"I don't give all 5s"

Laura2592
Level 10
Frederick, MD

"I don't give all 5s"

I know we have all had these guests. I had one recently with this feedback- "I don't give all 5s because no one is perfect." My lower rating was ironically on location, which is the one piece of this whole hosting adventure I have scant control of. And the guest chooses their location when they book. (Do they not understand that?)

 

How do you respond to this sort of feedback (if at all?) I have not in the past but I am open to suggestions. 

7 Replies 7
Colleen253
Level 10
Alberta, Canada

@Laura2592 I would move on. It’s not worth stooping down and responding on that level of dimwittedness. You’ll get nowhere. 


@Colleen253 as I say I have not in the past. And to be frank, under any real rating system I would be happy to get a mix of 4s and 5s. But as hosts we get zero margin for error. A guest going in with the attitude that they will automatically ding you on something probably needs some education about how this whole thing works. And as the rating has been given, its not a bad time to explain, theoretically. Maybe this will help a future host? I just have always met such an attitude with silence. 

@Laura2592 I don’t think someone like that can be educated with one response. Their issues probably run too deep. I mean, look at what they said to you. It reveals a lot about the intelligence level you’re dealing with. 

 

But hey, nothing to lose by trying, right?

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Laura2592  I would respond, as a consideration to future hosts, as some guests may actually be open to explanation.

 

If I got a comment like that, I would answer,

" Hi XX, thank you for explaining your reasoning for giving less than 5 stars. It's always valuable to hosts to gain insight into guests' perceptions.

 

What I would like to explain to you in return, is that no hosts consider their listings to be "perfect"- every place has quirks, or audible traffic noise, or is in an area with lots of natural insect population, etc. So as you say, no place is ever going to meet the standards of perfection. 

 

But a 5* rating on Airbnb does not mean that the listing has acheived some state of perfection- it means that you experienced it as expected from the listing information, that the hosts were appropriately responsive to any issues that might have come up, that perhaps things had been provided over and above what was promised- i.e. that the hosts obviously care about how they present their listing to their guests and do what they can to make sure they have a comfortable stay.

 

As well, hosts do not concern themselves with maintaining high ratings because they arrogantly think their place is perfect- it is because Airbnb considers anything less than a 5* rating to be an "improvement needed" or a "fail" for hosts. (Which I realize guests are not aware of unless they are hosts themselves). A 4* rating on Airbnb doesn't indicate that the listing wasn't perfect, it indicates that you were less than pleased for some reason.

 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to explain, and I hope you can take this into consideration when you go to rate your future hosts".

 

 

Kelly149
Level 10
Austin, TX

@Laura2592 a family relation stayed at an ABB last weekend... they kind of didn't love it... it was a bit dirty & noisy (it was a TENT, closely placed, within a farm, to another TENT)... they didn't love the location (very far from everything, and dark when trying to be found late at night)... So, I said listen: if it is where it said it was and if it was as clean as you could reasonably expect a tent to be, then the rating has to be a 5 and then say whatever by way of text that you'd wish you'd have known before booking and make sure you say something nice too.

 

If you've got some extra words on hand, then, sure, go ahead and inform this guest of their misguided intentions, but by all means no need to go swinging at windmills, unless you want to.

 

oh, and PS I informed that relation that future hosts might be judging THEM for what they said and what they rated, so to be careful as to not muck up their profile with reviews that make them look unsuitable to be hosted

Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Laura2592 @Kelly149 @Sarah977 @Colleen253 

 

If Airbnb is going to continue with this stupid system then they need to make it possible for guests to rate 6* in order to average out the hypercritical bungholes who can’t bring themselves to part with 5*.

Or maybe hosts should refuse to award 5* to any guests who actually show up. The only perfect guests are those who pay, never arrive, and don’t demand a refund.

 

 I was surprised to hear that Uber has a similarly stupid rating system. I’m glad I never gave less than 5* to an Uber driver plus the maximum tip.

 

Not that they didn’t deserve it when compared to the usual taxi service in most places. 

I can only imagine the crap they have to take.

 

Traffic was terrible at rush hour in downtown Delhi! One star.

 

 I missed my appointment because my driver refused to risk his license by driving 120 mph through a school zone! One star.

 

 

@Laura2592 I don't think it would reflect very well on Airbnb hosts in general, if a host with ratings as sky-high as yours felt inclined to comment on the guest's failure to leave you the perfect rating you (rightfully) believe you're entitled to. At best, it makes you look a bit petty. At worst, it calls into question whether all the other good ratings out there were truly earned rather than coerced.