthea29  From one Anthea to another! I read your post with interest as I thought that if one didn’t write a review, the review dosent get posted. I found though ( the hard way) that my guest was able to leave a 2 star review without me writing her one ( long story... she was a biggish sort of lady who had difficulty walking and tripped and fell somewhere... didn’t inform me..but left me a 2 star review). How is it possible then for her review to still show, when I didn’t write one for her? ( I don’t want her back as a guest again). 

[Mike1034]

@Anthea26  and @Anthea29 A review always shows after it is written. It is just a matter of the time when it shows. If both host and guest write a review, both reviews show at the time the latter review is published. Otherwise, one side review will show up at the end of 14th day.

[Anthea26]

Ahhhh thank you. I didn’t realise this. I was told that both parties had to write a review in order for it to be made public. I knew this lady was trouble from the word go when she insisted on an early check in time at 11am when check in time is 2pm. Her profile makes her out to be way younger than what she actually was, and when I finally met her, I was surprised to find how difficult it was for her to walk. I live on a 5 acre property with steps...and the ground isn’t flat. It’s stated in my listing. She clearly wasn’t suited to my property. I’m now going to add photos of the steps that lead up to the room etc. so it’s more clearly stated as I’m sure she didn’t read the listing. She is making a claim against me now and has asked for her money back.