Fake Reviews to Push Down Bad Reviews

[Andreya3]

Hi Everyone,

I sadly booked a flat in London that seemed too good to be true and it definitely was. We booked a particular flat because of its location and then after our reservation was confirmed we received a contract from our host saying that he could change the location on us. This was a red flag for us and we immediately started to look at the host's reviews more critically. When we dug a little deeper we found out that this particular host had gotten hundreds of reviews in the last 2 months all by "guests" who had been on Airbnb's platform for only a month. These guests, though they were only members of Airbnb for 1 month had somehow stayed at multiple properties for this host over several months. We also discovered profiles that used the same profile picture but changed the name of the guest. When we scrolled further we found that these fake reviews were made to push down all the bad reviews about how the guests had reserved one property but were given totally different properties in different locations than they had reserved. Not only were people given different properties but the new properties often were in bad parts of the city or no where near where they needed to be, furnishings and fixtures were broken or being booked into properties that do not allow Airbnb's.

Airbnb is not taking any responsibility for their poor vetting of hosts. This is our second time in a month having issues with Airbnb where they simply say sorry and there's nothing they can do to help except offer a few optional listings that are no where near London. I've reached out to them to help us come to a satisfactory resolution but all they say is sorry, book another Airbnb. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Andreya3 we had a guest recently who was 'risking'  Airbnb for the first time because of horror stories she had heard particularly in London. There are many good hosts there as @Gordon0 will tell you but equally there seem to be many bad actors as well.

Unless Airbnb weeds out these bad hosts both guests and hosts will suffer.

[Gordon0]

I think your first sentence (I sadly booked a flat in London that seemed too good to be true and it definitely was) says it all, really. I'm not once to ignore my gut instinct and you don't come across as the type who would either, @Andreya3. Thankfully you carried out your due diligence so didn't come a cropper. 

The 'good' old days of Airbnb really caring about its purpose is long gone; it's now a money game, nothing more. Time after time you'll hear one of the execs chirping up that the latest 'release' is a 'game changer' and that they've listened. I fear, as your experience has highlighted, that's simply not the case. 

Yes, there are heaps of decent listings, but there are untold un-policed ones too, and let's not even talk about the multi-property listing business who just want to vacuum up the business.

Belong anywhere? Yup, it appears Airbnb isn't really that fussed about where you land up, as long as you've paid the fees.  

Money talks.