Cancellation review penalising me

Andrew2243
Level 1
Castle Donington, United Kingdom

Cancellation review penalising me

Hi,

im new to hosting.

I have a Devon property which has been listed for the first time.

I have received few bookings ( which is unusual as the price and current demand shouldn’t affect this)

I think it’s because a few years ago I listed my mothers flat  but had to cancel a few bookings at short notice owing to water damage.

it was never resisted and no one ever stayed at the property.

I think this early experience is penalising me.

can these be removed in anyway?

6 Replies 6
Alexandra316
Level 10
Lincoln, Canada

@Andrew2243  Unfortunately not: they are permanent. 

 

I had a very similar thing happen to me: I had my listing go live accidentally and someone instant booked before I was ready to go. It's the very first review I have as a host. Embarrasing, but definitely not something that has to ruin your listing. I've had about 400 bookings since then: if you're priced competitively in a decent market, you will likely still receive bookings. Take your first few bookings at a lower price, get some good reviews under your belt, and people likely won't even go digging into your profile to see that. 

 

You don't say when you published your listing. Things are just opening back up in England: I would give it a couple of weeks before you get too worried. 

 

There is one alternative, and let me be clear: I don't think it's a very good idea. You could delete your current profile and start again. The problem is that if you get caught by Airbnb you can be permanetly banned.

 

Also, if you ever need to cancel in future, check to see what can be done penalty-free. Your cancellations might have been covered under the Extenuating Circumstances policy. If you have instant booking enabled, you're also able to cancel bookings penalty-free under some circumstances. Lots of info to be found here: Can a host cancel a reservation without adverse consequences? - Airbnb Help Center . 

Making a duplicate listing under a new profile may be the fastest way to get permanently banned, as this would trigger even the clumsiest fraud detection algorithm.

@Anonymous People do it, though... but I agree, I wouldn't take the chance, personally. I don't think it's worth it. 

People get away with all kinds of jiggery-pokery with listings, but this one does seem to be a cardinal sin. 

@Andrew2243 One other note: I had a look at your listing, and it's quirky. I think it's cute, but it's also not a listing that's going to appeal to every potential guest: it's not a generic modern flat in an apartment block. Definitely makes me think that it might take a bit longer to get your first bookings. 

@Andrew2243   Airbnb is not penalizing you for your old cancellations, but guests who notice them on your profile will be understandably reluctant to book your new listing. If I had a time machine, my suggestion would be to go back to 2018 and post a public response to those auto-reviews to explain the situation, lest it come back to haunt you years later.

 

But since time only moves in one direction, you're just going to have to live with that on your record. If you've gotten at least one booking, then at some point your listing will no longer be unreviewed, and a skeptical guest can book with greater confidence that the listing is genuine and the host won't upend their holiday plans at short notice.

Dale711
Level 10
Paris, France

Hi @Andrew2243 

Welcome to the community! 😊

 

What factors determine how my listing shows in search results?

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/39/what-factors-determine-how-my-listing-shows-in-search-results

 

How to boost your listing 2021 by Rank Breeze.

https://rankbreeze.com/airbnb-ranking-factors/