Extremely Low Rating Based on Accuracy

[Scott1598]

Hello All,

For our 20th review we no longer have a 5.0 rating which, I understand, is to be expected over time.  I take a lot of pride in being completely transparent and going above and beyond for our guests which has served us well so far but know that everyone has different expectations and despite trying, will fall short from time to time against guest expectations.

That said, I just had a guest leave an overall score of 3 driven primarily by a score of 2 given to accuracy and selecting "the place was smaller than expected" which also drove them to select a 2 for Value in the ratings.  I get that some ratings may be subjective but I clearly state in the "Listing size" that it is 744 sq feet.  I also state the listing description under, "The Space"

The entire space is 744 sq. ft and we have made the most of the "cozy" layout. Out of all of the spaces, the living room is what will feel the smallest. We decided to use more space for a reasonable set of stairs up to the loft instead of a simple ladder for easier access between the two floors. The ceilings are tall and it gets great light. The furniture is new but you will need to shift or move pieces under the stairs if you use the sofa bed at night. We often have movie night with five people but the space is not set up to host larger gatherings.

Additionally, this particular guest had a lot of questions leading up to their visit which is completely fine.  They were very interested in the exact sizing of the pull out couch for a taller member of their party.  I sent them the exact dimensions and sent another picture of the entire space in the living room over Airbnb messages so they had another angle of the space.

Here is the written review I received so the guest was clearly happy with how I accommodated their stay (I allowed both early check-in and late check out) and not once (in 21 messages from her over 3 days) did I hear anything about the space being misrepresented.

I enjoyed my stay, however, the apartment was much smaller than in the pictures. Our host was very nice and communicative and was very accommodating. I would say this apartment would be good for only two people but not more than two. I rate this overall a good apartment if not more than two people. It was very clean and accessible and our host was wonderful. Thanks Scott!

I reached out to Airbnb support asking for their advice and they just said it does not "clearly violate" any rules and that "the guidelines do not cover what would happen if a Guest perspective differs from the facts of the situation."  In this case it seems the facts are clearly presented in the listing and measurable, in square feet.  I understand there are other measures and perceptions but space, if clearly communicated, seems like something that we should not be penalized for if we represent square footage accurately.

I can leave a public response.  I then asked them to review my listing and offer any advice on how I could have been more clear or "earned" a higher rating and they said they appreciate I'm a Superhost and it shows from my reviews and that's it.  No other options.

I rated this guest five stars for Communication since when they communicated, it was always respectful.  I rated their cleanliness a five since they did leave the place clean.  I did state that I would not host this guest again and listed the reasoning to help Airbnb determine what could be considered a "good" guest and to make other hosts aware of some of the challenges I had that did not fit under the rating categories I was provided during review.

All that said, I'm really having a difficult time deciding what my options are would sincerely appreciate guidance from you all who have certainly experienced similar feedback that seems quite extreme given all of my efforts to present my listing clearly.  Airbnb says 

1. Do nothing.  Understand that I will get bad reviews, even if those reviews seem unjustified.
2. Try another approach with Airbnb support that could get the review reconsidered and removed.
3. Write the guest for feedback.  I don't think this is a good approach in this case despite the fact that we exchanged so many positive notes where I was "helpful and accommodating."   
4. Respond to the guest review publicly.  This doesn't feel like a good approach either since it doesn't change the rating and despite hosts' best efforts, it can often come off in a bad light for the host.

Additionally, this is the last private message I received from the guest the day of their check out:

This is [guest name]- Scott thanks so much for your hospitality and would come back again 😊

Sincerely appreciate any feedback on approach.  I take a lot of pride in the reviews I earn as a host and put a lot of energy into providing excellent experiences for guests.  

Listing:  https://abnb.me/fdQddYH8Kpb

Thank you!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Scott1598 either do nothing or respond to the review positively - Perhaps something like

'I am sorry the apartment was too small for you and I am glad you have brought this up in your review. It is important that guests have the correct expectation when arriving as we are, as mentioned in the listing, only 744sq feet'

[Charles224]

@Scott1598 there are so many things we want to say to them.. but @Mike-And-Jane0 are correct.

My bug is always "location" - wtf? That's something no-one can improve, unless your property is a caravan or a tent.. and I get people saying "there was no TV" when I point it out in the description.

We can't fix the entitled, but we can cash their cheques.

Cheers, Charles

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Charles224 I love the 'we can cash their cheques' concept.

We were given 4 stars for accuracy once because our place was bigger than they thought it would be. Oh well - we can't make it smaller but we can cash their cheques works great for me.

[Scott1598]

Thank you so very much @Mike-And-Jane0 and @Charles224 .  I considered your feedback and was leaning to the "do nothing" route and just let it be.  I then had a follow-up call from Airbnb asking if the issue was resolved and I just reiterated that size, if reported transparently, is not a candidate for perspective.  I asked again what else I could have done to be more transparent and the support member reviewed the listing and said they could not offer any other recommendations.  I was then advised of the option to reach out to the guest and, if they agreed and were willing to reach out to Airbnb, they could request their review be removed.  

So now I find myself considering a note.  I have received individual category ratings of a 4 before and sent a kind note asking for feedback to guests.  In all cases the guest responded and elaborated.  In every case I have completely agreed with their take and updated my listing or guidebook accordingly.  

Any advice on how a note to this guest might go given the history above  She was one of the more verbose guests I have had so sure our communication to this point will lend itself to one follow-up note.  My intent is only to maximize the chance she will reconsider her review as possibly unfair and ask it to be removed. 

Something like:

Thank you for taking the time to provide a review.  While we continue to grow as hosts and always appreciate feedback I was very surprised at some of the extremely low ratings.  I reached out to Airbnb to ask for them for guidance on how I could improve my listing and was offered no advice other than what I already include in my descriptions.

I do my very best to represent the size of the place appropriately in the listing (especially the living room) and will continue to think of ways to improve.  The rating of 2 out of 5 for Accuracy is stating that our listing, overall, has more inaccuracies than accuracies and that leads to future guests believing they cannot trust me as a host.

I would genuinely appreciate if you could reconsider your review.  Airbnb support recommended I write you with this request.  If you are willing to have it removed you can notify Airbnb support through the app to make the request to have it removed.  Thank you for considering how future guests will perceive us as hosts based on your review.  If that is not your intent I genuinely appreciate your request to Airbnb to have the review removed.

Thank you.

Appreciate thoughts on wording above.  I don't see much of a downside to one, polite request.  From there I think my best course of action is to just move on.

Thanks again for the advice!

[Mike-And-Jane0 · Accepted solution]

@Scott1598 We. have the following text in our house manual:

We hope you enjoyed your time with us and will leave a review on Airbnb. The Airbnb system is somewhat strange in that an average of 4.7 stars is ‘the level of performance that’s expected from hosts on Airbnb’.

I wonder if you could weave some of this in to your request so that the guest realises how damaging a very low rating is.