Abnb not responding to me despite my house being trashed

[Katie1709]

Hello, looking for some help. I am a superhost with a 4.9 star rating and I had a guest that stayed for one night and then fabricated a load of things that were not in the least bit true. Abnb immediately cancelled the booking without even speaking to me despite my other 48 reviews all of which are good! The guest then did not care the property and were still in the house 2 hrs later and only left because my key holder came around twice. Had she not checked I expect they would still be there. They also turned up with two rabbits and I wasn’t told about this as they tried to hide them when they checked in. When I sent the cleaners in the following day all the beds had been slept in and all cupboards opened and furniture moved. 

the guests gave me a 1 star review and I am trying to get that removed as it’s just not fair at all and put my super host status into peril. I rely heavily on abnb for income and am now very much out of pocket. 

since this time I have been trying to speak to abnb in an attempt to get this resolved. The support line just pushes me from one ambassador to another and then deletes the thread and despite multiple conversations with an assortment of abnb ambassadors I am still back to square one! Is this some kind of tactic to avoid any accountability and can anyone please give me an email address or number that will get me through to someone that can actually help me.

i would really appreciate some help so many thanks in advance!

katie 

[Angie813]

Hi Katie,

I am having this same issue. I have documentation of guest violations. I asked the guest to pay for the extra cleaning and fees for replacing linens due to blood stains. Airbnb ambassadors say that they won’t remove the retaliatory review. It’s obvious that his review is in retaliation because I asked him to pay for his mess/damages which he also signed off on in a rental agreement. My house was left in such filth that the cleaners weren’t able to have the house ready for my next 5:00 check in, how is it okay to be put in this position?

Guests also decided to check out late, knowing there was a firm check out time. Where are the ambassadors that protect hosts when guests violate our house rules and Airbnb community rules? Policy also states that hosts should feel comfortable hosting guests without getting a retaliatory review! Airbnb reassured me that I would be protected when filing a claim via the resolution centre and it has been nothing but stress since then! 
Angie 

[Rebekah218]

I’m as well having a terrible time with Airbnb customer support. It’s unbelievable!  I’m on day 9 and can’t even tell you how many threads have been closed out and how many “ambassadors” I’ve talked to. Thinking about moving all 8 of my listings to Vrbo. I’m a 5 year superhost with close to 500 reviews and over 600 bookings this year already. I can’t believe they are just so dismissive with us homeowners. 

[Elaine701]

@Katie1709 @Rebekah218 @Angie813 

It's hardly any secret that Airbnb "support" is rarely supportive. Especially when it comes to things like trashed houses or damage. Forget "AirCover", it's a marketing tool, and little more. But if you're listed on other major platforms, I believe you'll find that they also are rather brain-dead when it comes to host support.

So, if you can't expect support, then you need to take matters into your own hands. My advice is always that the most effective remedy is prevention. 

First, turn on all filters for "instant book" or turn off instant book altogether.

Then, when somebody wants to book it, first check their profile and history. That tells you a lot to begin with.

Then, ask a few benign questions to solicit a response "Hello <name>, thanks for your interest. Are you coming for golf? We are near 3 golf courses".

Nobody mentioned golf (or whatever topic you choose), but this is a friendly way to get them to tell you more about themselves and why they're coming. Their answers (or lack of them) can speak volumes about their character. 

And if they booked for 1 person, you need to ask if that's correct. Just one? really? The answer can tell you a lot.

"Me and my buddies really like your place" - that doesn't really answer the question, and "me and my buddies" is generally a red flag. If they have no review history, or if their history is checkered, you may want to suggest a cheaper place - "I believe you'll be more comfortable with this place, which is less expensive and closer to the strip - airbnb.com/rooms/xxxxyyyyzzzz", "I wish you a pleasant stay, wherever you end up". Declined.

"We are having our annual family get-together - Me and my husband (40's) , my father, mother (70's), my brother and his wife (40's). We do this every year.". She was direct, concise, has a good review history, and clearly has nothing to hide. Approved.

I should also mention that it's wise to keep your prices a little bit above your nearest competition. Guests who seek that which suits their interests over price tend to be happier and more conscientious than those who are seeking whatever is the cheapest. Let your lower priced competition have them. When they're all booked up, you'll be the only game in town.

The above is no guarantee, but I think that over time, you'll find that the number of bad experiences - and bad reviews you receive - will diminish significantly if you follow these simple steps.

Since you really have no recourse through "support", this is really your only shot at avoiding these nasty surprises. 

Good luck and happy hosting.

[Angie813]

Hi Elaine,

Thanks for this. Its funny that you mentioned guests inquiring to book for "1" person, I just had a request like this and the guest was short in response to my questions and then ended up cancelling because they didn't like that airbnb showed me a photo of himself once booked...I think I dodged one there! 

The renter who trashed my house had 4.5 star overall reviews. Another host had said that they "left garbage out, no big deal"...this was not the case for me...they left garbage scattered everywhere and so much more! I'll be very reluctant to host guests who have 0 reviews or less than 5 stars in the future. 

Thanks for taking the time to share some tips, much appreciated!

Angie

[Joelle43]

Excellent advice @Elaine701 and I have come across many of your guest requests to book - especially the "me and my buddies" like your place except a more recent one I had was "we are all doctors".  

Weirdly I did not feel reassured by this especially when I read that the last host had to repaint her house after their departure and after asking him about this he said it wasn't him it was their friend who had booked with his account!! Oh it just gets better - third party booking  🤣 Declined!

With time our first gut feeling is usually 99% accurate and as @Robin4 said only today on another post, we develop a special red flag radar and communication is key and when they respond with two words, you know you're in trouble!