Here's the dilemma,
You run an AirBnB in a city that is either small or might see some of the same travelers. A guest arrives at your property, leaves the room a mess or steals a towel and you rate them 3 stars, while the guest rates you 5-stars. Later on the guest returns, but this time knowing that you gave him 3 stars in the past, decides to slam you with a 1 star review. What's worse is that in almost all circumstances you won't be able to get Airbnb to overturn that review (because they never do).
When I sit down and think of the reasons to give guests anything less than 5-stars, the only thing that I come up with is: "It's good for the community"
But here's what I think might happen if I do that:
-Retaliatory action
-Harassment
-Claims/Calls from AirBnB from the Guest
-Having them book with me in the future only to slam me with a negative review (this has happened)
I personally feel as though the system for reviews only works ideally in a world where we will never see each other again, but many of my guests come from the same city that I host in!
Here's a real-world example: I have a guest who is staying with me over-and-over again over a one month period. They book several one-night stays (5-10 of them). During one of their stays they got drunk and starting harassing my other guests, as well as left their room a mess on check-out. I rated them 3 stars for the poor behavior. This guest, having seen the 3 star review, suddenly changes their tone and begins rating me low for every single future stay that they have with me. I couldn't cancel the reservations at risk of a "host cancellation" and immediate revocation of Superhost status. In this case, I'm stuck with this guests retaliation, simply because I wanted to help the community.
Sometimes this makes me feel pretty powerless to help the community. It's as though I have the incentive to never give less than 5-star reviews. Thoughts?
___________
I Co-Host in New York and New Jersey (and trying to grow to other states)
My Email Address: *
My Phone Number: **
***[To view listings, hover over profile image and click, 'View profile']
****
*[Personal information hidden for safety reasons–in line with the Community Center Guidelines - to use the Direct Messaging function here in the Community Center, hover over the post profile photo and click 'Send Message']