WARNING: guest breaking the house rules could give unfair reviews and could destroy 5 star rating

Bernhard6
Level 3
Munich, Germany

WARNING: guest breaking the house rules could give unfair reviews and could destroy 5 star rating

WARNING TO ALL HOSTS, if you ever get a guest from Airbnb who offends against the rules. I had the issue that one guest shows up as two people while booked only for one during Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany in 2018. 

 

Airbnb did not check the situation and tried to judge without asking me as the host.

We have a review from a guest. If this gets accepted I could lose my incredible 5.0 host review forever. (Once you get a review below 5.0 you will never get 5.0 back.)

 

I feel treated in a very unfair and inequitable way. Airbnb did not follow my request to remove the review function on this cancelled booking. Airbnb explains this from the point of the guest’s given review only. Contrarily, he was the one who broke the clearly stated house rules. Airbnb did not speak to me in order to give me the chance for my point of view. Airbnb simply made the decision to keep the guest's review because his review would be not against the rules.

 

The solution approach is completely not satisfying.

 

I question the value of reviews for this booking. The guest never completed the check-in and hence never used our Airbnb. He was pushy and tried to force us to accommodate a second guest, who was not registered. My track record as a superhost shows that I hosted many satisfied guests of all walks of live and that I respect the Airbnb community. It would be in the best interest of Airbnb, the guest as well as the host community to bury the hatchet and not allow reviews from this booking. What would be the value anyways, when two negative reviews are written about a never completed booking?

I think Airbnb would lose confidence in such a case. With all due respect I can conclude as a superhost that this guest is not suited for the Airbnb community and maybe should consider using traditional hotels that can accommodate his changes of plans better.

32 Replies 32

So sorry you had such an upsetting experience yesterday Saroj.  It’s not the norm. I hope you’ve done something nurturing for yourself and some sleep and time have been helpful in re-centering.

 

That last message they sent to you might be exactly what’s needed to demonstrate to  Air BnB support the true character of the guests and why you were so uncomfortable with that kind of hostile presence in your home.

 

Based on the wisdom from other hosts here in these forums and my own experience, things can be presented a second time to Support, especially if you call and ask to speak to a supervisor...not another host filling in on the phones, but a superhost support supervisor.

 

Write down what happened.  List your concerns and reasons why you felt unsafe and felt the need to ask the guests to leave.  Present them in a calm, factual manner, from the point of view of maintaining safety in your home fir yourself and your other guests (you have 3 listings) and the safety and good will of our ABB community.  

 

I used to live in Camarillo.  The LA demographic has had significant issues around safety shared in the mainstream national media.  Safety and the abuse of trust by our guests is as relevant as any racial profiling issues...which we could all fall victim to in various demographics.

 

Hosts have no control over the history or intent guests bring into our homes other than to disconnect instant booking and require a request for booking from each guest so we can converse in writing to try to discern if it’s a good fit.  It’s time consuming, but it’s worked well for me.  I do not approve anyone who doesn’t have a completed profile and agree to my house rules in reply to my initial response to thier booking request/inquiry.  

 

There used to be a function where hosts could screen out those who’ve not completed profiles or have no reviews yet, but that was changed.  I miss it, not because I’m a racist or unwilling to give a newbie a chance, but because hosts have lost the ability to screen guests for safety or even know if they are who they say they are.  Without a recent facial photo in a profile, we have no way of knowing if the person who arrives is who’s supposed to be here, and we have a right to feel comfortable with who we invite into our home.

 

Most first time ABB guests and newcomers need some guidance/education about the difference between ABB and an impersonal hotel...we are opening our private homes to people we’ve not yet met who are not background checked or vetted other than whether they have a working email, phone, and credit/debit card, all of which can be cheaply procured by other than legal means.

 

Kudos to you for not being bullied by a guest in your own home, which could be argued as being just as despicable as the “racial profiling” you were accused of and in some places, they might have been arrested.

 

Your reviews so far are commendable and testify to your conscientiousness, warmth, and clarity about the mutual respect and other expectations between you and your guests.  

 

Youve earned superhost status which also speaks to your integrity and so does the full refund you provided when these guests cost you the profit on the night’s booking and you could have argued it.

 

Abusive behavior should never be tolerated.  As a fellow host, I would hope ABB would discourage such negativity amongst its membership. I want fair warning about these guests and would likely choose not to host them if I knew who they were...which leads to your concern about reviews...

 

If they do leave you a review, and it’s negative, you have the right to reply with calm facts about which behaviors inspired alarm, then to cancel their booking and remove them from your home.  It will be connected to both of your profiles, thier negative review will stand out as a reflection upon thier character and conduct and seem out of character given your 100% positive reviews otherwise.

 

Thus was thier first stay.  your honest review will inform their future as ABB guests far more than theirs will your future here.

 

This just happened, and of course you’re upset...but you’ve had a couple of days to get grounded and now you have something in writing as support for your concerns. 

 

That last disparaging message they sent you could be termed harassment and is a testament to the integrity and poor communication skills of the guests.  When combined with your calm, factual presentation to a Superhost Supervisor, that message sent by them in anger and disrespect could very well become good cause for any negative marks for that cancellation upon you removed and be cause for administrative review for the continued ABB membership of the guest.

 

Rude, disrespectful, inappropriate behavior and communication is not about race, it’s about character and personal choice.

 

As a host who might receive an inquiry from these guests some day, I hope you do review these guests honestly, and as a host, guest, and community member, I hope ABB will review this and focus on keeping this community safe for all of us by banning guests who show such disregard for safety, courtesy, and the good will this community was founded upon.

 

Best wishes,

 

Susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daljit0
Level 5
Windsor, United Kingdom

Theres always a reluctance to make a request for damages because the guest (and its human nature) will post a bad review in revenge. I usually have a break of 5 days between guests as its mostly weekends that are booked. I do this:

 

1.) Wait 1 day. Posting a review in the same day hints there was a problem.

2.) post a honest review  including details of breakages in the public or private section

3.) Wait for the guest to post a review. Human nature and curiousity will normally come into play. Ive found they will post within 2 days.

4.) Then make a request for damages

 

Its really important that you make a request for damages within 14 days and/or before the next guest arriving otherwise AirBNB won't help you. I hope that helps fellow hosts

An AirBNB member booked my place for two people... The one who book is not the one checking in.  When the guest checkin, there were 4 people.   I told them  the booking was for two - people,  and I will be charging them for additional 2.  The person that I talked to said yes.   While out from the AirBNB,  my staff told me that there was another member of the group who arrive.  So in ALL there were 5 people.   I was a bit pissed but it was late.  The next day I asked my staff to followup for the payment,  and then one of the guests become furious.  Telling that she booked for 4 and those are paid for already.  My staff called me and I talked to the guest.  They didnj't want to pay.  I insisted that they should,  And even there were 5 of them,  I was willing to settle for themj to pay for only two additional.   Then the guest said that they will just shorten their stay.  It was fine with me.  And I told them they still have to pay.  So we settled that they pay only-half, and asked me if they can just use the unused 1 night as payment.  Fine with me,   just so we can have an agreement.

 

Then she wrote me a bad review - complaining so many things.  And then worse she gave me a one-star rating!   Very bad indeed.

 

Then AirBNB sends this note that my listing is in serious trouble.

 

I am asking AirBNB to remove that one-star rating as surely it isn't objective and it was done as a sort-of revenge against me.

 

 

I sent a message to AirBNB.   After one response that I should wait,  the next reponse I got was that the customer service could not resolve my case,  and I have to wait for another response from another team.