How do I remove a slanderous review

[Elizabeth290]

I just had a guest check out who left a nasty review.  Amongst other untruths, she stated that my husband is creepy, and that we watch our guests.  Untrue!  

All my other reviews are 5 star, and this review changes that and makes us look really bad.  How can I get it taken down?

Please help!

[Chris1537]

I feel the same as you do. I've shared my experience and my thoughts on why Airbnb fail to protec their hosts in another thread If you'd like to take a look and comment.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Why-negative-and-dishonest-reviews-will-never-be-removed...

[Simon616]

Hey yep some people are just arseholes.

And they are stubborn and will just say **bleep** it without any consideration of the damage it could cause others.

Airbnb I have found do not like to interfere, getting in the middle of a disagreement is not their thing.

As a result of the lack of support from Airbnb I have drastically reduced how much I use Airbnb now and use a competitive app and hotels more.

If Airbnb are just going to let your reputation be trampled with no ability to correct it, that could damage your future incomes and it's immoral and irresponsible of the management team at Airbnb to just sit back and not do anything. Airbnb used to have a 30 day window for reviews they have shortened this to 14 days. They could easily extend that review period to 3 months, people can remember a 3 month period but they choose not to.

After a bad experience where I got a negative review after a host flat out lied about communications I had with her ( it was all captured in Airbnb chat) I have no recourse with Airbnb, they don't care. Trust us out the window with this brand

[Christopher187]

I had a guest pull something very similar in their review, and I posted about it here: https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/My-first-negative-review-dishonest-and-retaliatory/m-p/6...

The guest wrote that I entered unannounced and that she was traveling alone.  In fact, I told them I would meet them upon arrival: just one minute (literally 60 seconds) after they arrived and let themselves in using their keycode, I showed up at the door, knocked, then opened the door and called in.  My exterior cameras confirmed all of this.  I had messaged them right before this indicating that I would meet them at the house when they arrived.  Also, the guest was not traveling alone, but with her boyfriend or coworker.

When the guest left her negative review, I was so upset.  I contacted Airbnb immediately, and I even closed my listing, telling Airbnb that couldn't have potential guests seeing the negative review.  I asked Airbnb if we could cancel my pending bookings.  Airbnb removed the negative review immediately.

[Christine1609]

Hi Simon.... I have been a host now for a couple of years. I am not sure what has happened to Airbnb but I don't really think they have capacity to respond in any sort of meaningful way anymore.

I have been trying for a week now to speak with someone who is able to investigate or even just someone who can give anything other than a prescriptive response.

I suspect the call centre has been outsourced. All people I have spoken with have distinct Asian accents and made up names. I open a case and then it is closed. I finally got a guy today called Justine (didn't have the heart to tell him his name should be speit Justin. Anyway I think I caught his imagination and he actually did make some inroads.

I had a guest I had to ask to leave last Tuesday. He wanted to extend his stay and operate outside Airbnb and I said no. Meanwhile 6 hours later after checkout he still had not booked. I suspect he was after a free nights accommodation.

I have been advised he has left a negative review.

He was trying to exploit the Airbnb platform and in my home with no booking. So why should he be able to leave a negative review when he had violated the rules that govern Airbnb.

I am inclined to think the only avenue is through government regulatory agencies.

I will be making a complaint to Department of Fair Trading in the morning.

Will be interesting to see if they are able to make Airbnb accountable and provide some protection to hosts when dishonest scammers enter their home.

[Cara59]

We too are dealing with a completely false and slanderous review, calling my husband creepy and homophobic. This guest did not even arrive to the property although she booked it, and more folks showed up than she paid for.  My husband was gracious, but firm, and we requested that the extra guest charges, $20 per night per guest be paid, rather than asking them not to stay. She spent two hours telling airbnb only one extra guest showed up, (incorrect) and finally after I suggested the sixth person leave if she wasn't willing to pay for him, she admitted to AIRBNB 6 guests had arrived. Her payment did not go through and the review she left was shocking and truly fake.  Having a 4.9 rating with over 470 reviews we have made every effort for 7 years to offer the best service and accomodations possible, being in an almost constant state of cleaning toilets (feels like). Airbnb is reviewing the situation.  First the homophobic comment is absurd (we are loving parents to three grown gay children, two married to their significant others and one engaged).  There are so many falsehoods I won't even address them here and I have not yet written a response.  I am happy to see some of the information here and would apprciate any more specific legal infomation to persuede Airbnb to do the right thing. This guest is a seemingly retired attorney now into marketing.  Christina never came because she had a sick baby but writes the review as if she did.  She makes up things from start to finish and slanders my husband repeatedly in the review and also states how she detests AIRBNB and will no longer book thru them.  It's all absurd, but hurts, and has made both my husband and I stressed over the situation. That my husband is insulted is an understatement.  Her payment did not go through, she literally makes up a story from start to finishe that does not remotely gel with the conversation we actually had in the least.  grrrrrrrrrrrr

Christina

May 2019

My husband and I have enjoyed using Airbnb over the years, and have stayed all over the world and met incredible people and stayed at beautiful locations. We enjoy our peace and quiet, and spend our stays out and about by day, then enjoying a quiet evening with our infant daughter at the rental, cooking a meal and going to bed early. This is our dream experience for Airbnb. During those stays, we have met many wonderful hosts and have never had a single conflict. Unfortunately, this was our first negative Airbnb experience, and it was so horrible that we will not be using the service ever again. The host Cara and her husband were invasive of our privacy, made inappropriate demands outside of the Airbnb conflict resolution (which we had to use on issues such as homophobia, and to adjust the rental to accomodate one extra guest they had approved, then rescinded their approval of mid-stay). The host's husband in particular made our female guests extremely uncomfortable because he was lurking on the property, watching everyone. They have no boundaries, and this was further evidenced by emails sent to me that were threatening and even contained homophobic language regarding my husband sharing a bed with his best friend (a dude). The hosts were angry we had an additional guest, which we told them about in advance and requested to either pay an additional fee OR have our friend stay somewhere else. Instead of resolving this properly, they made demands mid-stay about removing the extra person (when we had already paid for them via Airbnb's support resolution). Additionally, this was not for the entire house as advertised. We did not have any exclusive use of the home, as the host's husband went to/from frequently and kept making inappropriate comments about my husband's age. None of our female guests felt comfortable going outside to enjoy the beautiful property, because the host's husband was there, watching. It was creepy and uncalled for. I have never, ever, had an Airbnb host lack boundaries or creep me out, until this. Instead of a serene mountain getaway, we were stalked, harassed with angry conduct by the host, and left with a rental that was not as promised in the advertisement.

[Cara59]

We too are dealing with a completely false and slanderous review, calling my husband creepy and homophobic. This guest did not even arrive to the property although she booked it, and more folks showed up than she paid for.  My husband was gracious, but firm, and we requested that the extra guest charges, $20 per night per guest be paid, rather than asking them not to stay. She spent two hours telling airbnb only one extra guest showed up, (incorrect) and finally after I suggested the sixth person leave if she wasn't willing to pay for him, she admitted to AIRBNB 6 guests had arrived. Her payment did not go through and the review she left was shocking and truly fake.  Having a 4.9 rating with over 470 reviews we have made every effort for 7 years to offer the best service and accomodations possible, being in an almost constant state of cleaning toilets (feels like). Airbnb is reviewing the situation.  First the homophobic comment is absurd (we are loving parents to three grown gay children, two married to their significant others and one engaged).  There are so many falsehoods I won't even address them here and I have not yet written a response.  I am happy to see some of the information here and would apprciate any more specific legal infomation to persuede Airbnb to do the right thing. This guest is a seemingly retired attorney now into marketing.  Christina never came because she had a sick baby but writes the review as if she did.  She makes up things from start to finish and slanders my husband repeatedly in the review and also states how she detests AIRBNB and will no longer book thru them.  It's all absurd, but hurts, and has made both my husband and I stressed over the situation. That my husband is insulted is an understatement.  Her payment did not go through, she literally makes up a story from start to finishe that does not remotely gel with the conversation we actually had in the least.  grrrrrrrrrrrr

Christina

May 2019

My husband and I have enjoyed using Airbnb over the years, and have stayed all over the world and met incredible people and stayed at beautiful locations. We enjoy our peace and quiet, and spend our stays out and about by day, then enjoying a quiet evening with our infant daughter at the rental, cooking a meal and going to bed early. This is our dream experience for Airbnb. During those stays, we have met many wonderful hosts and have never had a single conflict. Unfortunately, this was our first negative Airbnb experience, and it was so horrible that we will not be using the service ever again. The host Cara and her husband were invasive of our privacy, made inappropriate demands outside of the Airbnb conflict resolution (which we had to use on issues such as homophobia, and to adjust the rental to accomodate one extra guest they had approved, then rescinded their approval of mid-stay). The host's husband in particular made our female guests extremely uncomfortable because he was lurking on the property, watching everyone. They have no boundaries, and this was further evidenced by emails sent to me that were threatening and even contained homophobic language regarding my husband sharing a bed with his best friend (a dude). The hosts were angry we had an additional guest, which we told them about in advance and requested to either pay an additional fee OR have our friend stay somewhere else. Instead of resolving this properly, they made demands mid-stay about removing the extra person (when we had already paid for them via Airbnb's support resolution). Additionally, this was not for the entire house as advertised. We did not have any exclusive use of the home, as the host's husband went to/from frequently and kept making inappropriate comments about my husband's age. None of our female guests felt comfortable going outside to enjoy the beautiful property, because the host's husband was there, watching. It was creepy and uncalled for. I have never, ever, had an Airbnb host lack boundaries or creep me out, until this. Instead of a serene mountain getaway, we were stalked, harassed with angry conduct by the host, and left with a rental that was not as promised in the advertisement.

[Susan612]

Hi Cara, I see one thing in the review that might be cause for it to be removed. I would like other experienced hosts and guests to share their opinion if my thinking is correct. 

A review should not discuss the details of an air bnb investigation. 

[Susan612]

In my opinion his review discusses the details of an investigation. Am I spot on? 

[Helen3]

Hi @Susan612  and @Cara59 

I would say have it removed on the following grounds

1. This is a false review because she did not stay at the property and therefore she cannot claim this was her experience

2. Mention of the resolution centre

3. Factually incorrect. She did not agree one extra guest in advance. Nor the second additional guest.

Hope this helps.

[Susan612]

@Helen3. Hi Helen, I thought about adding the personal experience but it does say the personal experience of the guest and their travel companions but I did too wonder if someone who didn’t stay could write the review.

Regarding the review being factual that word factual was from the terms of service 10.2 in 2017. That TOS 10.2 also said the review had to be truthful and fair. Now this new TOS just says accurate which is similar to factual.

quesrion is who do we report violation of TOS 10.2. I’ve gotten different answers. I was told case managers only oversee content policy and not TOS. Then I was told “the system” oversees TOS 10.2. Then I was told that Air Bnb representative was wrong and now I am told Trust and Safety oversees TOS 10.2 but they can not be reached directly by us hosts and guests 

[Cara59]

My case is apprently with Turst and Safety and they cannot be reached by phone.  They are like the black ops of government, unreachable.  Although phone support said they were upping the priority of my case I have heard nothing. I may send the issue off to executives in the company, works with Citibank and Chase in the past. 

[Susan612]

Christopher Elliot’s web page has the executives contacts 

[Cara59]

The first ABNB employee I spoke to said that was a "minor" issue, that she was not the person staying but wrote the review. 

[Susan612]

Ask did a second and a third representative. I get different answers on the same question ALL the time. Also check out CHRIS ELLIOT. He is a consumer advocate that has had success with certain unsatisfied Air bnb hosts and guests. If you have your case covered well in writing. 

[Susan612]

It’s not a question of minor. It’s a question of whether it violates the content policy or not. There is no spectrum in interpreting it