Good to know thanks for explaining. I looked at the ratings he gave me in the "progress" tab and you're right, he gave me 4 overall.
He was a very difficult guest. In 28 years of being a landlord I've never encountered anyone quite like him. Although seemingly super-friendly on the surface, there was this passive-aggressive undercurrent. From almost the day he arrived he dangled the review over my head like a carrot. He'd say "I'd never leave you a bad review but somebody might, so I just wanted to let you know about [insert latest complaint]"
And there were so many complaints. I have no problem with complaints, I'll fall over myself to fix anything with a smile, and I did. Even though some of the complaints were about the most ridiculous things, I was always friendly and quick to address his every need.
Then after he left I found a ton of damages -- long deep scratches in the top of a new glass coffee table, a 2 foot gouge in a wall so deep it went through the drywall, hundreds of deep scratches on a marble top dining table, and end table broken because it was used as a step stool, a chest of drawers broken because it was dragged across the floor, and a big chunk taken out of a kitchen cabinet frame. I think that's all of it lol!
I opened a damages claim, so he sent me a scathing Airbnb message saying it was all "normal wear and tear", and made clear he'd leave me a bad review if I didn't close the claim. It was carefully worded in such a way so as to not violate the Airbnb Extortion Policy. I know because I tried to get Airbnb's help, but I was on my own.
So I closed the claim, and literally begged him to leave me a good review. He said he would, and he did, except for the 4 stars and a snotty private message saying I had "unrealistic expections" and I had texted him daily. I didn't text him daily! I only responded quickly and thoroughly to his many complaints and issues, and asked if he'd like the cleaner to clean his place.
It's been a really horrible, upsetting experience, but I consider myself lucky to have got out of it with still getting a good review. I learned a lot and will be much more aware in future about various things. I know our Airbnb's are gorgeous, done to a very high standard, and we're extremely good hosts. We just got one of "those" guests, and I'm probably lucky I got that experience out of the way early on, to learn from.