What was the most absurd thing you lost a star for?

[Luana130]

I just had a guest leave me 5 stars on all individual questions, told me he loved his stay and plans to stay here next time. But gave me a 4 stars overall. Why? Well he did that because I don't have an eletronic gate at the garage... (I do plan to put one, but I'm undergoing renovations at the moment, but come on...).

What is the most absurd reasons guests have given you for four or less stars?

[J-Renato0]

As far as I understand the lady said that the gate it was not working automatically (that the gear or maybe the remote control was not working properly), so she had to do it manually. She said It was hard to her to open it manually because she had to strive to do it.
So, from my honest point of view it was not bad to receive 4 star considering that scenery.

For example - If I have an apartment on the 5th floor and the elevator it was not working during the guest´s stay, and the guest had to climb the stairs  to get to the apartment, I would not expect the guest to give me 5*.
If that type of situation happens, the best thing to do is to offer a compensation.

[Luana130]

@J-Renato0  No we don't have one, when he arrived I explained that the gate was manual. There was no reason for him to expect one. I was clear on that when he arrived, I always explain that when guests arrive.

[J-Renato0]

@Luana130  you said > "I always explain that when guests arrive."

I see. However, it is not a good idea to have to explain that you do not have something useful to every guest. 

If you explain it in the listing, the guest will know it before they arrive.

There are some things that guests may assume that they will find in a holiday apartment or house, such as wifi, automatic gate opener (mainly if they have to use car everyday during their stay).

It is just my opinion to improve your listing description or to better your accommodation.

However ignore it, if you do not agree with my opinion 🙂

[Gillian19]

@Luana130 @J-Renato0 Are you serious? You would list everything you DON'T have?? That's absolutely crazy. How on earth would a host be expected to know everything that all guests could possibly think they might want so they can tell them they don't have it?

[J-Renato0]

@Gillian19

Yes, I am serious! I think that Airbnb is also serious....

Please Go to Airbnb Menu -> Listings > Booking Settings > Things that the guest should know about your accommodation before booking.

As for listing "everything you don´t have" It is up to your crazy imagination 🙂 I have never said that.

Anyway I will explain to you what a host should list if the listing DO NOT have...
For example:
1- If an apartment is on the 5th floor and the building has no elevator, the guest should know in advance.
2- If the sofa of your living room has only 3 legs instead of 4, the guest should know in advance, unless you want to receive 3 or less than 3 stars and then come here to talk about "... absurd thing you lost a star for"
3- If you have a holiday house to let, and the guest has to use a car everytime he/she goes out, and the guest CAN NOT open the garage gate using a remote control, it is a good idea to tell them in advance. (just my opinion)
4- If your house has a swimming pool that are always empty, you have to let the guest know in advance, unless you want to receive 1* overall.

I think the examples aforementioned are enough to understand "why on earth" someone should let the guests know what is NOT available in a listing.

Just my opinion!

[Louise0]

I had a guest score me a 4 overall (which is a rarity).  Privately she told me it was because "the backyard smelled damp".   It's littoral rainforest...

[Luana130]

@Louise0 I used to work as a travel agent, and I never forgot a client that asked for a refund because he went to the Amazon rainforest and it rained a lot... 

[Louise0]

I feel your pain.

Living in a patch of incredibly rare littoral rainforest less than 7km (15 mins drive) from the Sydney CBD is viewed by most guests as an astonishing wonder.   It's that 1% of guests who are absolutely clueless who do my head in 😞

[Sarah977]

The only less than 5* rating I've gotten on Location was from a guest who not only did read the listing description, which clearly states it's about a 20 minute walk to town, but also messaged me asking how far it would be to a specific place she was taking a course (also 20 minutes, as it's right in town, on the close end).

Same guest also texted me at 3AM from another Airbnb she was staying at for 3 nights before moving over to my place, to ask where the loud music was coming from, complaining that she couldn't sleep.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Sarah977  yeah...  hosting is like parenting... mum is always guilty for their mistakes... 😛

[Shennel1]

Wrinkled bed sheets

[Yulianna0]

One of the latest: 4 in accuracy for “wrong address”. In private they mention that it is not hosts fault that navigator brought them to the parallel street. The same gave me 4 stars for location, explaining that the streets were dead. Working day. Deep night. And the same suggested to put an instruction how to use curtain in the shower. They never saw it before! 
People in their 30s.... 

[Sarah977]

@Yulianna0  I would have found the comment about how to use the shower curtain absurd, had I not read posts here on the forum which explained that in China, and several other countries, bathrooms are all concrete construction and they are "wet-rooms" with no shower curtain. It doesn't matter if you splash water all over the place because the bathroom is all concrete and/or tile and there is a drain in the floor.

So people who have never travelled outside their own countries really may have no idea how to use a shower curtain- they may not realize you have to put the curtain inside the bathtub or shower enclosure in order for the water not to flood the bathroom, or that the bathroom has wood beneath the floor or the walls which will get ruined if it gets wet, even though that seems obvious to you or me. 

It's like hosts who have posted that their guests have disgusting habits because they threw the dirty toilet paper in the wastebasket instead of flushing it down the toilet. What those hosts were unaware of is that there are many countries where you cannot flush toilet paper, as the plumbing can't handle it and it will get stopped up- it is the accepted thing in those countries that all toilet paper goes in the basket, rather than a matter of the guest being dirty or disrespectful or stupid.

[Yulianna0]

@Sarah977, they were not Chinese:) And by the way my Chinese guests never had this problem. They could spend all hot water but never left the bathroom wet. 
Anyway, I’ll start explaining about curtains. At least people will have good reason to laugh 🙂