I will no longer post a bad review about a guest

[Megan160]

I had an awful guest experience and tried to settle it with the guest personally. She stayed at a reduced rate and then needed to extend her stay. We gave her an even bigger rate discount. When she left, she left the place a mess. Dirty, greasy dishes, pots and pans. All the furniture was in dissaray, both sets of blankets/quilts had spots and stains on them, there were crumbs in all the beds on the mattress pads (which had to be hand picked off), and she ruined a set of sheets.

I took 3 days to cool off before I texted her because we really went out of our way to help this guest and she took advantage of us. I told her I was unhappy about the state of the place and asked her to pay $50 to replace the sheets. Prior to this text, she had nothing but glowing reviews and thanks for me in all her texts. She did not understand why she should have to pay for her sheets because I was a woman and the damaged sheets were a result of a "woman thing" and thus I should understand. I said I shouldn't have to pay for her "woman thing".

After much internal debate, I decided to warn other hosts and gave her an appropriate but still not brutal review, even leaving out the refusal to pay for damages and passing on her lame excuse for the mess. She then gave me a bad review, lying about my place and me. Prior to this review, I had 5 star reviews. Now people think my place is noisy and I am rude. My bookings have almost stoped dead in their tracks after her review. Plus, my 3 month pre-book for Jan-March canceled right after the review. I have contacted Airbnb twice about this to no avail. I had responded to her bad review, but not in much detail because I assumed that if I could prove it was a retaliatory review, it would be removed. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! Not only will they not remove it, they won't even let me expound on my explanation to her bad review.

So frustrated! I am knee deep in the process of spending a lot of money to make my other 2 rentals Airbnb rentals and now I can't even get bookings in prime season. Airbnb penalizes us for trying to warn other hosts about bad guests.

[Dale-And-Frances0]

Hi in our last house we used booking. Com and late rooms. If you think Airbnb are bad try using these. You have to collect the money and pay 20% plus commission. We have had our Annex up and running for 10 months now with no issues with Airbnb. 

[Leslie615]

How was she able to know you left a bad review in time to make what seems like a retaliatory review?

[Chris395]

The platform needs to show reviews given as well as received. I now ask if they have ever given a bad review before approving.

[Sarah977]

@Chris395  You can read the reviews guests have left for previous hosts. When you go to the guest's reviews, click on the profile photo of the host who left a review, which will take you to that host's profile page. Scroll down the host's reviews to find a review from that guest.

You wouldn't accept a guest who had ever left a bad review? Some places deserve bad reviews, you know.

[Chris395]

That only picks up the hosts who left a review. Potential guest should have an overall star rating for the reviews they left for others. This would be a good clue as to how finnicky the person may be.

[Emily26]

I had a couple book for three nights. I had a three night minimum stay set.

They told me after having booked they would not be there the first night as they  had to work.
so near the time of the booking starting I sent them friendly messages explaining check in which was self check-in. And texted them the morning after their first actual night asking if everything was alright. They did not reply.

11 hours later at 7.30 o’clock at night they sent me a text - Which was a massive complaint.  For their stay 

I had left out crockery breakfast ware for them But they said they had been in my plate cupboard and found there to be chipped plates.

There are a few but plenty that are not! They needn’t have been in my private plate drawer given I’d left out crockery. They said The bedding and the towels were dirty. They were not I had laundered them myself - washed and  ironed and changed everything.  They said they would not be staying the final night and wanted a refund. After this text I left a long voicemail message for them explaining the bed was clean and they needn’t have even opened the plate cupboard as I’d left out stuff for them.  

I sought advice from Airbnb and have since refunded them the majority of their money.

But before this was processed 

I can see they’ve reviewed me.  

My private hunch is that they never wanted to pay the full rate for my room and this was their way of trying to get out of it.

I’m well aware they will have written me a negative review.

What is my best course of action?

Do I not review them as I can see they joined Airbnb In mid 2019 and have not got any reviews!!

Or do I review them and have a chance to respond to their review?

I’ve been trying to speak to Airbnb but there is a culture of Guest bullying and I think they’re very un helpful! 

[Ross648]

Hello Emily, 

Sorry about these "guests" -- we've ALL been there.  In this case, there is nothing to lose, their review is in.   Tell the truth about the guests so that other hosts can protect themselves, to the degree that protection is possible, which really it is not.    The only way to cope with the AirBnB rating system is to train yourself not to care about it.  

[Sarah977]

@Emily26  Definitely leave a review. You have nothing to lose by doing so but other hosts may have plenty to lose if you don't warn them. There is nothing to talk to Airbnb about- they are gone and you conceded to refund them, which there was no need for and you really shouldn't have done, as they now think they got away with it, which they did, aside from the pending review.

Stick to the facts, don't make suppositions about them having had the intention to complain so they could get a refund, even though it's obvious that was the plan. Write a review you would have wanted to see to warn you not to accept them.

[Caroline1575]

The more hosts leave factual-based bad reviews to obviously bad disrespectful damaging guests, the more these guests will not find lodging on the platform, these people belong in hotels who charge a lot of money for a stay, for this exact reason. Because hosts work hard to prepare  rooms, as well as the rest of the house for guests, and hosts would rather have a vacant room than a guest that damages the property or alienates the other nice guests. 

[Marie8425]

@Emily26 

I would review but with my business head om.  Yes, they went in your plate cupboard but that really didn't cause a significant rental issue so really no actual purpose of posting forever on the internet.   I might five them a 4 on communication because it does appear that not truthfully communicating with you has caused a headache for you.  Since we Hists try not to be a headache to our Guests that in formation is more useful than the misdeed.  I state Guest's lack of communication with me created a minor inconvenience.  Nothing for the Guest to fight for  removal and if future Guests look at the review I left a Guest who gives me a bad review, my professional business review along with my business response to her review.  Future Guests see someone ranting being dealt with courtesy but responsibly, a bad review actually can be a good marketing tool if random.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Emily26 You must review this guest to warn future hosts what they are like. If hosts do not review such guests then we lose a major source of protection as a hosting community.

You will be able to respond publicly to their review. Just remember that your response is ALL about how future guests will see your listing NOT about challenging or getting one over on the guest. Also if they leave private feedback do not respond to this as it is a schoolboy error when hosts reveal issues that would otherwise be unseen.

[Sariyah0]

I always give an honest review. Not scathing but only state facts.

I have installed a cctv a the entrance of my home so that I can monitor how many is staying. I tell them upfront in my messages as well as in the house rules, extra guests are allowed only upon my consent and they have to pay extra. If caught,  i will exercise my right as hosts to evict them because they have broken my house rules.

Seems harsh but I want to avoid potential issues with guests and Airbnb. I read in the FAQs, if we have stated everything in our page, it would be easier to make a report. Touch wood, nobody wants any bad guests

[Kate2097]

Had a guest who was bringing drunk friends day and night, smoking and leaving cigarette butts everywhere - all against house rules. When I told her to stop she became aggressive -  yelling and slamming the doors, all in front of my children. I even had to call police in. 

I reported the guest to AirBnb, gave all CCTV recordings and photos. Then I wrote a factual review and interesting things started to happen. Guest left me a 1 star review, pretty insulting too. My rating dropped from 4.9+ to 4.6. Guest only had 2 reviews before mine, but even after my review was posted her rating remained 5 stars. Clearly AirBnb wants guests to be able to use instant booking. 

It gets even more interesting - for the past 2 days I called support 6 times and tried online chat with them few times - all support members ask for the full story, they put me on hold, then say that their shift is about to end and that a manager will call me back. I get a feeling that my profile is marked "ignore and do not help" in the system after I posted this review for a guest.  So be aware - AirBnb is protecting guests, not hosts. Platform is not on our side.

[Simon3074]

I feel your pain - just been through the same experience.  All hosts are marked "ignore and do not help".  We are just money making machines for the "Top Brass".  As long as there are willing hosts and willing guests the carousel keeps turning.

[Gillian166]

I must have got lucky, I managed to have an unfair 1* review removed.  Similar story to yours: booked for a couple, turn up with a baby, then ask if family can come and have a small bday celebration for their boy, then 7 more people show up, they dominate the shared pool facility and make a mess, and smoke, and other stuff that was just rude and selfish. 

anyway, i left them an honest review saying they were super nice but broke every rule, and the hubby didn't even speak english so not sure why he was account holder. But this worked in my favour because he didn't leave me a review, he simply put a "." in as his review and then gave me 1*. I was furious, after we bent over backwards to tolerate them, and i even gave my other guest group an apology gift for all the noise they were making. 

Turns out that not writing anything isn't helpful to other guests, and so for that reason they removed his review and i got my 5* rating back. They didn't remove it cause he was a selfish b-word and violated my rules. So it was a victory but felt like a fluke, esp as I read a lot of stories here that have unfair outcomes.