Guest not being able to leave a review

[Lynette57]

A recent guest contacted me and said that he couldn't leave a review as AirBNB hadn't posted the link for him to do so.

A link and email was sent to me to post a review for my guest, but when I go to the actual booking it is not saying completed or confirmed, it is still saying accepted although it was a week ago and guest has left.

I have been paid but is this another of the AirBNB platform hitches.

[Steve143]

Hello @Lynette57,

I'm not sure if reservations ever change to saying "Completed". All my previous ones still say "Accepted", even ones ffrom a year ago.

You could ask the guest to check his email spam folder for the review prompt email. If it isn't there then either you or the guest can contact Airbnb support to discuss the issue.

Guests should get an initial prompt at about the same time that the host does and also get one shortly before the 14 day window closes.

Steve.

[Letti0]

I found out if a guest does not have a profile picture they do not send the review information until the profile picture is added. Once the pic was added she got the review email. 

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

Interesting. A guest can book a place without a profile picture but not review it? Something seems wrong here! 

[Robin4 · Accepted solution]

@Letti0 @Bruna-and-Siana0 @Lynette57

@Letti0 I don't think that is quite right Letti....at least not here in Australia. Last month I got a review from a guest with no profile picture as per this screen shot...

@Lynette57 Regardless of whether you or your guest got an email prompt to write a review, do as follows..

Log on, >  Profile > Edit Profile...and on the left of screen select Reviews. If you click 'Reviews by you', you will see a prompt for any reviews that may be outstanding.

I hope this helps.

Rob

[Lynette57]

@Robin4 Rob, I have left a review for my guest but he has been unable to leave a review for my home, , There is no prompt for him to write a review and although he has contacted ABNB they said no drama they will fix it. LOL Maybe net year. following your  advise dosnt help at all unfortunatley.

[Robin4]

@Lynette57

Don't worry  Lynette, he will be able to. I can assure you, when it comes to reviews, nothing is ever lost. There are upgrades taking place all the time and some of those affect the review system, but if a booked guest stayed he will be able to leave a review.

The only exception to this is if he used another users account to book the stay. Third party bookings are a problem on a number of levels but we all seem to get them.... a guest using another persons account.

If it is a glitch in the system CS will make sure it is fixed, they never like to let a review escape.

How are things up there in sunny Queensland.....autumn has well and truly taken over down here now, guests are using every bit of heating I offer at night now with nightime temps down around the 2-5c range....but I would not swap your humidity!!!

Cheers.....Rob

[Letti0]

@Robin4 I called the US line and this was the reason they gave me. Maybe it's diffent in Australia and Europe, but in the US she said this was why. I sent a pre-approval to this family as they could not book without it due to verification issues. She could not get her ID to upload. 

[Robin4]

@Letti0

Ah, now that's different altogether Leti, a guest can't book without a verified photo...it is part of the process required to be able to make a reservation. But once a guest is verified (including an account photo on file) they can put up that photo of their favourite pot plant, or themselves paddling a canoe over Niagara Falls as their profile photo. Many hosts do not like accepting guests who do not present a clear facial image as their profile photo but, the sheer fact that they can book means, Airbnb do have that required photo on file!

You will find many users on this community centre who do not have a headshot photo as their profile photo but, all of them can book a listing because they have completed the verification process. I have probably around 20 reviews of guests who do not have a headshot photo.

It is the booking of a listing that requires the photo, not the review!

Letti here are a few more exanples I just pulled out from my first few pages of reviews 

Cheers.....Rob

EDIT: Bloody typos!

[Wendy1032]

My husband and I stayed at a cottage listed by Airbnb. The housing was adequate but it was in a deplorable, rundown, slum neighborhood! How are they allowed to scan the reviews for their page and post ONLY the positive ones? BEWARE!! Check out the neighborhood BEFORE you book a vacation!! Once they have their money they could care less!!

[Jennifer1421]

@Wendy1032 

I see that you have recently stayed in St. Augustine., and that there is no review from you showing for your host. I assume that you did leave one, and that it has been removed. As I don't know what information your review contained, I can only assume it was removed under the relevancy policy, given your statement regarding the neighbourhood, above.

Perhaps the following articles will help for future reviews that you leave:

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Making-reviews-more-relevant-and-useful-for-our-c...

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Airbnb-Updates/Making-reviews-more-relevant-and-useful-for-our-c...

I do see that the "location" rating for the listing has been downgraded (it's showing as 4.7, in comparison with the higher ratings for other elements of the listing). Sometimes, "reading between the lines" with reviews and star ratings is helpful when making a decision to book.

[Wendy1032]

I rated the location a "1". How is that considered a 4.7? Location is important, we did not expect to pay to stay on vacation in a deplorable neighborhood. We NEVER asked for our money back!! I even sent pictures to Airbnb of the surroundings! All we were told is the host will not return our money...we did not ask her to. I am livid that you do not accept any negative reviews and screen them all first. That is a poor way to run a company! I don't want another guest to be in the same situation that we were in so where do I post that exactly without it being removed?? Maybe the Better Business Bureau??

[Wendy1032]

This is the message I received from your company:

At Airbnb, we allow our hosts to list their property regardless of the neighbourhood. We provide a map of the area the listing is in, as well as the host. We only hold our hosts accountable for the conditions in the listing. Again, I do apologize for your experience at the listing and want to assure you that this is not a common occurrence.

So you accept EVERY listing, regardless of the surroundings! I did not feel that I had to do a previous search of the neighborhood,  considering you appeared to be a reputable company. Considering you accept no negative reviews, either from guests or hosts, you will always appear that way. I would invite you to spend a weekend vacation in a slum and see how happy you are! 

[Sarah977]

@Wendy1032  You appear to be under the mistaken impression that you are communicating with Airbnb customer service here. This is just a discussion forum for hosts and guests- no one here works for Airbnb.

Airbnb does not remove negative reviews. It's actually like pulling teeth to try to get them to remove a review, even if the guest has lied about things, or complained about something that was clearly mentioned in the listing information. The only time they remove reviews is if they violate review policy- just mentioning negative aspects of a stay isn't grounds for removal.

Did it ever occur to you that past guests have not found the location to be as objectionable as you did? What makes you think that other guests complained about the location and their reviews were removed? It makes no sense to assume such a thing. Not everyone has the same standards for what they find unacceptable, it's very individual.

As to the rating you gave- the 1* isn't considered a 4.7. The 4.7 reflects the average of the ratings the host has received over all the reviews.

[Caron25]

I wasn’t allowed to leave a review about a place I rented thru Airbnb where the hosts lied about the condition of the place as well as were really shady individuals trying to overcharge me after I had paid in full as well as canceling my reservation early bc I complained. The property at *private information hidden* where the main host is Huss lied about maintenance work being done and the severity of it 

never were we informed that they would be entering our unit that we paid a lot of money for to do work. Further the next day we were unaware that they would be tearing up the driveway and parking would be unavailable 

they assured me I would be compensated $1000 for all these problems and instead of doing that they ended our reservation 6 days early and refused to stick to their word

my advice is to stay away from this Airbnb or any that the hosts are Bright, Huss or Matthew bc they are thieves and bc of them I got burned for a lot of money 

I had a bad feeling before I rented the place but was assured that Airbnb fights for its renters which is not true 

they do not care nor protect anyone but themselves