Whats wrong with a 4star review? Nothing!

Dee9
Level 10
Moriches, NY

Whats wrong with a 4star review? Nothing!

I find it funny that people get so offended or upset over a 4star review in any category. Someone posted she actually asks guests privately why they gave 4stars. Really? I would think doing that would make them not want to come back - just my opinion.

Lets not be so hard on ourselves (or other people) by remembering...4stars is still a good "score"! 5stars means PERFECT, so maybe they didnt think every category was PERFECT. Thats their perrogative. PERFECT means something different to every single individual.

Stop stressing over the little stuff. And maybe stop interrogating people over a 4star review. Its not worth the stress. 4stars means almost perfect - whats wrong with that? Nothing!

 

72 Replies 72
John1574
Level 10
Providence, RI

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Thanks for starting this thread, Diane.  It was much needed.

 

I’d like to hear from people who were actually sanctioned for falling below the requisite average of 4.7% or whatever it happens to be.

 

Anyone out there?

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA
Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA
Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA
John1574
Level 10
Providence, RI

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Thanks for the effort, Lisa, I mean the links, always useful, but I'd like to hear from people who have actually been suspended or unlisted.

 

None of those links suport the allegations.  One person was paused and unpaused, another got less that 50% good reviews, and a perusal of his reviews found many issues leading to his warnings and suspension, and the third link, is about receiving a computer-generated warning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

Diane, if you don’t care, why are you so defensive in your response to guest feedback?

Lisa723
Level 10
Quilcene, WA

John, I'm not sure which of your comments applies to which link.

 

You said:

 

I’d like to hear from people who were actually sanctioned for falling below the requisite average of 4.7% or whatever it happens to be.

 

Martha said:

 

Just had an email from Air BNB saying our account has been suspended for only having 4 stars. Is 4 stars so awful?

 

Asteroidblue1 said:

 

 I recently received an email from AirBnb that said I had received some reviews that we're 4 stars or less, and that unless I improve my hosting I will be suspended.

 

Adam (https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/437970) said :

 

Over 50% of my reviews are 5-star.  I have a 4.2 star average rating.  I just got paused.  None of my category ratings are below 4.2 stars.  I've never cancelled a booking.  I have no idea why I was paused and I have been given no explanation other than I've been paused for "low ratings".

 

 

So, I totally understand hosts being upset about a 4-star review, in the context of AIrbnb's completely contradictory messages to guests and hosts about what a 4-star review means.

 

If your point is that you doubt that Airbnb often follows through on its threats, I have no stats to contractict that belief. But surely nobody seeing those threats can believe there is nothing wrong with a 4-star review. I have 96% 5-star reviews and I've now blocked the few guests that gave me 4 and the one who gave me 3 so they can't stay with me again. I agree it's ridiculous, and turns the whole Airbnb ratings system into a stupid game where ratings mean practically nothing, but the solution is for Airbnb to come to its senses on this, not for hosts to be sanguine about less than 5-star ratings.

 

 

I think again... the important words are CONSISTENTLY and COULD.  If the average host has a 4.7* rating, a 4.2* is actually quite a bit lower than the average. 

 

Martha (from the first link) simply had to click a link to be reinstated and read some more silly warnings. 

 

I think it's of value to note that the first link - that host was temporarily deactivated - in 2016.  Nearly two years ago.  And yet, with all the consternation, there are virtually no real examples of good hosts, being deactivated.   I'm not saying it hasn't or won't happen... just the odds are so low that I'm not going to loose sleep over it.  

you blocked them???? but they did nothing wrong. im sure they gave honest reviews.

wow this has gotten even more ridiculous than i thought.

my 5star percentage is 71% but im always busy, i get requests almost everyday. I even have to turn some down. Isnt staying busy the whole point?? Which kinda makes the whole star rating thing mute. Unless youre getting 1 & 2 stars I suppose.

Willow, you're saying that the one I happened to have previously seen is "virtually none," or that Adam is not a good host?  🙂  Neither I nor anyone else knows what the odds are, except Airbnb. I'm not going to assume anything about legalistic interpretations of Airbnb's clear message about the minimum average target. I posted the links, which were easy to find, just as a reply to John. I'm not losing sleep over it either, but the complete disconnect between Airbnb's message to hosts and its message to guests is obviously bad for everyone and the rating system itself, making ratings inflation inevitable.

 

Diane, I agree it's ridiculous and they did nothing wrong-- I didn't say they did. I simply don't want to host them again, because I have no trouble staying busy with guests who leave 5 stars.  Why should I host people who have already given me a rating lower than the average Airbnb tells me is acceptable? 

Sandra856
Level 10
Copenhagen, Denmark

  I don't think you fully understand the rating system and why a 4 star rating is bad. If you only have 71% 5 stars reviews then when the new system kicks in 1. July 2018 your will have a rating much lower than 4,7 and could be delisted. 

Tell you what. I will let you all know if that happens.  

Sandra, if all her other ratings are 4 stars she will have an average of 4.71...  🙂

 

My beef about the whole thing is not really that I expect a bunch of hosts to lose their listings, but that this inflationary pressure is bad for hosts *and guests* and it seems extremely misguided.

Dee9
Level 10
Moriches, NY

I’m sorry that everyone seems to be missing my point on this topic. I was trying to encourage hosts to not be so hard on themselves about getting 4stars. And suggesting they lighten up the pressure they put on themselves (which from these comments is obviously more extreme than I thought). If you know you are doing the best you can and take guests critiques or suggestions to heart and MOST guests walk away happy AND you are getting a decent amount of requests then relaxxxx.  You’re doing a good job. Every guest has a different idea of what “perfect” is. You figure 1=poor, 2=fair, 3=average, 4=very good, 5=excellent. So that’s why I say what’s wrong with a 4star review? Nothing! 

I have 71% five stars, 26% four stars, 3% 3 stars. I’m not afraid to be honest because my Airbnb is very simple and as such it attracts simple people. There are no perfect guests & there are no perfect hosts. But if I get delisted I promise to post it here. And I hope the rest of you will do the same. Cuz so far as others have pointed out there doesn’t seem to be any proof of it actually happening. 

In the meantime it’s not something I waste my blood pressure worrying about. 

And this very sensible attitude would be exactly right on a platform whose reviewing messaging to hosts made any sense! I hope Airbnb gets the message.