Airbnb refusing to remove vindictive review

[Kat11165]

 Had a guest make a reservation for the weekend for her and her family. I ask upon booking if the individuals staying at the property have any allergies, which she ignored and did not answer. She stated she would check in the AM but didn’t arrive until after 9pm. She stayed for maybe 20 minutes before she messaged me that she couldn’t stay in the unit because the air fresheners were giving her an allergy and causing a headache. I mentioned to her to remove the air fresheners, which she said she did and wasn’t helping, and instead left. Our cleaning crew unfortunately did leave too many air fresheners in the unit but when I went into the unit immediately after, the air fresheners had not been moved from their original spot and the AC was off. I offered her to return in a few hours, or even the next day, as we left the ac on, removed the air fresheners, and left the bathroom on so the air vent could filter the smell out. She refused to return. She didn’t cancel the reservation in the app, so the unused days were booked from my calendar and unable to be reserved by other individuals.

She then asked for a refund on Monday, which I refused because our cancellation policy states no refunds within the 14 days. She then messaged me and said she didn’t have allergies.
She then left me a review, which isn’t negative in writing but gave me a 1 star overall and for value, which now is affecting our unit. 

I messaged Airbnb and informed them of this and they’re refusing to remove the review even though it’s clear that her review is retaliation for refusing to refund her the booking. On top of that, Airbnb is still entertaining giving her the refund. I took a snapshot of the policy and sent it to Airbnb and they’re still refusing.

I just don’t understand how Airbnb can have a policy that is blatantly being violated and they still side with the guest. It’s mind boggling. I don’t know what other avenues to try anymore. 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Kat11165 ! I am sorry to hear about this situation with the guest and their review. Did you manage to get in touch with Airbnb Customer Support team again to have this instance reviewed again?

[Kia272]

@Kat11165 One air freshener is one too many. As a host, you have to be aware that not everybody likes scents, and a scent that appeals to you may not appeal to others. 

Had you asked me as a guest if I had "allergies" without being specific, I would have said no. (I do have seasonal allergies, but there's nothing you can do about that.) 

HOWEVER.....I can get really sick from air fresheners. Depending on how strong they are, and what scent, I can get a really bad headache and feel generally unwell. 

So A: don't use air fresheners in your guest space, and B: if you're going to use them, check after your cleaning crew to make sure there aren't "too many."

She sounds somewhat difficult, but I'm sympathetic to her situation. She came to your space, and it made her sick. I kind of understand her not wanting to stay. It does take several hours for a strong smell to clear an area, and in your space it has likely permeated the bedding, furniture, etc. You might have wanted to refund her something for the trouble, and perhaps warded off the bad review/rating. Lesson learned, I guess. 

I actually think her review was very fair, since she compliments the space and then says specifically that the air fresheners were the problem. I don't see it as retaliatory, as her experience wasn't great. I think when you ask about "allergies" you need to ask specifically about air fresheners and scents. Guests might think you are asking about cats, dogs, or peanuts.