Hello all,
I would like to get your opinion about a bad review I got. This is something we have to deal with from time to time but on this occasion I am completely shocked.
First of all, I am a super host non stop for the last 30 months.
This booking came in the middle of the holy week which in Spain is big and it was bank holiday/festivities. It was holy Wednesday, about 12pm. I was cleaning the apartment to get it ready for the next day. I was hosting a big family group on Thursday, another one on Good Friday and another big group on Saturday. (Yes, I accept 1 night stay). So this lady books on Wednesday to arrive on the same Wednesday.
In order for me to work as little as possible during the festivities, I decided to perform a deep massive cleaning including those places I usually do once a month (kitchen fan, top cabinets, windows blinds...).
I phone the lady (a married couple with a teen) and ask her (just in case) how many beds they will use, she says 3. I state in my ad that 2 ppl - 1 bed if they want 2ppl - 2beds, they need to pay extra bc price is the same for 1 or 2 ppl. So I tell the lady about the outcoming bookings and she, in the most empathetic possible way says not to worry, I will bring sheets for the small bed for my son. The conversation is fluid, respectful and grateful on my side. We agreed on not to charge more and not to provide sheets for the 3rd bed. They paid in total €108 for the 3 of them.
They were meant to arrive at 9.30pm but at 8.45 they ring me they arrived. I said I was at mass which was about to end, to give me 10 minutes but she said, don't worry, we'll go for dinner and meet you at the restaurant to collect the keys.
I also stayed for dinner in the same place with my family, we left at 10.30pm-ish and say goodbye to them who remained at the restaurant. I said: Please let me know should you need of anything and again she was lovely and kindly said, not to worry, we'll leave tomorrow at around 10.
The next day at around 10am, she phones me they are leaving. I ask how was everything and she said fantastic. Then I say about a problem with her ID number and she said ring me later so I say, oh, no need, just text it to me later because the system is rejecting it so I can't register the group. She says, ok, good-bye. (In Spain is mandatory for hosts register every guest so I send them a form to be filled and we have 24 hours to do the registration in the official platform).
The tone she used in this last conversation was good but it made me feel she wasn't happy about this ID thing so I thought she may not leave a 5 but 4 stars review. Unfortunately she never texted me her ID number and at 2pm I contacted her again and kindly asked her again. She replied back with the same I D number which I knew it was wrong but I didn't want to disturb them anymore and I only said thank you. Then, she wrote her review.
Last night I did write mine, it was the last chance to do it. I waited 14 days to do mine bc I had the feeling she might have left a 4 star review.
I wrote a 5 stars for her and privately thanked her for her nice treat to us.
My surprise came after reading her review: 1 star.
And she said the following: "La familia son encantadores, de eso no hay duda. La casa deja bastante que desear, cocina sucia, muebles en mal estado. Ruido de la calle por ventanas viejas pero las camas cómodas y la ropa de cama, limpia"
And in the rest of the sections:
3 for communication (!)
1 for cleaning stating the kitchen was a mess and extremely dirty (!)
1 for veracity (!)
2 for location (8mins walk from the main square. Majority of guest praise the location)
And there is something else I can't remember which wasn't rated nicely either.
I'm completely shocked.
Any ideas/ suggestions/ advices?
Thank you.
Vicen.
