Can I dispute a baseless guest review?

[Mee-Yee0]

Recently I've received a review from a past guest making baseless remark such as making condescending remark from thin air. They commented something that was clearly not provided or stated in my listing. Scenario like this, can I dispute the review with Airbnb? I've gone through the Airbnb Policies, it didn't specify cases like this. Thanks.

[Paula]

Hello @Mee-Yee0, I hope everything is well with you.

I am reaching out to some of our expert Hosts to get their opinions on your question: @Mary1523,  @Nash-Cottages-LLC0, @Shelley159 and @Greystone0.

Regards,

[Greystone0]

Hi @Mee-Yee0  - I totally understand the frustration from this situation. 

I am unsure if you have a basis for disputing this guest review based on how I read things.  However, I would suggest that you can make some lemonade out of this lemon.

Here's some thoughts:

- this guest stayed for 4 weeks. It seems like you may have other properties that would better suit a longer terms stay. If you didn't suggest it for this guest, you should consider the suggestion for any future long term stay.

It also seems like she had expectations about things that she may have assumed but were not part of your listing. You didn't  mis-represent anything, but she made some conclusions. 

You may need to clarify that your kitchen does not include a stovetop (it's a super cute space, by the way). I can see how a guest may assume that it is a full kitchen. You may need to clarify this. Saying what it does include isn't the same as pointing out that it doesn't have something, if that makes sense. She made an assumption here.

You may need to clarify the supplies that ARE included. It looks like she assumed a whole months worth of supplies. 

I use the "other things to note" section of my listing to keep a list of things that guests may miss or misinterpret. It's just another spot to reinforce important info. In your case I might include these bullet points:

Kitchennette does not include a stove top or oven.

Supplies are appropriate for a 2 night stay (or whatever). If more needed guest can purchase at XYZ store.

Wishing you much success!

Greystone Lodge

[Mee-Yee0]

Hi @Greystone0,

Apologies for the delay, was trying with all means to get my rating up again after that unhappy and unhelpful incident. Getting there I hope! 😊

Thank you so much for the helpful and handy suggestions, especially the "other thing to note" section tip. I've put these suggestions to work and start to see great results.

Happy days again. Thank you so so much!

Happy hosting to you too!

[Shelley159]

Hi @Mee-Yee0 

I agree with @Greystone0 that it will be an uphill battle to try and get the review removed. These things will happen from time to time. It is more productive to see whether you can learn and change anything, and then move on! All hosts are exposed to the possibility of bad reviews, so it's fair in the end! When you feel there is nothing that you can reasonably improve or explain, I would say just put it behind you.

[Mary1523]

Agree with all the other hosts. You don't really have any recourse to have the guest review removed unfortunately.

I think it sounds like your first long stay (?) so these guests always have different expectations. You live and learn. I avoid long term bookings because of the problems they can cause, but if you want them, be prepared.

Everything they asked for, use as a guide to improve what you offer. Perhaps with long term bookings, also double check when they book that they know what they are getting. 

When there is a kitchenette, need to be crystal clear what that means. Some guests may skip over it in the rush to book and in different countries, these mean different things.

I love the 'Things to note' section for these things. After 8 years, my 'Things to note' is like my FAQ on things I have learnt from guest comments/questions.

Managing expectations is the toughest part of being a host as you know. So clarity of communications is critical.

Just also be careful about what you post in reply to an unhappy guest. It is so tempting to go negative, but future guests evaluate you on this. Take a deep breathe and don't respond straight away.

Keep up the great work as a super host, hopefully you'll get a few more bookings and positive reviews to even out the bad one,

kind regs

mary

[Mee-Yee0]

Hi @Mary1523,

Apologies for the delay, was trying with all means to get my rating up again after that unhappy and unhelpful incident. 

Thank you so much for the helpful and handy suggestions, particularly on the part in making things even clearer for LT guests and of course the "Things to note" section. I've put these suggestions to work and start to see great results. Getting there but surely! 

Thank you so so much!

Happy hosting to you!

[Mee-Yee0]

Hi @Shelley159,

Apologies for the delay, was trying with all means to get my rating up again after that unhappy and unhelpful incident. 

Thank you so much for the feedback! It is so true to get back up and move on from it. Getting there but surely! 😊

Thank you so so much!

Happy hosting to you!

[Nash-Cottages-LLC0]

@Paula Thanks for tagging us

@Mee-Yee0 You've gotten some great advice from @Greystone0 @Shelley159 @Mary1523.

The only other nugget we'd offer is that you can always call customer service and try to have the review removed.  

[Mee-Yee0]

Hi @Nash-Cottages-LLC0,

Apologies for the delay, was trying with all means to get my rating up again after that unhappy and unhelpful incident. 

Tried reasoning with customer service, but was an uphill battle, and they would just point me back to the policy which again not helpful policy. 

Anyway, like @Shelley159 @Mary1523  mentioned, put that behind and move on.

Thank you once again!

Happy hosting to you!

[Paula]

Hello @Mee-Yee0,

There are many great suggestions from our Hosts here. We'd love to hear your thoughts! Please let us know once you've had a chance to read through them.

Best regards,

[Mee-Yee0 · Accepted solution]

Many thanks @Paula for your tremendous and kind support. Really helpful bunch and great suggestions! I'll get there again, slowly but surely! 😊

Thank you all for your kind support and feedback, really helpful.