respond to respond

[Sara973]

Hi after I asked this forum when I thought a guest would write a bad opinion I got an offer to write:

in spite of my best efforts to meet this guest's unrealistic expectations, I was not successful.  I always want my guests to be as satisfied as my other reviews 

Then I could see what she had written

.she wrote:

great location, secure, parking included, responsive host. apartment is definitely 'lived-in' and could use a professional clean.

Then I received a message if I wanted to answer. My question is whether to answer this response publicly?

thanks

[Alexandra316]

@Sara973 

I don't think it would hurt to respond, especially as you're reasonably new and don't have many reviews yet. With only 3 reviews and one of them being a cancellation, it's probably not a bad idea. Just remember when responding, though, that the response is for the benefit of potential future guests, not the guest who has already stayed and respond accordingly. I know it's tempting to bring up the guest being demanding, but it won't do you any favours.

I would respond something like:

"I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the location and parking. Sorry to hear that the cleaning didn't meet your expectations: rest assured that we take all guest feedback seriously, and we thoroughly and professionally clean the apartment between all guests. Thanks for staying with us, and safe travels!"

I would also consider taking what she had to say on board. I can't say whether or not your place needs a good cleaning, but it doesn't hurt to have a good honest look. Your other listing does look a bit grubby in the pictures, to be honest: the mirror is dirty, and there is some tile grout staining. However, if you price accordingly and you're accurately portraying what's on offer, it should help manage expectations.

[Sarah977]

@Sara973  I'd agree with all that @Alexandra316  has said, except for the last part. It doesn't matter if the place is priced low- a guest should at least expect to arrive to a well-cleaned place.

As this guest mentioned positive things about your place, they obviously weren't just trying to give a bad review, so I suspect that what they had to say should be taken to heart and improved on. Your second listing does look not so clean in the bathroom photos- there appears to be a lot of mold and mildew at the bottom of the shower doors.

[Alexandra316]

@Sarah977I just mentioned it because if the place is significantly cheaper than the competition, maybe people would be willing to put up with a less clean space as long as their expectations are managed. I personally agree that every space should be clean regardless of price, and cleanliness (or lack thereof) is probably the biggest deciding factor on getting a positive review.

[Sarah977]

@Alexandra316  I think it would be almost impossible to manage expectations when it comes to cleanliness. A place can be totally basic, no frills, and still be spotless. Especially if it's an entire place, it should be. If it's a private room in a host's home, then maybe a guest might overlook common spaces shared with the host that weren't immaculate, as long as the guest's private quarters were clean and the place was budget priced.

Having a place super clean for guests is one of the best and easiest ways to garner good reviews, IMO. They're more likely to overlook the not-so-nice furniture, the non-luxurious bedding and towels, etc, if they don't feel like they're moving in to someone else's dirt.

[Sara973]

thanks all. first wanted to say that those photo are old and not professional, and doesn't show really the cleanness that my apt was. second  i rarely rent it Couse i live hear most of the time so only when i can it rent. and i have another review in vrbo which say ( Excellent. I enjoyed my dealings with Sarah. The apartment was really lovely. It was perfect for me and my wife. It was also in the great area. Everything went really smoothly. Thank you so much for organizing it so well. Would highly recommend it to anybody else.). so if i respond to her will she respond as well or its ended there?

[Alexandra316]

@Sara973She can't respond to your response: that's where it ends. 

[Paul154]

@Sara973 

Were you honest?  Were you vindictive?  Did you take into the consideration the fact that you were paid money for hosting?

If you answered Yes, No, Yes than the review system has worked perfectly and you treated the guest ethically. Maybe she needs to learn to be a better guest.

You don't have to say anything. She reviewed. You reviewed. Period.

If you must publically answer her, be humble. "Thanks for being my guest. I'm still trying to learn how to service people who value different things than I do."

[Lisa723]

@Paul154 @Sara973 except please say "serve" not "service," which, as a verb, has a totally different meaning and not one you want to imply here.

https://grammarist.com/usage/service/

[Paul154]

LOL, I knew as I was typing that that was not the word I wanted - but I just couldn't figure out what was the correct word!  

You're correct not all of us want to service our guests. 

[Sara973]

thank you for your answer. I was very honest. The house pictures  are old so you can not see it. when she arrived She was pleased and thanked me the next day too. And only on the third day she remembered to check theand complain about things. . She took a chair and climbed to 2 meters high to check for dust on the shelf and other hallucinatory things. What she wanted was to get a cleaning fee, which she felt was high, even though that is what is common in our region. And I made the mistake of returning half the cleaning fees after seeing here that they offered only ten percent. But to make you happy I did not care

[Sara973]

her happy sorry