@Deborah325 @Kate867
After approximately 2 weeks and *so many* hours of phone conversations I did finally get the review removed.
Here’s my advice on how to get airbnb to enforce their own policies:
1. Continue to ask for your case to be escalated until someone not reading from a script is willing to actually look at your case, documentation, and information.
2. Once you get to the right person, clearly outline how you as a host have followed airbnb policy and the guest has not, and that you the host are not not only having to deal with the fallout from a bad guest but also now having to convince airbnb to follow their own written policy to protect you, the rule following host. Their policies are in place to protect both guests *and hosts* and they need to take the impact this situation is having on you, your property, your listing, and your business seriously with all fair and due consideration. (Ie. Not tell you to pound sand)
3. Remind airbnb how bad and potentially dangerous 3rd party bookings are. Remind airbnb in the same way you should be doing everything in your power as a host to keep 3rd party bookings from happening, airbnb also has a responsibility to discourage and hold 3rd party bookings accountable. Allowing any “internal policies” to uphold, legitimize, and allow for 3rd party bookings is not only in direct contradiction of their online written policy, but also will encourage people who are already abusing the system to continue to break the 3rd party booking rule. Repeat that 3rd party bookings are potentially dangerous to both guests and hosts. Transparency about who is staying in your property is of the utmost importance to all parties involved and that you expect airbnb to take all matters (big or small) related to 3rd party bookings seriously.
4. Remind airbnb they have agreed to verify guests on the hosts behalf. (This is in compliance with their non discrimination policy- you are not able or allowed to know the details of a guest’s identity prior to a reservation) And although you will continue to be a vigilant host and uphold airbnb policy, airbnb is booking a “verified guest” to stay in your property, not you as a host. If they allow for abuse of this system, the verification policy is no longer useful or trustworthy.
5. *Most important* say exactly this:
“I have reviewed the [insert all policies relating to case] online. As this is all that is available to me, these are the policies I agreed to when I decided to host my property with airbnb. I do not know what “internal policy” I am being expected to abide by, as that is not available to me.
If this “internal policy” is not available to hosts and in contrast with your publicly listed policies, you cannot expect to hold hosts accountable for secret policies they do not have access to.
—
Here is what I read online on your community policies help center-
The review policy states “reviews must be:
1. Reviews should not violate our content policy
2. Reviews should be unbiased
3. Reviews should be relevant
[provide a link to their own online policy]
The content policy states "The following content is not allowed on Airbnb:
- "Listings and profiles that provide fraudulent, false, misleading, or deceptive information"
- "Attempts to impersonate another person, account, or entity, including a representative of Airbnb"
and that
- "Reviews that contain no relevant information about a host or guest, listing, or experience may be removed"
[provide a link to their own online policy]
—
It seems clear that 3rd party reviews are
1. In violation of the 3rd party booking policy
2. In violation of the content policy as they are “not relevant to the experience of staying in the Airbnb” and “impersonating the verified guest” who is not using or staying in the listing and “provide fraudulent, false, misleading, or deceptive information” about who was there and their experience.
3. In violation of the review policy as they are obviously biased
4. In violation of the review policy as they are not relevant, as the person reviewing HAS NEVER BEEN TO THE AIRBNB.
Based on the written Airbnb policies, this review must be taken down. “
6. If they give you any excuse for why it’s OK to justify third-party bookings, keep repeating that you are expected to follow the policies as the host, guests are expected to follow policies as guests, and Airbnb is expected to enforce the policies as written on their website. You are not asking for anything beyond compliance with airbnb policies. Repeat step 5. If this doesn’t work, repeat step 1.
7. Once someone agrees have the review taken down, please please please please say:
“thank you for your understanding and for upholding your policies to protect me as a host, I take your policies seriously and want to continue to have a good relationship with Airbnb and with my guests. That is why I love hosting with Airbnb.
Third-party bookings are potentially very dangerous, I know this situation was about a review, but any allowance for abuse of the 3rd party booking policy will make the Airbnb platform more dangerous to both guests and hosts. Please start a case to investigate your internal policy that allows for third-party reviews so this does not continue to happen to me or to any other hosts, or even to guests. Your internal policy is not only contradictory to your online policy, but it puts hosts in jeopardy and legitimizes third-party bookings in general.”
