How to deal with retaliation review?

[David6]

Another nightmare weekend. Saturday I fell asleep at 12 midnight, as horrendous personal situation  (is this wrong!? Do I need to be 24/7 *woke*)

woke up at 5am to see dozens of calls - around 1am / 2am time - from guest who had ‘left keys in uber’ .

i can’t understsnd why the guest didn’t recall her driver - his number would be listed in app - and get keys back. 

Anyway, at 5am I wake up - message and tell guest how to get emergency set of keys. Bingo! She acknowledges she’s back in flat! 

She messages next day, to say ‘sorry, don’t worry, chatted to driver, I’ll get keys back, before I check out.’ 

So today Monday. Guest checks out. Sends message. ‘Not able to get keys back, I had to rush to catch my train’

I phoned Airbnb to log issue and commenced resolution claim. I just charged  the ‘labour’ to Change barrel on 3 locks. Not whole new locks. No charge for all extra keys I had to cut for me, cleaner, my new guests, arriving this same day at 3pm! I tried to be reasonable. 

Weekend guest accepts the charge, but of course leaves retaliatory review. 

Nearly 6 years of hosting Airbnb? How do I feel? Defeated, unsupported, guests can ruin hosts, no fairness, a platform hosts built and  pay for with fees , yet treated with utter contempt! Superhosts lost because of guests like this! 

And *supposed* voice of hosts (the biggest joke of this century)  @laurachambers 

you ignored me last time when a guest literally sh*t all over my apartment! But when  are you going to step up to your role - supporting hosts? -  stop guests who are charged via resolution centre, from leaving reataliority  reviews????  I appreciate this is rude, but apart from staying with superhosts all around the world - utterly  pountless as so biased- and documenting how amazing it all is. What is your response to hosts like me, who are totally hacked off with Airbnb? A totally disillusioned host worn down by Airbnb policies? 

[Kelly149]

@David6 obviously we're in different places and have different products available to us, but my smart lock does have a key and I do have one stashed away somewhere if the electronics ever go bonkers.

It seems inconceivable to me that 3 reviews could topple the work of 600 previous but I suppose it could depend on the timing.

And to your larger point, yes, abb should def do something about nonsense in guest reviews. To cheer you up here is a list of the actual things guests have said when they marked us down in a category or overall:

- this place should have a queen or king bed instead of singles

- host should have reminded me to read the info they sent me about how to open up the house again, closer to my arrival time

- the address was wrong!! (No, it wasn't, you just didn't read our directions)

- there is traffic in this town and it took a REALLY long time to arrive from where we were

- any and all ABBs should allow me to bring as many people over as I like, I rented the whole place afterall

- listing was where it said it was, but that's a really long way away from the other places I was visiting

- TERRIBLE (this was after their post-stay messages said WONDERFUL, but also after support agreed to bill them for breaking our shower valve)

- they won't store your luggage or let you stay past your checkout time (this was another host!!!)

- this host is fussy, they came over 3 times in one day! (well, one was your checkin, one was to tell you that parking in our yard, on a grassy hillside, next to a busy road wasn't safe and the last trip was to confirm that the tow truck you called was safely able to move your friend's car that they had gotten stuck (in our yard, on a hillside, next to a busy road!!)

There's probably others, but yeah, the abb review system is bonkers.

[David6]

@Kelly149 

Haha. Thank you I needed that. Those comments! 

Could I ask the brand of your smartlock please? It sounds exactly what I’m looking for, and could then store an emergency key in lockbox 

[Kelly149]

@David6 It is a Schlage. 

They do still make ones that have keypads & keys. Good luck!

[Kathy101]

We use a Schlage and it’s been fine over the past 2 years.  We also keep a backup in a lockbox and in the apartment. 

[Raslila0]

Kwikset is good 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

loool 😄 @Kelly149 

[Mark116]

@Kelly149  One of my favorite negative reviews was from a group who simply hated our house, they hated that it was old, they hated the neighborhood, they hated everything about it...so they said, among other things, that the apartment needed to be painted.  They were our 2nd guests.  The living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, hallway and all the trim in the apartment had been painted within the month of their stay!  They also complained of a lack of fans [in November! in New Jersey!].   Looking back, I can see the humor there, but at the time it felt very insane and depressing.

[Mike1034]

@Mark116 They did not like the color you painted your appartment. Please re-paint it with a color they like 🙂

[Yadira22]

@Mark116 oh dear- some people are « precious » indeed. 

I once had someone who complained about the location as the apartment is far from the closest train station (1.3km, 15 mins walk (timed in 6 inches heels) or 5 mins by bus).

Hé came to sit an exam that is 30 mins walk away from the apartment and when I questioned him on which station he went to, he got off at one which is not only 30 mins from the flat (walking- he chose this despite being able to take a direct bus) and in the opposite direction from his exam venue. I tried to explain this to him but he was adamant on being correct?! Some battles are not worth fighting!

Truth be told I was annoyed but the overall ridiculousness of it is amusing once you realise how small it is and you really can’t please everyone! So.. you move on and learn from it! 🙂

[Julian356]

Yadira22, Yep,

My place is 900 meters from a train station, there are four train stations on two lines within 1.5 Km and multiple bus routes nearby, the closest is about 200 meters. Two of the stations (on two different lines) are two stops from Sydney's Central Station (5 minutes on the train). I once had a guest complain that my place is too far from the CBD and it took too long to walk there.

Having said that, many guests do comment on how close it is to the city and the good availability of public transport.

I guess anybody reading the comments could see the disparity in that one comment.

[Robert523]

I had a complaint recently that my curtains were too stiff!

[Yolanda8]

I recently received a 5-star review with the comments: "the pillow was too high"   -seriously ??!

[ELizabeth573]

LOL!!!!  Hysterical!!

[Yolanda8]

no you don't need to use digital locks that only use keys as well; there are great locks available now that never use keys; they even have a back-up power system in case the battery fails; here are my favorites:

-for study deadbolt exterior lock:

https://www.amazon.ca/Yale-Assure-Lock-Free-Touchscreen/dp/B075RX6FVP/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2JE01OK3NTKZC&...

-for bedroom locks [for shared spaces]

https://www.amazon.ca/Angel-Electronic-Combination-Apartment-warehouse/dp/B0786K7679/ref=sr_1_2?keyw...

[David6]

@Ange2 

I only use the mobile app. 

Go to ‘progress’, then you see total numbers of reviews and current rating. Click rating and you see your review ‘trends’