Hosts giving 5-star reviews, despite the experience (or the truth)…

[Gordon0]

Just had two guests (’recommended by’ 5 hosts) check out. And quite frankly, I couldn’t have waited much longer to see them leave.

In short(ish); 

Turned up at 22:30 (despite stating ‘2-3pm’) having decided dinner with friends (without telling me, natch) was more important than my time. Parked in wrong space (despite clear instructions), struggled to open the door (why, just why?) and when they did get open it, slammed it like their lives depended on it. On every subsequent exit and entry.

Spent three days being loud and generally annoying.

Last night I got a message (followed up by a call from an unknown number…which I answered, more fool me): “we left our keys inside, you need to come home”.

When I did, no thank you. 

But I was (rather unpolitely) informed they would be leaving their cases the next day (check out day) until 10pm, because they had night flights home.

Erm, no you won’t, because we’re leaving for our own holidays the same day.

“Ahh, no more guests - we’ll keep the key”.

My “Nope, sorry” met with a pair of ar5e-smacked faces. 

Left the room in a right old mess (I don’t charge a cleaning fee). Four bags of rubbish (the bins are a 30-second walk of the house), half-eaten yoghurts on the dresser, more hair on the floor than a hairdresser’s on a prom-night, and more. And all the walls suitcase-scuffed (those Rimowa ones make a fine mess), and towels a soggy heap on the floor.

Not a quick read, but my somewhat long and drawn-out point/question is, why do hosts feel the need to give guests the ‘thumbs up’ when clearly they can’t wait to see the back of them. These two hadn’t changed their ways for me only, surely?

[Huma0]

I have also accepted guests that had bad reviews/ratings. I do a bit of digging to find out both sides of the story. Mostly, these guests have been great and no trouble at all, but a couple of times I accepted guests only to disover the previous host had been right about the cleanliness issues.

In one of these cases, the guests were such a lovely, genuinely warm and friendly couple, and I didn't want to ruin their chances by giving them a second review criticising their cleanliness, so I just wrote to them about it in the personal feedback in the hope that next time they will take a bit more care.

[J-Renato0]

@Gordon0

Towels on the floor... it rang a bell !  I am not Sherlock Holmes...but I guess I know where from they are! 

[Louise342]

Apart from my first guest who got one star for good reason, I have given 5 stars to everyone even though they haven't been particularly good guests. Today that is about to change.

My last guests gave me my first 4 stars for cleanliness. This was a shock because I had to rewash cutlery and the drawer and the toilet was absolutely disgusting.

She gave me 4 stars for check-in after she went to the wrong house. The number of the house is clearly marked and the gate was left open for them to drive straight in. Should I be standing all afternoon at the front gate waiting for them?

Having got here she announced that she would be leaving a day early. I researched and discovered the best way of doing it was for her to change the dates and suggested as much. She did after 3 days without communication and got a full refund for her last day. Having been given 3 stars for communication because I was not next to my phone when they sms'd that they would be late, I am not sure whether guests just expect a host is a full time concierge.

Location was also a first - 4 stars. She could see the area and knows the town.

Airbnb need to educate people to the fact that they are paying less for good value accomodation because it is not a hotel with full time staff.

Now I am seriously considering doing a full time let. Less work and fewer overhead costs.

And more importantly I won't have Airbnb telling me I should lower my costs when all my guests bar the last say it is good value for money.

[Karl-and-Anneke0]

This is what I find really frustrating about the reviews that some people make their own mistakes but then it reflects bad to our listing. 

We had a similar incident where people asked for our address, I gave it to them & their GPS took them the back road & a terrible road at that to get here. 

They rang me twice asking for directions to which I answered both calls immediately, then I took a screenshot a google maps to send it to them to be more clear & in their review they wrote I was slow at communicating, gave wrong address & wrong directions & it was a terrible place. 

How can you fight these reviews? So unfair when its at no fault of your own

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Karl-and-Anneke0  😄 lol , sounds like mine recent guests

[Gordon0]

These two sent a load of pics to me (at 22:30) of the (wrong) parking space they'd plonked themselves in, my door that they couldn't open (as they hadn't read the instructions) and more...

Big sigh. 

[Natalie101]

I find it really hard to write a bad review as I worry they/ someone else in their group will come back. We had a really bad goup of party animals. We had to ask them to leave as they were smoking and threatening the neighbours who had to call the police on 3 consecutive nights. The 4th night we had to ask them to leave as they had 25 people in our home (sleeps 4) and smoking and threw food all over the walls/ smashed glasses/plates/ broke all our knifes. What happened... they left and stole the keys. They then accuse us of lost property as they lost a ring?!? It has caused a rift with neighbours as they are so unhappy about us using airbnb for when we travel away as they were threatened and kept up for 3 nights with young children/pregnant wife.. I was so scared to write a review as they took the keys. We rarely rent on airbnb as its our home. I really think some guests should simply be banned... they just get their friends to book who also are terrible . 

I really really hate it when guests smoke inside. It is soooo gross! I think there should be a seriously unhygenic/ should not use airbnb button.

[Alon1]

Natalie,

Not sure why you are intimated to give a bad review. 

Otherwise, Police generally don't get involved in 'civil' matters of rentals. 

Criminal damage needs some extensive evidence.

Less so stealing keys which is a simple criminal offence. You just need to make the accusation and Police have to investigate.

I've experienced it once. The person declined to respond to polite requests via phone and email.

The Police were far more persuasive in less 24 hours.

Keys were returned to Police station from where I picked them up.

[Susan17]

@Natalie101

Sorry to say this but not only guests who  party like lunatics and make neighbours' lives misery for 3 consecutive nights should be banned from the platform, but the hosts who allow that to happen should be banned too. Permanently. (And what on earth were you thinking allowing guests to stay after the police had to be called even once??)

The police have better things to be doing with their already scarce manpower, time and resources than to be dealing with Airbnb callouts and civil matters that the hosts should be dealing with themselves. This is precisely the kind of behaviour that's turning public opinion against Airbnb, and getting us all shut down. Take responsibility for your own guests, and stop expecting the police to act as your private security firm. 

[Natalie101]

@Susan17

If only it was that simple. The police did not come, as you say they are limited in time and resourses. Our neighbours informed us of the calls after I went round to appologise! 

We asked for assistance from Airbnb as after walking in on the 25 people they refused to leave. Once they left they would not return the keys. I really doubt that the police would help recover keys when there are FAR more important crimes happening in the city....

[Susan17]

@Natalie101

Ok, but you said "the police were called on 3 consecutive nights". You didn't clarify that they refused to come. 

I still don't understand how it took 4 nights for you to deal with this issue though, when all the while, your neighbours had to suffer the consequences. How is that even possible? 

And what do you expect some kid in an Airbnb office/call-centre, probably on the other side of the world somewhere, to do about it? Your  home, your  guests, your  neighbours, your  responsibility. 

[Alon1]

Natalie, re your real doubt that police would help recover keys.

It doesn't seem you took in what I wrote before of my experience.

I would only add the person whom I had to chase up for my keys, and then reported to police, was threatened with arrest and prosecution.

Police consider it a crime to be urgently investigated.

Why do you think that is?

Consider the possible consequences: the most obvious, theft and assault could easily arise from someone returning to the property

House Insurance is also at stake.

[Alon1]

ps. Natalie, one final important detail. When  returning the keys to the Police station, the person had to sign a declaration that the keys had not been copied in the meantime. 

[Catherine232]

Wow Natalie, that sounds like a nightmare.

[Dee173]

God how awful surely this is what airbnb are for! thats an emergency! did the insurance with air bnb pay for any damages?